Elements Of A Small Business Website

Everybody wants a website these days - but they often don't know what to do with it.  Its really not up the web designer to write your copy or figure out your marketing strategy.  And most small businesses don't know how to do those things very well and often don't see the value in it.  I am not going to answer all of those questions today.  But I would like to outline the basic elements that a small business owner should look for in a new or redesigned website.

• BRANDING - The site should reflect the mission of the company.  When someone lands on the first page they should be able to deduce what the purpose of the site is.  Ideally, it expresses how your company is going to satisfy a need or soften a pain.  And  importantly - it should express the business niche that you are in.   This is a giant topic in itself but a brand is a specialty in the marketplace.  It is why a visitor might be interested in your company. 
  
• GREAT CONTENT - There is no substitute for great content.  This is what brings visitors back to your site.  Most companies think that listing a bunch of features is what is important - its not.  Great content is compelling and interesting to a visitor.  Your content should be error free and be meaningful.
• VIDEO - Maybe everyone doesn't need video but I think its a convincing piece of evidence for your company.  It conveys trust and allows the customer to "get to know you".  Besides, not everybody takes in information the same way.  Some people are visual.  
• EMAIL CAPTURE - Your website is not just so people can get driving directions.  Its about you slowly accumulating contacts for potential customers.  This can be done with a simple form that the visitor fills out.  And its always good to offer some incentive as a free estimate, a coupon, a small book or anything that might be valuable to the customer.
• CLEAN LAYOUT AND NAVIGATION - Simple and straightforward is the way to go.   It should never be confusing for the user.    The biggest mistake I see is that there are too many choices.  
• BUSINESS DETAILS - The business details should be presented somewhere.  It can be in an "About Us" page where you can tell the visitor about your company and who runs it.   Dont forget a contact page so that someone can get a hold of you.   Recently Ive seen some websites where you actually have to hunt to find a telephone number or email address.
• SEO - Every site should be found on the internet using search.   You have to help Google out by making your site "Search Engine Friendly".    If you have a clear understanding of your niche in the market - you probably know what keywords people are using to look for you in Google.   These words need to be sprinkled into the content of your pages.   Specifically,  your keywords should be used in the "html title" text that show up at the top of the browser and the first line in a Google search page.   Your "meta description" tags should be filled out for every page.  And your content and links in your content should also use the keywords.
• DOMAIN NAME - I hate it when the domain name is unlike the name of the company.  I know its not always possible to get an exact name.  Your domain name should ideally be a ".com" domain - not .biz or .org because "dot com" is the default for right now.  Some businesses use their keywords as a domain name as "santa-cruz-carpet-cleaning.com" which can work to an advantage.   Capture a domain name that is close to your business name.
• TESTIMONIALS - Since you are a small business you will need to provide some evidence that you can deliver.  Your brand is not a promise enough like a big company brand.  People like to see that other people have used your product.  It builds trust.  I would recommend that starting out you cultivate these testimonials.
• COMPELLING HEADING - Maybe this is handled in another section but I think its worth noting. Just like great a great headline - your site should strike someone immediately.   What can you say in the 2 or 3 seconds a visitor spends to make a decision about your company?
• ANALYTICS - A good website evolves by eliminating things that don't work.  If you have some simple analytics for each page you can tell if anyone is visiting.  You can set measurable targets.  You might think this is hard but its not. You can use Google Analytics to see everything you need.  Its free and can be set up and installed in minutes.
• BLOGGING - You might think that you have nothing to say or that your site doesn't need a blog.  Blogging is important on several levels.   A good blog that delivers great content (not just a pitch for your business) is interesting to the customer.  It builds trust as the customer has a connection to you as a person.  Your blog should deliver value in terms of your customer.   Your business is not about you - its about building trust with customers and satisfying their needs.  If you are not continually gaining expertise in what you are delivering then you are not going to be in business very long.    These lessons are great topics for blog posts.  And lastly, blogging is very very important to being found on Google.  Google likes blogs because they are a source of new content.   Blogging is an easy way for you to add to your website without the help of your webmaster.  Writing a small article every week will accumulate your Google power in a very short time.  You can also Twitter every new post giving you some free marketing and traffic to your site.
• MUST BE FAST - People will leave your site if it doesn't load fast enough.  So 1.5 MB images that you are showing of your business must be prepared for display on the web.  
• LANDING PAGES - Your website should compel a visitor to do something.  So you need a "landing page" with a clear call to action.  This might be your main page - but often its another page that is dedicated to a single offer. A good landing page will encourage a visitor to do something.  There is an art of a great landing page which deserves study.  But the basic ingredients are simplicity, ease of signup,  testimonials, a statement of benefit and a clear call to action.
• BOOKMARKABILITY - A "favicon" (favorites icon) is the little image visible in the browser url area, visible on a browser tab, and in your bookmarks.  Every good site should have one.