When you’re thinking of setting up your website, do you leave it to someone else to look after? We all need to work to our strengths, right? And without people like you guys, I wouldn’t be in business! 🙂 So thank you.
Or do you have a bash and learn as you go? If you’re a small business or a start up, brand new and looking to get your business ‘out there’ this could be your only option. We’ve all been there – I promise.
Or if you feel that you’re a quick learner and you’re quite techy, why not give it a go and save yourself some money? It’s your business, and your choice at the end of the day. And there are some great platforms out there that can help you out.
So if you’ve decided to go down the path of one of the last two options, I thought I’d try to help you out. Here are 10 things to make sure you include on your site.
1: Remember who you’re talking to. Write for your ideal customer, they should feel like you’re talking directly to them and solving their problem. Easier said than done in most cases, but if you know you’re ‘ideal customer’ (and if you don’t you should find out. Creating an avatar is a great way to do this), think about the problem your business solves and how you can help people.
2: What makes your business different to all the other businesses in your niche? Answering this question will help you answer the question ‘why should I buy from you?’ Answering that solves part of the problem above too, so double whammy!
3: Have a clear sense of what you offer. If you have multiple services, bear in mind how people don’t know what you do and make it easy for them to find the information they need.
4: Direct contact forms: and contact information, make it easy for people to enquire, if you don’t they wont look for it (unless you’ve done a really, really good job of talking to your customer). Having a way to contact you on every page is ideal, it can be as simple as a banner above or below your menu, or tabs down the side. Remember that with a professional page, your choice is [almost] endless! This is the method I use (below). Ideally make it a link to make things even easier.
5: Testimonials: Testimonials give validation to your product and show you are trustworthy to a new visitor. Testimonials are invaluable, and an essential part to your site to show your customers that you have in fact worked in the past and people buy from you. Even if you’re a new start up business, I’m sure you have customers from your previous employment? All are valid, and if the customer wrote about you, the testimonial is yours. 🙂
6: SSL (or Secure Sockets Layer): Again, for building trust with clients and potential clients, and also helping your SEO. Some platforms are now warning visitors that a website doesn’t have an SSL and cannot be trusted. To a new visitor this could put them off and they would not visit your site at all. Total missed opportunity. It also helps your site be more secure with sensitive data, if you sell online for example. So absolutely essential if you have either a log in page (email addresses etc) and sell or take money through your site.
7: Calls to Action (CTA): Guide your visitor through your website and help them to take action by adding a clear CTA where relevant. It can be as simple as a download, or signing up to a newsletter, but you have to be clear in your intentions and help people along in their journey on your website.
8: There are some simple key elements everyone should consider when developing their own website, such as the placement of key elements within your site. Where should you put the navigation? Always above the fold and always clear to see, and if possible it should be sticky (stays in place when you scroll through the page).
9: Browser: Always make sure your site works on every browser, you might be a Google Chrome fan, I myself am a Microsoft Edge fan (and sometimes Chrome), so always check how your site looks across different browsers and of course different machines (mobile phone/ desktop/laptop etc)
Hope all that helps you to get your business online and get selling. If you still can’t be bothered building a website for your business, we’d LOVE to help. You’ll find more information and ways to contact me on my [sticky] menu at the top of this screen. 🙂 Or here, if you’re feeling lazy.