Perhaps your company already has a website, but it was built years ago on an outdated platform and barely shows up in search engines. Maybe you haven’t yet established your online presence and still need to get a basic site up and running. In any case, there are some things you need to make sure of. 

While there’s no universal method for building an effective website, we can look to certain key features and functions. These are the elements that make your website conducive to attracting interested visitors and outshining competitors on results pages. 

From clear contact information to solid testimonials, here are five elements every simple business website needs. 

Also, Read: 7 Questions About Accessibility for Your Web Developer

Landing Page

Anyone who reaches your website should immediately be able to understand what your company is about. For your landing page, aim to answer the following questions:

  • Who are you?
  • What do you offer?
  • Why is your brand important?
  • Where can people buy your goods or services?
  • How can customers get in touch with you?

The first three questions can be addressed with an introduction to your team, your mission statement, and some details about what you sell and what makes it stand out. Also, remember to specify how and where your product or service can be purchased. If your business is offline, visitors should easily find the address.  

Similarly, potential customers won’t stick around for long if they have trouble getting around. A basic website should be easy to navigate, with a clean and functional design that isn’t overloaded with content or unnecessary features. Menus should be labeled and simple to follow. Remember to ensure that your site is also optimized for mobile devices. 

That said, website design can be complicated, and near impossible if you don’t have experience. You can make it much easier by using a website builder, which will help you put everything together quickly and without any coding. 

There are many website-building tools available today. For the purpose of building a basic business website, SimpleSite is a suitable option. You can learn more in the Top10.com review, which details the features, prices, and alternatives. Read SimpleSite review before going ahead so that you can determine whether it has everything you need. 

Contact Information

It might seem obvious, but many businesses fail to present their contact information in a way that makes it easy for visitors to get in touch. Make sure to include your key contact details at the top or bottom of each page. Depending on what you sell, it might also be necessary to have a form that potential customers can fill out to contact you. 

You can also include a clickable “email us” call-to-action that links to your email address. To avoid having to answer the same questions and queries over and over, add an FAQ section to your site that provides the information customers tend to look for most often. Be sure to regularly update your FAQ whenever you find the same question being asked repeatedly. 

Testimonials 

For potential customers who are unfamiliar with your business, it’s crucial that you build enough trust with them so that they’re confident in taking the next step. The first way to build credibility is by showcasing your success and track record on your website. This can be done with a testimonials page where previous customers share their experiences. 

It’s best to use customers’ real names (with their permission) as opposed to having anonymous testimonials. You can further build your credibility with case studies and reviews. The more social proof you have, the clearer it will be that your company is legitimate and trustworthy. 

Blog Content

There are many benefits to having a blog with quality content on your website. It attracts relevant visitors from search engines and converts them into customers. By being a valuable source of information on industry insights and trends, your blog can also help you become an authority in your niche. 

You can obtain appropriate content for your blog from multiple sources. For example, you can visit forums related to your product or service and see what questions your type of customers are asking. You can also use tools such as Google AdWords Keyword Planner to identify what your audience is searching for online. 

This will give you a better idea of the type of content you should be putting on your blog. For each post, remember to make the articles easy to share on social media. Keep in mind that you’ll get maximum SEO benefit by listing your blog under your domain as opposed to having it off-site. 

In addition to those discussed above, your website can be further improved with a few more elements. Once you have the essentials in place, you can add features such as a live chat, search functionality, and analytics tools to learn more about your customers and find ways to reach new heights.

Next, can read: Pros and Cons of Using a Drag and Drop Website Builder for Your Business

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