by Every business needs a strong online presence. This is no longer optional in today’s economy.
And it all begins with a good website.
A well-designed website provides many benefits for every business – no matter its industry or target customer. Websites can help establish brand recognition and credibility. They can provide new digital marketing avenues, more ways for both new and returning customers to find a business and a place where you can share announcements or updates with customers.
But how do you know whether your website meets today’s standards? We have put together a quick rundown of a few qualities and characteristics that every business website must have.
Why your business should have a website
If your business does not have a website, then you are probably losing business.
It’s not uncommon for someone to research businesses online before deciding whether to make a purchase or hire that business for a service. Almost 90 percent of customers conduct some form of background research on businesses online before making a purchase through a website or in-store.
Not only are people searching for businesses online, but they are also buying goods online in ever-increasing numbers. It was estimated that in 2018 1.8 billion people worldwide made online purchases, according to Statista. That year, global e-commerce sales totalled more than $2.8 trillion.
Just having a website is only half the battle, though. Your business’s site needs to have these features to help it reach its potential online.
1. A good domain name
A customer’s web experience with any site begins with a domain name. That’s the web address customers will type or see when they perform a search that leads them to your website.
A good domain name is short, easy to spell and is easy to remember. It should also include the business’s name whenever possible.
You can add locations or keywords that are related to your business if simply the business name is not available. If researched well, this could help with search engine optimization.
You will need to research whether a domain is available before purchasing it using a simple web domain search tool.
2. Fast page load speed
Nothing will end a person’s visit to your site quicker than a page that loads slowly. A web page should take between two and five seconds to load, if not faster.
However, people on the web are notoriously impatient. Any amount of time after two seconds increases the probability that the web visitor is going to leave your site before it is finished loading.
A few of the keys to having a website with lightning-fast load times are making sure it’s not overly reliant on high-resolution graphics, has a good web host with enough bandwidth and isn’t cluttered with unnecessary content.
3. Prominent call to action
What do you want visitors to do when they reach your site? This should be immediately clear whenever a person first visits any web page. It’s called a call to action – and you would do well to have more than one throughout your site.
If you are trying to get leads, then ask for email addresses so that they can join a mailing list. Some potential customers may even be willing to part with other contact information if your content is good enough and captures their interest.
If the goal is to drive sales, then have a clear call to action that points visitors to your web store or shows them directions to a brick and mortar store. You could even provide a link that prompts customers to click to download a coupon.
4. Consistent branding
Your business likely already has a logo, brand colors and a tagline. All of these elements of your overall brand need to be included on your website.
Invest in a professional web design that takes your existing brand and build a website that makes everything people recognize about your company or organization stand out. Web visitors should not have to guess whether they have landed on the right website because your design throws them off.
5. Mobile responsive design
Every tip we have shared up to this point is valuable advice, but here’s a tip that is critical to follow: Ensure that your business’s website is mobile responsive.
What does that mean? It means that the website layout and design is determined by the screen size of the device a web visitor is using. The purpose of mobile responsive websites is to make the site as easily navigable and professional looking as possible, while recognizing that design elements need to be resized and tweaked depending on screen size.
So, if a potential customer finds your website on their smartphone, then the site will display differently than if that customer was on a desktop or laptop computer. The website may even load and appear differently if the customer uses a tablet. No matter the device, though, the design will be consistent.
Responsive designs have more benefits than simply being easier to read and more professional.
For one, search engines will also reward websites that are designed responsively with better search engine rankings.
But more importantly, many people are now using mobile devices as their primary means of browsing the internet. Your website simply needs to be easy to use and navigate on the devices that people are using.
Emagine can build the website your business deserves
Give your customers the online experience that they deserve with a website designed by Emagine. Our team will design and manage a website for your business that drives leads, converts visitors into customers and leaves web users with a positive impression of your business.
Once you have a website that is designed and developed by Emagine, visitors will not only more easily find your website through our search engine optimization strategies, but they will become customers and keep coming back with our other content services, including social media and email marketing.
Interested in selling a product online? We are also experts in e-commerce, with past work that proves it.
Request a free consultation today and we’ll get your business online or transform its online presence.
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