In 2018, a small business website is crucial to the success of your business. Over 80% of online shoppers research a service or product before purchasing, and potential customers are doing the same with your business. Businesses without a website are losing money as customers turn to competitors who are using smart, savvy small business web design to win business.
Small business web design has come a long way over the last 10 years. Staying on top of small business web design trends will not just look impressive to your customers, but it will help establish trust and eventually bring in more sales. If you have yet to launch a business website or you’re in need of a redesign, this quick start checklist will help get your small business up and running.
#1: Take a Look at Your Spelling And Grammar
It might sound like a small detail, but your spelling and grammar play a large role in your website’s presentation. Poor spelling and grammar can make your company look sloppy, unprofessional, and inattentive to details. While you may not necessarily lose a sale from incorrect spelling, or even gain a sale from being a grammar whiz, well-written content will certainly help your cause.
#2: Evaluate Your Graphics and Photos
Stock photography and graphics can truly make or break your small business web design. Outdated stock photography is cheesy and won’t accomplish much in terms of flowing customers through the sales funnel.
If your graphics or photography needs a refresh, you have several options. You can take the task of photography on yourself and produce your own pictures, as well as they are high-quality and relevant to your overall website.
But if your photography skills aren’t up to par, you’re not out of options. There are plenty of stock photography options such as Shutter Stock and Adobe Stock. For the biggest impact for your small business web design, consider hiring a graphic designer for custom graphics.
#3: Test Your Website in Multiple Browsers
Did you know that websites can sometimes function and display differently across browsers? It’s true. Luckily, experts in small business web design are able to work around these differences. But if your website is outdated or was not designed by a professional, it’s a good idea to see how your website looks in browsers such as Chrome, Safari, and Firefox.
#4: Test Your Contact Forms
Do you have contact forms of your website that allow customers to email you at the click of a button? If so, it’s a good idea to manually test each form. Sometimes scripts can become outdated, which causes forms in your small business web design to not function properly. If customers can’t contact you, you’ll have a hard time making a sale.
#5: Evaluate Your Navigation
Did you know that your website’s navigation plays a large role in user experience? It’s true. Some business owners think more is better and attempt to jam as many links as possible into their navigation menu.
While a high volume of quality, helpful content is always advised, you don’t want to clutter up your menu. Instead, consider condensing your menu so that it is comprehensive and easy to browse through. You can always create a sidebar menu to add more links to additional content.
The idea is to stay as organized and concise as possible without overwhelming your customer.
#6: Link to Your Social Media Profiles
Ideally, you should use your small business website and social media accounts together to help market your business online. Social media marketing can help drive traffic to your website when you fill it with relevant content that links to your website.
On the other side of the coin, your website can also help grow your social media followers. However, some business owners neglect to add links to their social media accounts entirely. This leaves opportunities off of the table to help gain “likes” and followers on social media.
#7: DIY or Professional Service?
One of the considerations with small business web design is DIY vs. professional service. There are certainly pros and cons to doing it yourself and handing the task over to the pros, and you’ll have to weigh these in order to make a smart decision.
For example, DIY websites are generally more budget-friendly. Other than buying a domain name and hosting, you can put together a small business website for around $100. However, unless you have some kind of skill in web design, there’s a chance that its appearance won’t be up to par.
A professional web design company such as Bigfoot Media can help make your business website look top-notch all while enhancing user experience for your customers.
How is Your Business Performing Online?
Your small business web design plays a role in how your business performs online. If your website isn’t converting to your expectations, get in touch with Bigfoot Media for the best small business web design in Greenville and beyond.
Want to know how your business is doing online right now?
Use our FREE website scanning tool below to get your visibility score – Takes 45 seconds.
