If you’re looking online for a small business, there’s a chance you may not find their company website. Why is that? According to SCORE’s infographic report, just 51% of small businesses have websites.
Considering over 97% of people search for products or services online, small businesses without websites just aren’t tapping into the consumer market.
Small business owners may be intimidated by the thought of having to design, run and maintain an elaborate website. But there’s good news – you don’t have to. Even a basic website can generate business. You simply need to know what your website should have.
At Debra Lopez Public Relations, we’ve compiled a list of the top 7 fundamentals for small business websites:
- Responsive Design: Also known as “mobile friendly”, responsive sites are optimized for all mobile devices, meaning they automatically fit your screen no matter what type of device you’re browsing on.
- Title and Meta Tags: SEO, search engine optimization, or where your website will appear when someone searches your keywords, is critical.
- Download Time: Nothing annoys someone more than waiting for a website to load. Not only do users want a page to download within 3 seconds, they will likely leave your page altogether if it doesn’t.
- Easily Accessible Contact Info: Your phone number is often the most sought after piece of information on your company website, second only to what you do. Phone numbers should be listed on the top and bottom of every page on your site. Include a company email address – consumers are less likely to contact you if you use a free email service (gmail, yahoo, etc).
- About Us Page: People do business with people. Tell your story, especially how and why you started your business. Trust and likeability lead to sales.
- Product or Service Page: What is it that you sell? Why should we choose your product? Is your service unique? Detail what you offer. Include many photos.
- Call to Action: “Stop in”, “Call today”, “Make a Reservation” are all examples of a call to action. CTA’s allow you to turn website visitors into leads by encouraging them to fill out a short contact form on your site, calling your store or coming in. This allows you to turn a “browser” into a “shopper”.
If you have questions about starting a company website or improving your existing site, contact the website developers at Debra Lopez Public Relations at 262-989-0604.