10 ESSENTIAL TIPS THAT EVERY WEBSITE MUST HAVE.

Are you ready for your first business website but don’t know how to get started? Having a professional website is important for pretty much every new business. But getting started can seem intimidating for those who have never had their own website before.

Reading this guide may save some time and help you understand some of the reasons we ask so many questions when you hire us to build your new website.

Below are ten tips in order of importance for the Small business website.

Bonus: Download a free e-Book that will show you how to tap into the 10 most important factors in your website plus extra tips. Click Here...

DOMAIN NAME / URL:

Choose your Small business website domain carefully. The domain name should be easy to remember and include your top keyword or business name. The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) or web address should not be too complicated or have odd characters like dashes or extra dots. It should if possible have a good keyword relevant to your niche (not as easy as you may think :). I recommend:  Godaddy domain search as a good place to start. Prices are very reasonable and charged annually. If you can afford them, it can be desirable to have both .com and .co.uk domains. 

Example: We recently did a complete site rebuild for a client www.ecosseentertainments.co.uk This domain had been registered and hosted for a long time by Yell but the client wanted something better.

The Problem: The long domain name was frequently misspelt and difficult to remember.

The Solution: Because the site had history and backlinks we registered www.DJeastlothian.com  and made it redirect to the main site.

The Takeaway: The client could shout out the new easy to remember URL at his events and publishing material so he was happy. The lesson is if you are building a new site be very careful about Domain name choices and if you have an old established site it may not always be best to change the URL completely, alternatively redirect from a better one.

SOCIAL MEDIA :

I have put this at number two which some might find controversial however I feel the potential advantage and massive traffic driving of the likes of Facebook, Twitter, Google plus and others including Pinterest and Instagram is so important it should be discussed as part of the build process early. Especially for Business websites, Linkedin is also vital.

Social sharing and promotion can be integrated into many novel ways on a modern website. As you can see this site features Social links in both header and footer so available sitewide.

CALL TO ACTION BUTTON :

You should treat your website as a salesman; its job is to generate leads for your business. The only way it can do that is if it has a strong and visible call to action (CTA) on it. The best CTAs are incentives that give the potential lead a reason to take the next step and buy what you sell.

Pretty websites with lots of content are nice to have but unless you are a charity, your first duty should be the promotion of your product or service so a CTA is definitely required. Once more we have featured CTA buttons at top and bottom of this page.

CONTACT INFORMATION :

It is vital that you include important contact information on your website. This includes your location (with a map), phone number, email address, and/or contact form. It’s also a good idea to have information that pertains specifically to your business such as your hours of operation, social media pages, and other locations.

Contact information in an extended footer is one way to make sure it is available on every page. Try to avoid pop-up contact forms (not all browsers allow them). Direct contact using Facebook Messenger or online chat is a very effective way to have your customers keep in touch, though beware they can suck up lots of your time, day and night (although you can turn them off). Contact Us…

A PICTURE’S WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS :

A great website (the kind that generates the most leads) uses both content and media (such as pictures and video) to tell your business’s story. A lot of Small business website get the content aspect right but miss out on the media part, which is just as important. A picture can sell your service much better than anything you write.

Careful selection of images is important, Professional photography or royalty-free images?  We can provide both, in fact, every image on this page was either created by us or sourced from a pro image bank, the cost of which we include in our fixed price web design offerings.

MOBILE RESPONSIVE

When it comes to the technical side of building the website, you don’t need a lot. That said, you do need to ensure that the Professional web design company you choose builds it to be mobile responsive and load in under three seconds. See how the navigation changes on mobile versus desktop o this site.

More people are now searching on mobile devices than ever and the importance of having a fast leading mobile website cannot be understated.

BREAD CRUMB NAVIGATION :

Breadcrumbs are navigational aids placed on top of the body content of a web page. Their subtle presence allows visitors to quickly refer to the links that come with breadcrumbs to bail them back to the homepage, or parent category of the current page. In terms of user experience, it’s a good guide as it’s prominently placed, yet not too obtrusive so as to steal someone’s attention. An example is the verticle bar on the right of this page with dots which indicate the present position on the page and allow you to scroll up or down.

PROFESSIONAL CODING :

It’s true that you can create your own website. In fact, there are many free tools that may help company owners at the early business stage. It’s important, however, that you make sure that your website is well put-together. That means making sure that your images are loading correcting, your videos are working, and your contact form is actually redirecting to you. It’s perfectly fine if you know how to do these things, but if you don’t, ask for help from a professional. It will be worth your time and money to have your site be the very best. Otherwise, people will see errors on your page and become disinterested.

After we hand over a completed website you will have the option to have a managed service where some or all content can be handled by us or we can train you in a basic posting of posts and pages with navigation instructions so you don’t need to know about coding

TESTIMONIAL AND REVIEWS :

One of the best ways for people to get to know you is to read reviews and testimonials from your clients. Reading about good experiences from your current or previous clients can go a long way in convincing others to give your products and/or services a try.

BLOG PAGE :

It Important To Have A Blog or News page On Your Small business website. Because

  • It adds value to your website.
  • the social nature of a blog encourages user interaction and keeps them engaged.
  • It positions you as an expert in your field.
  • It provides additional entry points to your website for organic traffic. Our Blog…