One of the most important things you can do in the digital age when starting your own small business info is to create an easily accessible website. The fastest way to acquire information about a certain business is always through the internet and this is what people mainly use. Of course, TV advertisements, putting your company name in the yellow pages or paying for billboards are still an effective way of getting in contact with your clients, but the internet is definitely the most effective way.
Since the web page is going to be people’s first impression of your company, you will definitely need to put in a lot of work to make it impressive. You can’t just use a free template and hope that people will appreciate the looks of it. You will need to think of a unique design that will carry your brand’s name and colors. You will also have to make sure that the site is properly optimized because every person will access it from a different device. One customer will use a high-end computer, another will use an old iPhone and a third one will use flagship Android phones. The experience for all of these people needs to be buttery smooth. Otherwise, you will lose your clients.
However, building a website from scratch without any previous experience is not an easy task. Fortunately, we have made this guide to help you understand which aspects of website building are most important when it comes to small businesses. And if you find this too overwhelming, you can always consult UI/UX design experts like Clay.Global.
1. Domain name
Just like every company’s first impression is its brand name, the same applies to web pages too. The name that you pick will represent your company, your products, their quality, and your services. You will have to think of something that will be unique, easy to pronounce and easy to remember too. Having something too complicated as a domain name can be hard for your customers to remember. Keep it simple and catchy too.
You do not have to use your brand name, you can get a bit creative. For example, if your company is called CarsService, you can do something like CarZservice or CarService, etc. Sure, there are differences between the name of the domain and your company, but people will still be able to correlate the two, don’t worry.
2. Homepage
The second most important thing for every website is its homepage. Everyone that clicks on the link of your site will be directed to the homepage. Here you will need to present everything you have as a business to your customer. You need to amaze them with the simplicity of the design, your products, the colors of your brand, the name and a bunch of other things. Studies show that you have less than half a second to convince the customers to stay and keep on browsing on your site. If you fail to do so, they will move on and look for other businesses that offer the same services or products.
So, what should you include on the homepage? Well, the first thing that people will notice is the styling and design. If they like the looks of the homepage, they will start exploring other aspects of your business. This is why it is important to explain what your company does by adding a short description and an explanation about what you plan to do in the future regarding your products and services.
3. Templates
Most start-ups and small businesses do not have a huge budget, especially when it comes to building a website. This means that investing in a designer that will style your entire webpage is impossible because you simply do not have the money. Fortunately, there are thousands of online services that can provide you with templates that can be as good as a custom design. The prices of these templates can range anywhere from $50 to $300. A great example of a website that offers such services is templatemonster.com.
4. About Page
If the visitors are impressed with the website you have created and the products you offer, the next thing they will do is visit the about page to find some more details about your company. It is essential that you put all of the required information in the about page. Add in the company phone number, company’s e-mail address and the address of the office buildings. If you have no problem with your information being public, you can add your phone number and e-mail too, so people can have direct contact with the owner of this small business. Providing customers with the ability to contact the CEO of a company builds a special kind of trust.
5. Responsiveness
Have you ever been on a slow webpage? Well, you probably have, but you probably left after a couple of minutes because an unresponsive page is one of the most frustrating things. In 2024, everyone expects that the response time of a page will be less than half a second. This is why it is so important to invest in server hosting services that will provide you with the best possible response time. You can learn more about different types of server hosting in this article of Hosting Foundry. Naturally, the lower the response time, the heftier the cost, but the expenses will definitely be worth it.
6. Quality, not quantity
Many businesses believe that the best way to build their followers, customers, and audience is by spamming as much content on their websites and social media profiles as possible. This is simply not true. People can easily get fed up with such spam. This is why it is so important that you stay consistent with the content you post. Create your own schedule throughout the week and stay with it. Use high-resolution images and videos, make sure that the text is without grammar errors and that it fits your narrative.
7. Advertise your products and services
The whole point of your business and website is to sell your products or services, right? You should make sure that the products and the services of your business always stay on top of the site. They should have a concise explanation/description of what they entail.
