 Image via Pexels 3 of the Most Essential Characteristics of a Small Business Website When it comes to running a small business, few things are more important than maintaining a high-quality website. Whether your business is an e-commerce store, a brick-and-mortar establishment, or both, your website serves as your online headquarters. Not only will all of your marketing content lead consumers to your website, but more and more people are using the web to find local businesses and order products and services. For these reasons, among many others, investing in professional web design from an agency like VanHaaren Designs can benefit your business much more than throwing together a free template site. If you don’t have the cash on hand to create a new website or upgrade your current one, you may need to research your funding options. From government assistance like SBA express bridge loans and the Main Street Business Lending Program to non-government loans and grants, there are likely some options out there that can provide you with the funds necessary. Now, let’s discuss three characteristics that every effective small business website possesses, along with some secrets as to how you can accomplish them. Looks The way your website looks is the first characteristic that visitors will notice. If your site looks unprofessional, it will turn people away and harm your conversion rate. Choose one or two (no more than that) easy-to-read fonts, and separate your written content with headers and subheaders. Also, be sure not to clutter your web pages with content. There should be plenty of white space on each page, meaning there are gaps between the page’s individual content and elements. And rather than using stock photos, which countless other companies will be using, hire a professional photographer to take top-notch photos for your site. This will help bring quality to your site while also making it unique. Ease of Use Simplicity is critical for web design. When someone visits your site, they need to know exactly how to get where they need to go or do what they need to do. For instance, they shouldn’t have to look for longer than a few seconds to find your blog, product page, or contact page. In fact, you might consider treating every page as a landing page, meaning that you include essential contact information and calls-to-action (CTAs) somewhere visible on the page. Another thing to consider is that many small businesses hide their navigation links behind a single burger icon, usually in one of the top corners. However, this strategy isn’t ideal if you run a product-heavy business, such as an e-commerce store. Content If you look at most of the best-designed websites, you’ll notice that they have a blog where regular written content is posted. Keeping a blog page with quality content benefits your business in a number of ways, including: It provides your customers with pertinent information and advice on various industry-related topics. It keeps your customers informed of news concerning your company. You can share your blog posts on social media pages, which will lead to more traffic on your website. It will improve your company’s SEO results. It’s worth mentioning that videos are another type of content that can benefit your business. As with photography, hire a professional videographer to make promotional, how-to, company culture, and customer testimonial videos for your website. If you are starting or running a small business, creating a stellar website must be a priority. Making your site visually appealing and simple to use, as well as providing helpful and unique content, will result in exceptional user experience. Of course, there are other factors involved in great web design, so keep learning about how you can take your site to the next level. Article written by Lindsey Weiss Outbounding.com lindseyweiss@outbounding.com
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Grow Your Small Business by Hiring Help with These 3 Web-Based Projects While a strong online presence was essential to small business success before COVID-19 hit, it’s even more crucial now that we’re in the face of a global pandemic. To stay relevant and keep up with changing customer demands, for instance, it’s important to boost your online presence by building a website and mobile app for your small business and regularly sharing blog content with your online community. To learn more about the importance of completing these three web-based projects — and for some tips on hiring the help you need — read on! 1. Build a User-Friendly WebsiteAccording to the USA TODAY Classifieds Blog, small businesses need a website for five main reasons: Credibility, brand development, marketing, competition, and control. A strong web presence helps you to grow your small business, keep up with the competition, and show customers that you’re credible and worthy of their business. To meet customer expectations, most business websites should have about and contact pages, an updated blog, a testimonials page, and pages that include descriptions of their different products and services. 2. Develop a Mobile AppLike a good website, mobile apps can help to grow your small business, enhance the user experience, and boost sales, customer engagement, and consumer retention — especially if you reward users for returning to your app time and again. Different types of mobile apps include the following, depending on your business needs and goals:
Keep in mind that mobile apps are more complicated to build on your own if you don’t have the skills, experience, or an in-house development team. As such, you’ll typically need to hire an app developer to create, market, and maintain your new mobile application. 3. Create Regular Blog ContentIn addition to creating a website and mobile app, you’ll increase online traffic and grow your small business if you incorporate blogging into your marketing strategy. Blogging can help to improve your website’s search engine optimization (SEO) ranking, respond to the needs of your customers and clients, connect with your followers, and share important business updates with your online community. Plus, you can share blog content to your social media pages — which will drive traffic back to your business website. Freelance Services to ConsiderNow that you’re familiar with the different types of web-based projects you may need help with in order to grow your small business, it’s time to decide whether you’ll hire freelancers to assist you — or part- or- full-time employees. Freelancers are an excellent option for small business owners, especially if the workload could be unsteady, you can’t afford to hire new employees, and/or you’re unable to offer on-the-job training. Plus, freelancers offer a variety of services from web content writing and editing to web development and graphic design. Here are some freelancers to consider for your future web-based projects:
As you can see, many different types of freelancers are available to assist you in building a website, developing a mobile app, and creating content for your blog. You already have a lot on your plate as a small business owner, and a freelancer can help you to complete the web-based projects you need to grow your business and keep up with the competition — even if you don’t have the skills, knowledge, and background to tackle them yourself. Article written by Chelsea Lamb @ Business Pop |
AuthorI am a mom of two boys and I live on a budget. I have a love for shopping but not spending a ton of money for full priced items. I will share my weekly finds and how I coupon and discount on shopping from house hold items to clothes and food. Archives
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