When you build a small business website these are the things you absolutely must-have. All should have the following:
About Page – One of the most visited pages on most websites. This is where you tell people about your company, the history and what you do. This is also called, Who We Are, Our Story and other names. Whatever you want to call your page, this is one of the most important of the must-have pages.
Sub Page – Team Page – Depending on whether or not you’re an individual contributor or have employees, you may want to have a page for your team. This isn’t necessary for smaller firms.
Services Page – Tell People What Services You Offer. When people surf the web they are looking for something. Make it easy, list out all your services. This page is sometimes called What We Do, and as with About, it doesn’t matter what you title the page, as long as you clearly list what it is you do.
One thing I like to do is include a line saying if you don’t see a service listed, contact us. There may be things you don’t do normally but that you would do, or at very least recommend someone else.
Contact Page – Let people know how to reach you. Make sure you include the following:
Phone
Email
Contact Form – Keep it simple, people are leery about giving too much information
Map/Directions
Blog/News Page – One of the most important areas from an SEO standpoint. If you want to grow your online presence, there is no better way than to be constantly adding quality content. And there is no better way than by blogging.
Testimonials Page – REAL Testimonials. Don’t have fake or fake sounding testimonials. If possible include the person’s full name, position and company. Then the testimonials carry weight.
Call To Action – Very important to have a call to action. What do you want visitors to your website to do? Contact You? Make an Appointment? Buy Something? Have a clear call to action. We blogged about this way back in 2011, in post entitled: Clear Call To Action: Keep your eye on the prize and that post is still accurate today.
Two Level Navigation Menu – If possible, all your pages should be no more than 2 levels deep. I recently saw a small website and the page I was looking for was 5 levels deep. Ridiculous and unnecessary.
Responsive Design – If your website isn’t mobile friendly, STOP and get someone to build you a new site. Over 50% of the visitors to your site are getting having a poor user experience. Responsive design is where your website adjusts to the user’s screen size and looks good everywhere. More on Responsive Design »
Unique Logo – Logos set your brand and the design of your site. Best of all it isn’t all the expensive to have a custom logo designed.
These mainly pertain to informational websites. Depending on your business, we’d also recommend:
Ability to pay invoices online
Ability to sell online
Ability to make appointments online
BOTTOM LINE: There are of course many other things you can add to your small business website. These are just the must-have pages and elements we think are crucial, especially when you are just starting out. Of course, you can always contact us and we can go through your individual requirements and make recommendations tailored for your particular business and industry.
Update: I am adding a few more items to this post:
High-quality images: Your website should have high-quality images that showcase your products or services. This can help build trust with visitors and make your business look more professional. If you use stock photography, try to use some that haven’t been used 1 million times on the web. I always point to the picture of the operator that 10 million people used on their websites! If possible, use a professional photographer especially when taking pictures of your team. Otherwise today’s cell phones can take a wonderful picture. I always just recommend that if you’re taking pictures of your team, that you are all standing against the same background, from the same distance, etc.
Clear and concise information: Your website should have clear and concise information about your business, products or services, and contact information. It should be easy for visitors to find the information they need.
Easy navigation: Building on the above point about navigation, your website should have a clear and intuitive navigation menu, so visitors can quickly find the information they need.
There are many reasons why websites fail. Today we will discuss the top 10 reasons and also indicate how we can help.
Poor User Experience: Websites that are difficult to navigate, slow to load, or confusing can quickly turn users away. How we can help: We will design a site that has clear navigation, loads quickly and has clearly laid out content.
Lack of Quality Content: Content is king on the web. Websites that don’t have compelling and valuable content can struggle to attract and retain visitors. How we can help: We will work with you to create a content strategy tailor-made for your business. Different businesses benefit from different content. For some that may be video posts, for others that might be how to articles, and for others it might be just something as simple as photos of your work.
Not Mobile-Friendly: With so many people accessing the web from their mobile devices, it’s crucial for websites to be optimized for mobile use. Failing to do so can lead to a significant loss of traffic. How we can help: All our sites are 100% responsively designed and look great everywhere! And, if you have a website that isn’t mobile friendly, we can rebuild your site to render properly on smaller devices and pads.
No Clear Call-to-Action: Websites that don’t have a clear call-to-action can leave visitors unsure of what to do next, leading to frustration and disengagement. How we can help: we make sure every site we build has a call to action. Now again, this might be different for different types of websites. For an e-commerce site as an example your call to action would be to try to get someone to purchase your products. For another company it might be something like getting people to fill out a contact form. Read our post: Clear Call To Action: Keep your eye on the prize.
Poor Search Engine Optimization: If a website isn’t optimized for search engines, it can be difficult for potential visitors to find it. This can lead to a lack of traffic and ultimately, failure. How we can help: all of our management plans include search engine optimization (SEO). Lack of optimization is one of the main reasons why websites fail. This is an area where we can help you, increase your rankings and improve your ROI.
Lack of Social Proof: Social proof, such as reviews and testimonials, can go a long way in building trust and credibility with visitors. Websites that don’t have social proof may struggle to gain the trust of potential customers. How we can help: we will assist you with getting testimonials on your site. Real testimonials are a great tool and shows potential customers/clients the benefits of using your services. We will also help you by setting up your Google Business listing which is a great place for your customers/clients to give you a review.
Outdated Design: An outdated design can make a website look unprofessional and untrustworthy. This can cause visitors to leave the site and seek out a more modern alternative. How we can help: RooSites has a finger on the pulse of the industry and will design and build you a site that is modern, and which fulfills the goals of your company.
Security Issues: Websites that are not secure can lead to data breaches and other security issues. This can damage the reputation of the website and lead to a loss of trust among users. How we help: we use the most secure hosting available. All of our sites are backed up daily and screen for potential security issues.
Lack of Integration: Websites that don’t integrate with other platforms, such as social media or email marketing tools, can miss out on valuable traffic and opportunities. How we help: as we said above, we help you with your content marketing strategy, part of that is integrating with your social media, allowing your visitors to share your posts and hopefully grow your following. For our clients utilizing email marketing, we make sure that your sign-up form is visible, where it can’t be missed.
Poor Marketing Strategy: Even the best website will struggle to succeed without a solid marketing strategy. Websites that don’t have a plan for driving traffic and generating leads may struggle to succeed. How we help: as we are planning your website, we will also be thinking ahead to your marketing strategy, coming up with a plan to help you succeed and grow your business. Many times we take over an existing site. In that case, we will meet and discuss what you’re trying to achieve, and then help you formulate a plan to help you grow and meet your goals.
Bottom Line: hopefully this post helps you to understand why websites fail. Luckily as we’ve indicated above, we can help you if your site is suffering from any of these 10 issues. Contact us today for an initial consultation.
