Over 25% of all people click the first result when they run a Google search. That means if you’re not at the top, you’ll lose out on a lot of customers.
The first step to increasing your online presence is to design a small business website that’s reader-friendly. Using confusing fonts that don’t align with your brand won’t do you any favors.
Opting for a simple design that’s devoid of clutter will make your site run faster, and it will be easier to navigate.
These are only a few things that you should keep in mind when crafting your business website’s pages. Check out this guide to learn more.
Table of Contents
Go In With a Plan
Before you buy web design tools and delve in, it’s a good idea to create a blueprint. Nothing good starts without a thorough plan.
To begin, think about who your normal customer is. What do they like? How will your website elements come together to serve them?
Most business owners put a blog on their site full of relevant content to attract their customer base. You can’t do that if you don’t know anything about your target audience.
Make It Reader-Friendly
When it comes to fonts, there are a lot of them to choose from. While you could go with something fun and wacky, you have to ask yourself if it’s easy to read.
Curvy fonts look fancy, but they might leave your target audience confused. Unless you own a high-end French restaurant, they may also be inappropriate for your brand.
No matter which font you choose, make sure that it’s consistent across all your web pages. You want your design elements to line up.
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Pick an Appropriate Domain Name
Your domain name is what shows up in the URL bar at the top of someone’s screen. It needs to be both professional and unique.
That’s why going with free website builders is such a bad idea. They’ll provide you with a domain name, but you don’t get to choose it. This makes you come across as sort of an amateur entrepreneur.
When choosing a domain name, be sure to keep it simple. Customers need to be able to type it in easily.
Stick With a Consistent Color Scheme
Having a consistent color scheme can help increase your brand recognition. For example, when you hear McDonald’s, you most likely think of the big yellow M.
Like your font, your colors should be consistent across all your web pages. Don’t be afraid to allow for white space, either.
If you’re unfamiliar with what white space is, it’s a blank space on a web page that’s not taken up by graphics or color. If used correctly, it can help break your pages apart and make them easier to read.
Use a Simple Design
Most modern websites opt for sleek and clear designs. They remove anything that is considered clutter such as animations, random stock images, jargon, and promotional language.
Without all the fluffy content, users will have an easier time finding what they need on your site. Not having as many pictures and animations will also increase your website loading speed.
Incorporate Buttons
Think of your online presence as a single entity. Your website is at the heart of it, but you also have your social media platforms.
If someone finds you on Facebook, your page will send them to your site and vice versa. Help move things along by including buttons on your site that link to your social media.
Make Your Homepage Scrollable
Well over 80% of all internet users browse the web using their smartphones. Needless to say, if you don’t make a mobile-friendly website, you’ll be missing out on a lot of traffic.
One of the key features of a mobile-friendly website is a scrollable homepage. What this means is that elements of the page pop up as a user scrolls.
It makes sites easier to navigate and it encourages a higher level of interaction without being too distracting to the eye.
High-Quality Photos Are a Must
The biggest negative of online shopping is that you can’t hold a product in your hands before you buy it. That’s what pictures are for, though.
Including high-quality pictures of a product taken from different angles creates the same feeling as rotating it around in your hands.
Clear images also look more professional. If every picture on your site is a blurry mess, it will give users the wrong impression that you’re not legit.
Provide Testimonials
Before deciding to partake in a product or service, most people look up reviews online. Those who have a positive experience rarely leave reviews on Google. There’s always some layer of negativity.
Give your potential customers something good to read by providing testimonials on your site.
Provide a Call to Action
A call to action is a phrase that pushes someone to buy one of your products or contact you.
Most choose to make their call to action stand out on their homepage using a big colorful button. This puts it out of the way, but it’s still hard to miss.
You can go here to see a few StoryBrand website examples to learn how to use buttons to convert leads into customers.
Design a Small Business Website That Pops
As you can see, it takes a lot to design a small business website that attracts customers. If you don’t take the time to provide testimonials or optimize for mobile, you’ll never make it to the top page of Google.
For more tips that will help you grow your online presence, visit the Business section of our blog.