It is an unarguable fact that businesses do not need an online presence to reap benefits, rather an online presence has become an absolutely vital need if the business is to compete in today’s world. Many small businesses are now getting their websites developed to make a mark on the online world. It is nice that people understand the value of having a website, but now just “having” a website will not cut it.
So what do you need after you get a website?
Let us talk about a retail store and how it is arranged for success. First thing you pay attention to is the location of the store. It has to be easily accessible for your customers. Once you get the store, you then set up a good looking entrance. After that you arrange the shelves, checkout counter and a couple of special products in their special shelves. You also ensure that the shop looks good overall to the customer. That is all of the things you need to do after you get a website. All these things make for a good website and that is exactly what is needed to get an edge in today’s world.
If you had a store, you talked location. For your website you talk about where is your website hosted and how fast it loads for your customers. Once your website is up, then you go about its design. Are the menus user-friendly? Which products go where? Do you make banners for the special products or products on sale? Where do you keep the check-out button, or do you give an instant checkout option? What are the payment methods that shall work on your website? Setting up these requires technical knowledge but knowing what you need for a good website, requires more business acumen than technical knowledge. A good designer will get you the website, but you should be actively involved in the design process to get a website that the customer will love.
Some of the main features that you should focus on are:
- Get a professional logo designed. This should be visible on the top of your website. It should be easily readable and yet look good.
- Put your phone number somewhere it is easily visible and put a call to action button right next to it.
- Invest a good amount of time in how the menu bar will look like and the pages that it shall lead to.
- You cannot make banners for each and everything. Choose which things you want to show-off to potential customers. Work on where should you place these banners on the website, so they are visible but do not feel like they are being thrusted in ones face.
- Ensure that in the footer you mention all necessary contact information, business/support hours and social media buttons leading to all of your social media accounts.
- Choose a reliable hosting plan that has credible reviews. Also ensure that you have an auto website backup feature and check at what interval is the auto website backup taken.
Last but not least you should choose an agency that does not out-right tell you what would be right for you. Choose an agency which first makes an effort to understand your business model and then explain to you with examples the option you have.
