Why does a business website matter? Because that’s where your customers go to get the information they need to make buying decisions. And in today’s all-out battle for business, the spoils often go to the business with the best site.

These tips may help you build a webiste that will not only attract customers, but keep them coming back for more.

1. Bury them in details

Your users are looking for information. Period. Your job is to help them feel informed and cared about. Provide your customers with everything they could possibly want to know – including product manuals, warranty information, manufacturer contact details, sizing charts and troubleshooting guides. Then, repackage this information in the form of answers to frequently asked questions.

2. Make it mobile

The best approach is to create a separate, mobile-enabled version of your site. If cost concerns make this unfeasible, at least direct your developer to make the website as functional and legible as possible for use on mobile devices. Then test it on your own smart phone or tablet and make sure everything looks right and works the way it’s supposed to.

3. Don’t crowd the page

Use generous white space on page layouts to separate content and help the reader locate information faster and understand it more easily. Short paragraphs of 4-5 sentences work best – especially when coupled with bold headers, subheads and bullet points. Always review your site with a critical eye toward what can be removed to make it easier to navigate –whether it’s simply a background color or an entire block of text.

4. Embrace widgets

Want to enhance the appearance of your site at little or no cost? Add some widgets! These eye-catching on-screen tools (clocks, stock market tickers, daily weather, etc.) improve the visitor experience and are often available for free.

5. Keep it real

Online consumers are increasingly skittish about privacy issues and outright fraud. It’s your job to reassure them that you are, indeed, a legitimate business focused on their complete satisfaction. Here, an “About Us” page can help humanize your company. Include photos of your management team and your staff. Likewise, prominently display your warranty/guarantee information, as well as links for customer assistance.

6. Put contact info on every page

Your users should be able to find a way to contact you from every page. The best case would be a mix of your phone number and email address in the header/footer, a “contact us” button in the menu bar, and links within the content prompting them to inquire for more information.

7. Keep them on track

The entire point of your online marketing efforts is to place prospects on a path and then walk them through to the desired action. Ideally, the path is short and sweet, as well as helpful. Simply put, you tell them what you expect them to do when they reach the destination (complete a form, follow a link or hit the "buy" button). If prospects are straying off track and not converting, you’ll need to test to find out exactly what’s causing the disconnect.

 

The information provided is presented for general informational purposes only and does not constitute tax, legal or business advice. Any views expressed in this article may not necessarily be those of Nevada State Bank. Nevada State Bank is a division of Zions Bancorporation, N.A. Member FDIC