As bloggers, entrepreneurs, and small business owners we are very busy people, right? We have the duty of building and maintaining our websites, engaging with our audience, and serving our customers the best we can.
And it doesn’t stop there:
We also have to carry out all the admin duties at the back end of our business –
All that paperwork, not to mention all the marketing and promotion work and so on.
You are responsible for a lot of things in your business, especially if you don’t do any outsourcing for any of the work, so please give yourself some credit where it’s due by all means.
And of course, with any business website, you not only have to keep it running smoothly, but you are also responsible for ensuring that it continues to work for you, converting visitors into subscribers, leads, and sales.
That means keeping your services page up to date, your contact details up to date, terms of business information up to date, and as I mentioned earlier, doing most of the marketing and promotional work.
However, sometimes the most simple yet critical elements of your small business website can be easily overlooked.
In this post, I’m going to share with you 5 simple ways to make your business website look more professional so that you can continue attracting new traffic and visitors to your site and converting those visitors into raving fans, and customers.
Are you ready? Let’s do this!
Keeping your business contact details up to date is one thing, but ensuring that you have everything displayed prominently on your website is just as critical.
Potential clients shouldn’t have to go searching for your contact details, even though you may have a dedicated “contact us” page for this.
They should be able to access a telephone number or email address from whichever page they’re on. The homepage is essential for this.
So, if you haven’t already done this, ensure you have a contact number, email address and even your business mailing address displayed in the footer of your website, at least.
I know this might sound like such generic advice here, but I can think of a dozen business websites that I visit frequently that don’t have any contact information visible on their most visible pages.
Here in the UK, it is a legal obligation to display certain regulatory information, including business contact number and business address in the footer of your website.
First of all, if you don’t have a testimonials page, you really need to get one created as soon as you can.
Check out this awesome post on Thrive Themes about how Marie Forelo used testimonials to grow her business exponentially.
Did you know that 90% of online consumers trust recommendations made by folks they know, and 70% from folks they don’t know? (source)
Testimonials from genuine customers of your business services can really help you sell more, so let your customers do the talking. This is vital.
Check out this post on the Crazy Egg blog for some interesting insights on using client testimonials.
If you need some inspiration in creating a testimonials page for your website, take a look at mine here for ideas.
If you already have a testimonials page, it should be easily accessible from the main navigation menu.
You should also consider placing a few of your ‘best’ and most recent testimonials in your homepage or sidebar with a link to “view more”.
Your business website will have a blog no doubt, and if it hasn’t, seriously consider creating one.
Setting up a blog won’t cost you the earth, but having one could make all the difference in helping you grow your business and reaching out to new prospects.
If your business website has a blog, consider converting one or two of your client projects into case studies.
Explain how you were able to solve a pressing problem for one of your clients using your products or services.
Be sure to first check with your client that it’s OK to use their project for a case study report on your blog.
You might need to use some made-up names for the sake of privacy and confidentiality.
This goes without saying, and I know I’ve mentioned this in almost every single post I’ve written about building a successful website Magnet4Blogging.
Your content is the soul of your business website, so, ensure it’s always of top-notch quality and that it always puts your audience and customers need first, before yours.
Create quality content that talks less about how great your business is, or how awesome your products and services are compared to your competitors, and more about addressing your customer’s needs in every way possible.
Really? Yes, really…
I know you know this already, but it doesn’t hurt to remind you that design is key!
Having amazing content is one thing, having a well crafted and well-organized website is another thing completely.
Here’s the crazy thing:
I visit dozens of websites and blogs each week. Only a small handful of those that I visit have truly amazing content, however, when it comes to design and layout, those websites could do so much better.
Of course, out of complete respect for those website owners, I won’t mention them here.
If you take pride in the value of your brand, if you value the content you produce, even more, then it all starts with having a flawless design.
If you’re having problems in any of these areas highlighted above, or if you simply need a website that works for you and your business, then please click this link to see how I can help you.
I’ve made the five steps above actionable for you, which means you can get started on them straight away.
Don’t waste another minute turning visitors away that could potentially be new customers. Stop wasting time and money, get on the case!
Good luck.
