There are many things that you need to take into account when building a successful business website. One of them is deciding if you are going to hire a professional to do it or if you are going to go at it yourself. In my last article, I talked about why hiring a pro might be the better option.
In this article, I want to focus on 5 key things to do when building a successful business website. There are obviously more than 5 things, but if you get these right, you will avoid typical pitfalls that end up costing you visibility, which translates to visits, then to leads, and ultimately to…money.
1. Get your USP right
Your USP, or Unique Selling Proposition, is what makes you stand out from the rest, what makes your business unique. Don’t be fooled into thinking a USP only applies for businesses selling services or goods, it is equally important for, say, a small non-profit organization that wants to attract volunteers.
An example. Let’s say you run a travel agency. In order to stand out from the competition, you focus on destinations that have cultural relevance, you offer a personal and friendly service, and finally, you promote eco-friendly travel options when possible. All these three combined could form your USP.
Your USP could then be something like:
We don’t sell tickets, we sell personalized life experiences in balance with the environement.
Let’s see why defining this upfront is so important.
2. Highlight your USP in your content
Make your visitors understand at a glance what you are about. Typically, the USP should be one of the first things you visitors see.
Greenpeace understands this very well and when you enter their site, the first sentences are meant to really compel you to “take action” immediately.
Use your USP in the right way, and people will strongly connect with your message and be much more engaged and motivated to do business with your company.
3. Simplify
We live in a world where attention spans are short. Nobody has the time to read large chunks of text, or unraveling a complex message.
Therefore, make it simple. Use your USP as a hook to detail your service or product offering, and make your offering as clear as you can to your potential customers.
Apply the simplify principle effectively, and your conversions will rise exponentially.
4. Have many contact options
If you don’t sell products and/or services online, the whole point of your business site is probably to get in touch with new, potential customers. Make sure you offer them appropriate ways of reaching out.
A clear, compact and well-designed contact form is a good start.
Consider allowing your leads to directly schedule appointments in your agenda. There are more than enough services that facilitate online scheduling and agenda synchronization.
Also, on-site chat functions are commonplace these days and it lowers the bar for users that just want to ask questions without giving any information on themselves, or spend time going through forms.
Finally, don’t forget to configure your social channels to make it easy for potential customers to strike up a conversation.
5. Be critical of the user experience
A beautiful design can be pleasant to the eye, but can also be too complicated for a visitor. Think about the path you want your visitors to take through your site, and make sure that that path is uncluttered and easily accessible at any time, from any page.
Also, make sure your calls to action stand out and contrast well with the rest of the content. There is a reason why most “contact us” or “buy now” buttons are red, orange or green: these are highly contrasting colors and thus are easy for users to spot when they want to engage.
Always keep in mind that visitors look for familiarity when scanning a website, and offering them visual hooks is the best way to make sure they do what you want them to do.
That’s it!
If you are in this phase and need help figuring out the other 100 things you need to do when building a successful business website, get in touch and I will be more than happy to help you out!
