Tips for Designing a Business Website
Whether it’s for a business or a personal project, we know we need an online presence nowadays; but there’s a big difference between creating an online presence and creating one that works. There are a lot of factors to consider when designing your business website, so read the tips below and put your best foot forward – this helps to save time, energy, and costs.
Make it Cross-Platform
More than ha;f the world’s population use smartphones nowadays, and an even higher percentage of Americans are on their phones for five hours every day. Not only is mobile technology convenient, but it’s also increasingly popular, and many people prefer it to laptops.
The good news is that if you are designing a website today, there is an easy optimization option for mobile users. Mobile webpages need to be smaller, more compact, able to screen rotate, and with fast loading speeds. This will increase engagement with your business website.
Optimize for SEO
Needless to say, your business website needs to optimize for search engines so that your business can be found by internet users. So how can you do this effectively? One way is to hire a specialist to fine-tune the website and put a strategy in place, but you can do this yourself.
When it comes to SEO for business websites, you need to get it right, ensure that your webpages contain keywords relevant to your business and content; also make sure your content is high-quality and relevant. Next, work on obtaining high-quality backlinks.
Visible Contact Information
The visibility of your contact information often depends on the types of business you operate and the style of promotion you prefer. Some users expect to scroll to the bottom of the page to find your contact details, but others might not have the same level of patience or interest.
Don’t be afraid to place your business contact details above the fold so that users can see right away how to contact you and book a consultation or a service. Some businesses even place contact information at the top and the bottom of the homepage making it easier to get in touch.
Improve Navigation
The search engine is interested in user experience these days, meaning that easy navigation is a high priority. You want users to visit your website and find what they’re looking for without any delays; remember that even a 3-second delay in loading times can increase bounce rates.
Improve the navigation of your website by choosing a modern website builder. There are many benefits of using WordPress as your builder tool; for one thing, this website builder is suitable for commercial use; for another, it is affordable. It also has various SEO tools at its disposal.
Reduce the Clutter
Website clutter is all too common; it happens when a business doesn’t pay enough attention to its SEO and continues to increase its file sizes and on-page content. While this might seem like a substantial website on the face of it, this style of website is harmful to your SEO strategy.
If you have video content and images on your business website, you need to be highly selective. Video content is excellent for engagement, but it’s also a double-edged sword. Video content can slow your website and affect traffic. Images also need to be resized and reduced.
Create Content Accuracy
When it comes to ranking a website on the search engine index, the algorithm is interested in many factors, including page speed, navigation, links, and mobile readiness; however, content quality and relevance are top of the list. That’s because content quality is paramount to ranking.
If you want your business to appear high in the search engine rankings, you need to create content that is accurate; this means your content is relevant to the title tags, meta description, and headings; it also contains a range of internal and external links – and hopefully backlinks.
Put the User First
User experience not only affects the ranking performance of your website on the search engine, but it also affects user engagement with your business. Putting the user first is, therefore, the best way to rank better on organic search and connect with customers when they visit the site.
The first factor to consider is the loading speed of your website; if your webpages take between 1-3 seconds to load, you risk diminishing your conversion. Reduce the speed by taking weight out of your site. Also, improve users’ navigation experience by making pages easier to find.
Simple is Better
It can be tempting to build a bells and whistles website that competes with local businesses, but consider that simple is often better. Those fancy websites might look flashy, but how well adapted are they to user experience and the algorithm? That’s what matters in the long run.
The best strategy is to keep your website simple and straightforward. Use a basic theme and a simple palette of fonts and colors on every page. The more file space you can save, the faster your website will run and the easier it will be to outcompete the flashy competition in your niche.
Make it Personal
The world has changed, and it’s no longer enough for a brand to be a faceless corporation with an impersonal customer service experience. With the advent of social media, customers now expect to see behind the scene of a company and to be able to talk to the people that matter.
If you run a business online, your website is your chance to open the door to customers and invite them into your iconic brand world. Every page on your website counts, so make the most of the About Page, Blog, and anything else, to connect with your customers on a personal level.
Landing Pages
Once again, the focus is on customer experience and ease of use. When a customer has decided to click on an internet ad or visit your payment funnel, it needs to be as straightforward and frictionless as possible. Even small delays can lose you precious conversions and data.
