10 Tips for Creating an Effective Small Business Website

1. Start With a Smart Website Strategy

Creating a website for a small business turns out best if you have the end in mind.

You should start out by jotting down who your target audience is. Make a list of your website’s goals and rank them according to priority. Write down must-have functionalities and then the extras that would be nice to have but aren’t crucial. What other properties will your site connect to? Make a list of all the possibilities including social media, other publications, and blog articles.

Think about how you will measure success.

As you can imagine, each small business website has unique and varied purposes. If your goal is to sell products, you will need to build your site around that objective. If your goal is to entice potential customers to call you, then that is a totally different purpose that will lead to the creation of a website that is totally different.

2. Write Your Own Content

At the heart of your small business is you. You know your product or service better than anyone else.

That’s why it’s smart to figure out what you want your website to say and write the content yourself. At least, start writing it yourself so you get the essence of your business across. You can always hire someone to edit or polish it.

3. Utilize Calls to Action

Calls to action (CTA) are paramount for a small business website. Strong CTAs encourage your site visitors to take specific steps once they land on your page.

For example, do you want them to sign up for a newsletter, download your free guide, or shop your latest products? Tell them!

4. Simplicity Is King

When you create a business website, the simpler the better. No, we don’t mean boring. You can make your website playful, smart, informative or engaging without overwhelming your visitors. Think clutter-free. Allow your users to have an enjoyable view when they visit your site. Also, make sure that simplicity carries through to the page hierarchy. If your business website is overly complicated and busy, you won’t get a ton of conversions. People get confused when they don’t find what they expect to. And, most of the time, they will click off your page and go elsewhere.

Decide on a simple design with a color scheme of just 2-3 colors. Make sure your visuals have space around them and don’t neglect some white space to let your content and visuals have some breathing room.

5. Own Your Domain

A surefire way to make your small business website as professional as possible is to buy a domain name.
YourBusinessName.com is much more powerful than YourBusinessName.Wordpress.com.

It’s also easier for your customers to remember. Make sure you understand about domain privacy protection and if you need it before you click buy.

6. Choose Your Domain Name with Care

Take time to think through choosing your domain name. Make sure it is easy to spell and remember. If people can’t find you, they can’t do business with you.

Aim for as short a domain name as possible. The shorter it is, the less likely it is that people will have a typo or forget your URL. Most of the time, a .com domain extension is most appropriate for a small business website. Stay away from .net .co and other extensions. People see .com sites as credible and professional. And as most sites have a .com extension, you’ll fit right in.

Of course, if your organization fits better with a .gov or .org extension, by all means, use it. Think about the future growth of your company and make sure your domain name will allow for expansion. Did you know that Amazon was created to sell books online? Bet they’re glad they went with the name Amazon instead of OnlineBooks.com.

7. Make Your Small Business Website Mobile Friendly

This tip can’t be over-emphasized. It is imperative that your website works well on mobile devices. About half of all worldwide web traffic comes from mobile devices. You must make sure that your website is user-friendly for those who access it from their tablets and smart-phones.

If you don’t, you risk losing out on a lot of business and not ranking as well on search engines. Trust us, your site needs to be responsive.

8. Include Social Sharing Buttons

Social sharing buttons are crucial for your small business website. These simple buttons let customers see your location, customer reviews, pictures and more. Of course, this also provides an easy way for your site visitors to share your site on their social media pages. This is easy and free added exposure. Plus, adding share buttons to your page can increase organic traffic.

9. Add a Face

One of the most common mistakes people make when setting up a website for a small business is to make it faceless. Small business owners mistakenly want to seem like a big, faceless enterprise. But, that’s not always a good thing. Your customers want to know how they will be working with. They want a connection and a relationship. Including a team photo on your about us page is a great way to show your visitors that you are approachable.

10. Create and Publish Quality Content Often

Once your website is up and running, you don’t get to sit back and never look at it again. Fresh, new content is vital for search engine ranking. Make a plan about how often you will publish articles or blog posts on your site. Brainstorm topic ideas and input these into the production calendar to ensure it doesn’t fall by the wayside.

Final Word on Creating an Effective Small Business Website

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