Small business owners need to consider the return on investment in everything they do. With limited budgets, staff and resources, running a small business takes creativity and understanding of where to put your dollars for the most impact. This is especially true when it comes to how you market your business.
As a small business, your website is your most valuable asset. 88% of consumers who search for a type of business on a mobile device call or go to that business within 24 hours. And website visitors only need half a second to form an opinion of the website they are visiting. Ultimately, your website (or lack thereof) can make or break you.
As a website developer who’s built websites for businesses large and small for more than 10 years, I know what it takes to create powerful small business websites. Here’s what you should know about making the most of your small business website.
Focus on Simple, Functional Design
You don’t need tons of expensive custom graphics to have a great website. But you do need a website that looks good and functions well. When it comes to design, decide on your set color palette and use it throughout the site. Create clear content blocks that get straight to the point with strong calls to action, avoiding wandering copy that isn’t actionable. If you’re selling a product, invest in quality photography that you can showcase on your website. Create a navigation bar that can be accessed on any page, so the user can always find what they’re looking for.
The key to creating a seamless user experience is to have someone test your website as a user. Consider setting three goals a user might have when they come to your website, then have someone try to achieve those goals. Through this practice, your tester be able to point out roadblocks, pain points or areas of confusion that might send a user away from your website in search of a competitor’s.
Prioritize Search Engine Optimization
What good is a beautiful website if customers can’t find it on the internet? That’s like creating your best painting, never bringing it to an art show or gallery, and hoping that someone will still magically purchase it. You have to let customers know that your product or service is a solution to their problem, and search engines can help you do that.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of making sure engines like Google see the relevance of your website as an answer to users’ inquiries. In order to do this, you’ll need to hone in on a mix of keywords that are relevant to your business and use them throughout your website. Do your best to include them in headings, subheadings and paragraph copy when possible. If you have the resources, create a blog where you can house even more relevant content that contains your keywords.
Need more insight into SEO optimization? Read our blog: 3 Simple Things You Can Do to Improve Your Website’s SEO.
Optimize for Mobile
Today, more than half of all web traffic comes from a mobile device. That’s more than half of your customers you can’t afford to lose, which is why responsive design is so important. What does “responsive design” mean exactly?
Responsive design means that your website is designed to be both functional and attractive on all major devices, but especially mobile devices. So if you were to go to your website on a desktop computer, a laptop, a tablet and a smartphone, it would still look good and be easy to navigate. Your website won’t look exactly the same on each device, but using any device shouldn’t hinder your audience from getting what they need out of your website.
Build-in Automation
With limited time and staff in a small business, you’ll do everything you can to work smarter – not harder. Marketing automation is one of those tools that allow you to do more with less.
Marketing automation is the use of software to automate your marketing activities. In most cases, an action taken by a prospective customer will set off a chain of one or more actions that move them closer to your goal, without you doing any of it manually. This reduction of manual labor on your end is why automation might be one of the most valuable digital marketing tools.
Thankfully, there is a long list of unique marketing automation systems that offer solutions for small businesses. At PRIME, we’re a HubSpot agency partner. We might be biased, but we’ve found it to be one of the most valuable marketing automation systems we can offer to clients.
Looking for an experienced partner to help you make the most of your small business website? Partner with an agency that has the experience to get you where you want to be. Contact us at PRIME today.
If you found this blog helpful, check out these other related topics:
- The Importance of Good Website Design
- 6 Web Design Trends for 2021
- 3 Simple Things You Can Do To Improve Your Website's SEO
