Launching a website for your small business can be daunting, but it is a worthy investment: every small business needs a great website. Here are a few traits to keep in mind to ensure that your website is meeting its full potential:
1) Your Website Should Have Purpose
Your website should have a clear call to action. What is the mission of your website? Is it to get people to call you? Is it to get them to subscribe to your blog or e-newsletter? Is it to get them to download your e-book or app? Purchase product? Complete a form? The purpose of your site needs to be crystal clear.
2) Your Website Should Act Efficiently
Not only should your website have a mission, it should physically behave like it’s on a mission. Do not allow your visitor to deviate from a website that takes too long to load up. Your website should operate like a well-oiled, streamlined machine: that means no extraneous content, no lengthy animated intros, no videos that take too long to stream, and please no distracting music that automatically starts up when the website loads!
3) Your Website Should Be Well-Designed
Once your site has a clear-cut purpose, it needs a design that serves its purpose. Your site should be easy on the eyes, uncluttered and easy to navigate. Visitors should be able to find the information they are looking for right away. Don’t assume that a visitor will go through a website “from beginning to end”; they will skip around intuitively. Therefore, your site needs to perform intuitively and “anticipate” what it is your audience is looking for.
4) Your Website Should Be Search-Engine Optimized
There are many ways to get your website to show up high in searches (links, tags, meta-tags, site maps, etc.), but these days, having killer content is king.
5) Your Website Should be Device-Friendly
Make sure your website is optimized for smart phones and devices. Did you know that on average, Canadians own 2.6 Internet-capable devices according to the BDC (Business Development Bank of Canada)? There is a very strong chance that your site is going to be visited from a device, so make sure it makes a great impression!
6) Your Website Should Have a Specific Target Audience
Who is your website trying to convert? Who is the target? A good website is branded in such a way as to attract the right people and to get those people to act.
7) Your Website Needs to Reflect Your Brand
Your site’s presence should be consistent with your brand. Everything from the images you use, the colours, the fonts, the layout, to the tone of the written copy should all have the same feel of other aspects of your business’s branding. When someone visits your site, it should be immediately obvious that they have landed at the right place.
Putting together a website is no small task, and some may say it’s an ongoing process that needs to be revisited periodically as your brand evolves.
Need a hand with your business’ brand? Call Kim Speed at Purple Moon Creative today!
