There are many aspects that you need to consider for your Small Business Website planning but here are three simple base level concepts to be aware of before you are start.
- Content Structure: In order for your customers to find your business online, your website’s content needs to be structured in a specific way to be found on search engines. To attract visitors in the form of web traffic to your business proposition, your content information needs to match and reflect topics that are actually being searched for in Google. To research top and rising topics on online search trends start by exploring Google Trends. Your website content will need an emphasis placed on using specific keyword phrases and topics in page titles, headings and images, and not to focus on fancy graphics or flash. The website code mark-up also needs to be compliant to Global Standards for Accessibility in order to allow greater visibility of your keywords. These days the website code also needs to be structured for different devices such as desktop, tablet and mobile.
- Expertise, Authority and Trust: In order to establish trust, your website also needs to reflect your business authority, expertise and branding without compromising the delivery of your message. Your message to market needs to be clear, concise, legible as well as quick and easy to read.
- Marketing Sales Copy: For actual sales, your message needs to be structured in way to maximise the conversion of your web traffic into customers. Therefore your business proposition needs to be factored into your website content design and layout. Your message and layout aims to funnel your website traffic through your information to offers and a call to action.
In consideration of the above points, your website design for your business needs to factor in your marketing sales objectives first as your main and primary goal for your website planning. While the look and feel of your website is important and must be professional, the site’s content must be a priority to be legible and easily read.
For legibility, your content words are usually designed with maximum contrast such as black text on a white background using san serif, web safe fonts such as “Verdana, Arial or Helvetica”, which are available on all computers. The websites’ navigation must be structured in way so that your customers can find what they are looking for quickly from anywhere on the site.
For consideration of your marketing goals, there are some concepts to be aware of that can improve the potential success of your small business website. These concepts are increasing in use online for Internet marketing, which have been traditionally used in print for Direct Response Marketing and often starting with your Unique Selling Proposition or Value.
Your website sales copy and information copy takes on the role to be of primary importance above the actual relevance of the site’s look and feel. Simple web design is therefore preferable than focusing expensive design concepts. For assistance to help you in your marketing needs, we can refer you to marketing specialist and copywriters who excel in the web marketing media.
With this information in mind our focus in building web sites for small business will include the following considerations:-
- Search Engine Optimisied for keyword search demand.
- Structured for marketing and advertising.
- Practical and specifically designed for business
- Reliable user-friendly navigation systems.
- Styles to incorporate your business branding.
- Simple, clean, crisp looking style.
- Simple, clutter free layout for clarity and readability.
- Quick loading and formatted for common browsers.
- Responsive for viewing on mobile devices.
For further details, contact Gavin Gilmour to find out how we can help you setup an online presence for your business.