10 key steps to build a great small business website

Are you one of those small business owners who resist building a website for their business simply because you feel like you are not tech-savvy enough or maybe it’s expensive? These days, having a website for your small business is extremely vital for your brand. And the good part is that, building a basic website is inexpensive and easy, while not having one might be costlier in the long run!

 

But with all the competition online, just building a website is not enough. It is important to do it in the right way so that your customers can find your site for their intended purpose.

 

Here we have listed down 10 key steps to build your small business website and attract prospective customers online.

 

1. Choose the right domain name

 

Your domain is a critical part of your brand reputation and a poorly chosen domain name can badly damage your brand’s reputation. We understand that choosing the right domain name for your website might seem like a very stressful task. So here we have listed down a few tips that will make it easier for you:

• Make sure its easy to pronounce and short
• Avoid hyphens
• Make sure its flexible and not just specific to your niche
• Choose a legal top-level domain (eg .com, .org, .net, etc)
• Make use of targeted keywords

 

1. Website Hosting

 

Website Hosting refers to the business of housing, serving, and maintaining files for one or more Web sites. To be visible on the web, you will require a host, that is a company that provides the servers, technology, and support required by your small business.

Here are some affordable options for web hosting services:

• Bluehost
• DreamHost
• Hostinger
• Hostgator

 

1. Make your website mobile-optimized

 

According to statistics, 54.8% of all global online traffic is done using a mobile device, and 3.5 billion people have smartphones all over the world! If your website is not optimized for mobile users, you are losing more than half of your potential customers.

It is also important that your small business website provides a positive user experience to the mobile users. Make sure it is easy to navigate and access your products and services. A negative mobile user experience will bring damage to your website’s SEO rankings and make it difficult to build your brand reputation.

 

1. Fast loading time

 

On an average, how long do you wait for a website to load? Do you wait any more than 10 seconds or do you abandon it for a better option? Me too! In fact, that is the case with 88.5% of web users as they will leave a website if it loads too slowly.

 

In today’s fast-paced world, it is important to respect the need for speed in your website users. A lot of your customers will be lost if your website does not run smooth enough, thereby resulting in loss of revenue.

Keep your software up to date and make the images and videos quicker to download for a faster loading time.

 

 

1. Search and social media optimization

 

Let’s say you have one of the best websites in your industry, but what good will it do if people can’t find it? That is why you must incorporate the best SEO practices on your website if you want to grow your small business.

 

Studies show that 75% of people never scroll beyond Google search’s first result page. So that is where you want your website to also appear.  That is why instead of spending money on ads to increase your reach, it is important to make sure that your website is Search engine optimized so that you can bring in more organic traffic into your website.

 

1. Have a Simple Website Design

 

“Simplicity is the Ultimate Sophistication”

                                                         __ Leonardo da Vinci

 

Having a simple website design helps your users to not get distracted from the important content and also ensures faster loading time. Simplicity gives your website a professional and elegant feel.

 

Pick a color scheme that might resonate your brand and an easy-to-read font. Do not use too many unnecessary gifs and pictures that might distract your users from the content. Make your paragraphs no longer than six lines and use bullet points wherever you can.

 

1. Make it easy to reach

 

It can be frustrating to search for a business’s phone number or contact information. Many users might be interested in your products or services but ultimately leave because they aren’t able to contact you.

 

Your contact information needs to be very easily available to your website users. Include your phone number or address on the top of your homepage so it can catch people’s eyes easily.

 

Its also good to add your social links to your website so that your customers can connect through social media.

 

1. Good e-commerce platform

 

One of the biggest concerns your buyers might have is trust. Why will they trust you over various other options they have?  It is therefore important to also have a professional looking online storefront to build credibility and for this we a suggest integrating an established e-commerce platform for your small business that will increase your sales and help in your growth.

 

Here we have listed down one of the best ecommerce platforms down for you:

 

• Shopify
• Wix
• BigCommerce
• Squarespace
• WooCommerce

 

 

 

1. Call to action.

 

Now that you have built a great website by devoting your precious time, effort, and money, you want to ensure that your website visitors   ‘take action’, correct?  Therefore, every page on your website should encourage the reader to act or in other words have a ‘call-to-action’.  

For example, it can be any instructional text, such as “contact us now”, “sign up now”, “subscribe to our Newsletter” or “request for quote”, etc.  Make sure that these call-to-action buttons are easy to access for your readers and that they do not have to scroll all over the site to find them. You want to make them very easily accessible. Keep it above the fold so that its easily noticeable to your visitors.

 

1. Add your content

 

As you build your website, you will need to add content so keep an estimate of the number pages you will need for your website.  Although you can add as many number of pages you want, just remember some of the pages are more critical than others namely:  

 

• Homepage: This is the first thing your visitors will see so it is a very important page. You can engage them or turn them off. This is where you make or break a deal. Make sure the design is simple and professional and personable. Add fluid navigation to the other pages of your website.
• Products and Services page: In this page you showcase your products or describe the types of services you offer to customers or clients. Add quality images to attract your customers and add proper descriptions to them.
• About us page: This is the section where you talk about yourself, your vision, your mission and what inspires you to do what you are doing. Make it relatable.
• Contact us page: This needs to include details like your contact number and other social links for customers to contact you. It is also ideal to provide a section for the customer to fill in their contact details.
• Blog Page: Although having a blog is not necessary but it certainly does wonders for a small business website. A blog is an excellent marketing tool to promote your small business. Studies show that 61% of U.S. online shoppers make purchases online based on recommendations they read in blogs. Hence you don’t want to be missing out on all the potential customers a blog could bring to your small business website.

 

Conclusion

 

Having an online presence is vital for any small business owners in 2023. We understand that it can be especially exhausting and stressful to do everything by yourself that is why you can always reach out to us at +1(516)-972-6824. Just give us a call or a text and we will help you build your dream website. Here at Aryabh Consulting, we have a pool of highly trained specialists to help you build your website and grow your small business.