Introduction:

We are pleased to have another amazing article written by Emma Sumner. Emma is a marketing strategist-turned blogger. She lives in Auckland, New Zealand. Emma is a digital enthusiast, interested in web design, social media, and anything marketing-related. You can find Emma’s recent writings on the Classy Businesswomen blog.

11 Key Elements of A Successful Small Business Website

You are well aware of the significance of a website if you are reading this post. While word of mouth and social media are the two most common options for reaching out to potential consumers, your website should be the focal point of your online presence. If you don’t have a website, most of your potential consumers will abandon your company. We have established that you need your small business website to develop your business. But, how should a decent small business website look? What are the main components?

That may be a challenging question for you to answer. As a result, 60 percent of small business owners believe that launching a site with the necessary components takes too much time. However, if you understand the essential components of a small company website, you can easily describe how your website should appear to a designer. This information will be helpful to whether you are looking for a new website or want to remodel your current one. So, let us explain these components to you below, along with some outstanding examples of small company websites.

1. A well-organized navigation bar

Websites that are simple to use are preferred by 85 percent of clients. Although this may seem apparent to you, many small company websites lack a well-designed navigation bar.

Here’s how to make a user-friendly navigation bar:

• Not just the main page, but every page, should include a navigation bar at the top. Furthermore, as a visitor scrolls down your page, the navigation area can remain at the top. This is also known as a sticky navbar.
• From the navigation bar, a visitor should be able to access all of your website’s key pages. If your site has a lot of pages, you can organize them with drop-down menus.
• A user should be able to access your homepage by clicking the logo in your navigation bar.
• The logo is often placed in the upper-left corner.
• As you may be aware, mobile devices account for 50% of online traffic on average; your navigation must function flawlessly on a small screen. When a visitor views your site on a tiny screen, the recommended practice is to group all of the navbar links into a hamburger menu.

2. Business appropriate design

A small company website should be created with your target audience in mind. A local locksmith’s website will undoubtedly differ from that of a local eatery.

In most situations, your priority should be improved user experience rather than flashy graphics. Heavy design features will distract your visitors and may cause your site to load slowly. You should also avoid agencies who reuse the same layout for every sort of business.

If you want to sell items online, you must have all of the essential elements of an e-commerce website. The internet marketplace is quite competitive. Even if your company is tiny, you can’t afford to disregard eCommerce best practices if you want to convert visitors into repeat customers. Here are three design guidelines that every general-purpose small company website should follow:

1. User Experience (UX) Optimization

The key to any effective small company website design is optimizing the user experience. It’s easy to become too obsessed with graphics, colors, and other design aspects. However, you must first have a user-friendly layout, an intuitive site structure, and a clear information flow.

1. Responsive design

Any small company website must have a mobile-friendly or responsive design. Nothing appears more unprofessional to your visitors than a website that does not render appropriately on mobile devices. A non-responsive webpage has lower engagement, lower conversion rates, and a worse ranking in search results.

1. Calls to Action

Each page of your website should include a call to action. Some of the most commonly used calls for action examples are: Contact Us, Shop Now, Request A Quote, Download Now, Learn More, Ask us, etc.

3. Improves Interaction

A genuinely successful website design quickly attracts your visitors and maintains their interest across each page, as well as influences them to contact you. This is referred to as ‘conversion,’ and it is most likely the ultimate objective of your website. Again, there is a fine line between interaction and irritation. Therefore the degree of involvement should never outweigh the benefit.

4. Accessible contact details

Surprisingly, many small company websites fail to offer users clear contact information. Contact information should include at the very least:

• Your company’s name
• The physical address of your business (s)
• Contact information (s)

Aside from these three (referred to collectively as NAT), you should include your email address and social media profiles on your website. This information not only allows your consumers to contact you quickly but also assists them in recognizing you as a reputable firm.

Here are some design ideas for displaying your contact information:

• Your website should have a Contact Us page with a contact form. From the navigation bar, navigate to the Contact Us page.
• Put all of your active social media account links in the website’s footer.
• If your firm offers direct services (for example, a painting company or a delivery service), provide your phone number at the top of every page.

5. Optimized ‘About Us’ page

The About Us page allows you to inform your visitors about yourself. It aids in the establishment of a link between your brand and potential clients. Many small company websites fail to optimize the About Us page, which is a colossal error.

Here are some pointers to improve the About Us page:

• Tell the narrative of your brand. How did you get started? Describe your entrepreneurial path. People are interested in learning more about the company from whom they are purchasing goods.
• In the About Us section, use actual photographs. Stock pictures are strictly prohibited in this context. Use real photos of your products, services, or your team. Be true to your brand and values.
• By Using your brand story, try to connect with your target consumers. Take a look at the example site below to see how it’s done.

