For small businesses that need all the assistance they can get to increase site traffic and revenue, a well-designed website is essential to brand growth. In fact, 94% of first impressions are related to design, and design accounts for about 80% of a website's reputation .
The issue is that consumers of websites are difficult to satisfy; if they don't find a webpage appealing enough, the majority will leave it within 10 to 20 seconds. How can you convert their initial interest into engagement when there isn't enough time to wow them with your goods and services? How can you ensure that people stay on your site and act?
With the help of these 12 small company web design tips, you may convert infrequent visitors into leads who are prepared to click "check out" or sign up for a free demo.
Conduct a Thorough Website Audit
Conducting a thorough website audit is essential for assessing the overall performance, functionality, and user experience of a website. This process involves evaluating various aspects, including website structure, design, content, and technical components. A comprehensive audit begins by analyzing the site's SEO performance, such as keyword optimization, meta tags, and backlink quality, to ensure it ranks effectively on search engines.
Develop a Solid Brand Strategy
Create a solid brand strategy using the data from your website audit, then incorporate it into the design of your small business website. Customers are better able to recognize your brand wherever they come across it when you provide a consistent brand experience across all touchpoints, including your website. Two important elements in turning visitors into customers are trust and brand loyalty, which are increased by this consistency.
Declutter Your Website
Simplify your website for a seamless user experience. Remove unnecessary elements, focus on clean design, and prioritize essential content. Use intuitive navigation, fast-loading pages, and concise messaging to engage visitors effectively. A decluttered website enhances usability, improves SEO, and keeps your audience focused on what truly matters—your products or services.
Improve Search Engine Optimization
- Choosing an effective domain name, including relevant keywords if possible.
- Including keywords in your page titles and meta descriptions.
- Creating high-quality, relevant content for your target audience.
- Building backlinks from reputable sources to increase your website’s domain authority.
- Using internal linking to help search engines crawl and index your website.
- Setting up analytics tools like Google Search Console (GSC) and Google Analytics (GA) to track your website’s performance.
Simplify Navigation
- Use hamburgers for the mobile menu: On smaller screens, a hamburger icon is an ideal way to save space while still giving users access to the full navigation menu.
- Use drop-down menus: Keep your main navigation bar clean by using drop-down menus for subcategories.
- Utilize breadcrumbs: Breadcrumbs help users understand where they are on your site and how they got there.
- Include a search bar: A search bar makes it easier for users to find specific content on your site quickly.
Include Multiple Calls-to-Action
- Use action-oriented language: Instead of “Learn More,” try “Start Your Free Trial” to encourage immediate action.
- Make it stand out: Use contrasting colors and make the CTA button easy to click on.
- Place strategically: Put CTAs in logical places where users are most likely to convert, such as after a product description or at the end of a blog post.
- Test and refine: Conduct A/B testing with different CTAs to see which ones are most effective in driving conversions.
Make Your Website Mobile-Friendly
According to Dynamic Yield, mobile has the largest percentage of repeat visits (74%), and its average eCommerce conversion rate is 3%. Adopting a responsive, mobile-friendly small business website design will enhance the user experience on mobile devices. Every user will have an amazing viewing experience thanks to flexible websites, which adjust their layout and content to fit different screen sizes and resolutions. To guarantee a flawless experience for every user, a smart website design approach should involve testing on various devices and making the required adjustments.
Incorporate Social Proof on Your Website
- Add endorsements to your homepage: Choose a few succinct yet powerful statements from happy clients to display on your home page.
- Maintain a specific page for testimonials: Permit consumers to post thorough evaluations and ratings for prospective buyers to peruse.
- Make use of social media: Post encouraging comments and interactions from clients on your pages.
- Make use of influencer endorsements: Collaborate with pertinent industry influencers to highlight their favorable brand experiences.
Improve Site Load Speed
- Reducing the size of photos and videos: Your website may become noticeably slower when high-resolution media files are used. Utilize methods to reduce the size of files without sacrificing quality.
- Reducing the number of plugins on your website: While too many plugins can make your site load more slowly, they can also offer functionality. Use only well-maintained plugins that are important to the operation of your website.
- Making use of a Content Delivery Network (CDN): A CDN stores the content of your website on servers located all over the world, enabling users to access it from the server nearest to them. This enhances the user experience overall and cuts down on loading time.
- Activating browser caching: Caching minimizes load times for subsequent visits by storing frequently used site assets, such photos and videos, on a visitor's browser.
Place Contact Details
Not every visitor will have the time to browse your full website, let's face it. Make sure that important features, including contact information and calls to action, are positioned above the fold, which is the area of a page that is seen without scrolling. In this manner, even if visitors do not browse the remainder of your website, they may quickly see how to contact you or take action. An excellent illustration of this is the home page of Thrive Internet Marketing Agency, which prominently displays a phone number and a call to action above the fold.
Utilize Visuals To Enhance User Experience
- Make use of high-quality photos: Images that are distorted or blurry can come out as amateurish. To present your products in the best possible light, spend money on expert product photography.
- Optimize picture sizes: Your website may load much more slowly if you have large photos. Utilize methods to reduce the size of images without sacrificing quality.
- Include videos: Videos are a fantastic method to highlight goods, services, or the personality of a brand.
Curate Fresh, Valuable Content Regularly
- Blog postings: Use blog posts to share pertinent news, product updates, and industry insights.
- How-to manuals: Provide clients with detailed instructions on how to use your goods or services.
- Case studies or whitepapers: Provide comprehensive data and information on a subject pertaining to your sector.
- Tables or infographics: Make use of visuals to convey difficult information in an interesting manner.