6. Social proof

Social proof is a crucial component of every small company website. Social evidence is as essential to 85 percent of customers as personal recommendations. As a result, your site design should highlight items like customer testimonials, reviews, client videos, accolades, and accreditations. Whatever sort of social proof you want to employ, make sure to notify your site designer ahead of time. To get the most out of social evidence, it must be adequately presented. By doing this, you will show your future potential customers that your brand is recognized and appreciated by your former customers therefore your services are good and products high-quality.

7. Customized CMS

Managing a website may be difficult, but a decent CMS can make it extremely simple to update and make minor changes to your site on your own. Choosing the proper CMS is also critical for the performance of your website.

Many popular CMSs, such as WordPress and Magento, are utilized by organizations of various sizes. However, due to their one-size-fits-all approach, many popular CMSs are too time-consuming and complex to master for a busy small business owner.

The option is to use a customized CMS that is tailored to your company’s needs. Many company website designers provide customized CMSs to their clients. Inquire with your agency about these alternatives.

8. On-site blog

You might assume that on-site blogs are only beneficial for large corporations, but they are equally helpful for small enterprises. An on-site blog might be the difference between you and your local rivals. Here are some main benefits of having a blog:

• An on-site blog demonstrates to your visitors that you are an educated individual/brand. It functions well as a trust signal.
• Relevant and well-written blog posts boost your internet visibility. The blog may be an essential part of your internet marketing plan, bringing in new consumers.
• Blog material allows you to interact with potential consumers. Sharing exciting blog entries on social media will provide your bus with a boost.

But what about the design of your blog? Many small company website designers fail to prioritize the blog, which is a mistake.

Here are some essential elements to consider while designing a user-friendly blog :

• The primary page of your blog post should provide a chronological list of your blog articles.
• Sort your blog entries into different categories. The post list should be able to be filtered by categories for the readers.
• You may also include a comment area at the bottom of each blog post.
• Each blog article must begin with a captivating feature image.
• Remember to include social network sharing buttons. These share buttons should be placed on the left margin of each blog article.

9. Basic search engine optimization

It will help if you consider your SEO strategy from the beginning of your website design process. You must follow SEO-recommended practices from the start. Many small company website designers are unfamiliar with search engine optimization. Ignoring this aspect may harm your company’s growth in the long term. Some of the important SEO practices involve the optimization of the following:

• Selecting the correct target keywords for your business,
• selecting an SEO-friendly URL,
• properly identifying your meta tags,
• and organizing your site’s pages in the proper hierarchy

Here are some pointers to ensure that your small company website is SEO optimized :

• Have a fundamental understanding of search engine optimization.
• Select a small company website design firm that also has an SEO staff.
• Keep track of the business-related keywords that your rivals use to rank in search results.

If you are serious about growing your business through internet marketing, you should work with an SEO agency from the beginning. For small enterprises, we offer site design as well as SEO services.

10. Analytics integration and conversion trackers

Your website’s primary goal is to attract targeted visitors and customers. As a result, you must analyze or visualize consumer behavior data to evaluate how well your site is working.

Here are some questions to which you should be able to respond:

1. How many people visit your website?
2. What is the origin of this traffic?
3. Are they prospective consumers or just passing through?
4. How long do your internet visitors stay on your site?
5. Which pages are the most popular?
6. Are you converting consumers from your website?

For different firms, conversion implies different things. A conversion might be the completion of a form, the receipt of a phone call, or the product’s sale.

By incorporating suitable technologies into the backend of your small company website, you will be able to answer these queries quickly. Monitoring and optimizing your website’s performance based on data may easily put your small business ahead of its rivals.

Most small companies are unconcerned with visitor data analysis. They are squandering a chance. Please let us know if you are interested in adding analytical elements to your website.

11. SSL certificate

A large number of small businesses do not have a secure website. SSL is required for each website, even if you do not trade online.

Here’s why:

If your site lacks SSL, Google Chrome displays a “Not Secure” warning next to the URL. This undermines the trustworthiness of your website. Customers expect 84 percent of the websites they visit to be trustworthy.

SSL is a ranking criteria that Google finds essential. As a result, not having an SSL certificate will harm your SEO efforts.

To maintain the security of user data, any small company website with an eCommerce or log-in feature must utilize SSL.

When you obtain an SSL certificate for your website, the URL will change to HTTPS. The information exchanged between your visitors and your site is private and important. By letting your customers know that the connection is secure, you will improve your relationship with customers as well as your trustworthiness.

These ten aspects for an effective small company website homepage help visitors grasp who you are, what you do, and how you can address their issues right away. By combining all ten of these elements, you can create a small company site that stands out and attracts new clients.