If you run a business and have an online presence, then you probably already know the importance of owning a quality website for your current and potential customers to view at their convenience. However, if you have a business and do not have an online presence, then we urge you to keep reading because having a website (even just a basic informational one) for customers to search is absolutely essential for your business in today’s day and age. Having a website may not even be needed to drive traffic, but can also be used purely as a means to legitimize your business and create a brand voice.

In this blog, we will be discussing how to create a quality website as well as the benefits of doing so!

How to build the best website:

  • Be sure that the layout or structure of your website is built in such a way that makes readability and navigation as easy and clear as possible (people do not have patience to struggle looking for the content they want on your site)
  • Use as much white space as possible on each of your product pages (clutter leads to clicking off of your site)
  • Create clear CTAs (calls to action) on the main landing pages of your site so that your customers know what you want them to do (if they know what to do, they’re much more likely to do it!)
  • Be sure that your website is mobile-friendly (more than half of online searches occur from a mobile device, so you won’t want your website looking wonky on a phone when most searches are conducted from one)
  • Be sure that the content on all pages of your site is customer-driven content and will actually be useful to the demographics you target
  • Create a custom domain (especially to differentiate your business from competitors)
  • Maintain your site with SEO (search engine optimization) so that the most popular keywords for your products and/or services are embedded into the content of your site so that you can be easily found on various search engines
  • Create an SEO-friendly URL
  • Purchase a secure host for your website with security (the last thing you want is a hacker)
  • Be sure that ALL of the content on your site is free from errors (this will not only improve your SEO efforts, but it will also make you and your business look much more professional)
  • Post quality content on a regular basis to stay relevant on Google and in the minds of your customers (blogging is a great way to do this)
  • Use both internal links and backlinking to keep people reading and to increase your site’s domain authority
  • Another essential tip is to place your business name, what you do, a call to action, and possibly even your contact information above the fold (the first thing your customers see before they have to scroll down for more information) of your site
  • Be sure that the pages of your site are uncluttered with content and photos, loads quickly, and has consistent colors, fonts, sizing, and spacing used throughout
  • Keep all the information on your site accurate, relevant, and up-to-date
  • Keep your designs simple and clean so that they do not distract from the most important content on each page
  • Be sure that the graphics and video content on your site are of the highest quality and add to the brand voice and identity of your business
  • Allow your current and potential customers to develop a personal relationship with you by giving them the opportunity to share pictures, write reviews, and be sure to include a detailed “About Us” page so that everyone knows who you are and what your business is all about
  • Posting customer testimonials is a great way to maintain a positive relationship with your customers and to highlight the best products and services your business offers to other potential customers
  • When writing the content on your site, try to think from the customer’s point of view and what content they would probably like to see the most
  • WordPress is usually best for a content management system and works great for SEO best practices
  • If your business sells online, Shopify is a great e-commerce platform to use
  • Make your website’s interface simple, but engaging and memorable so that users continue to come back
  • Be sure to include a “Contact Us” page to make it easy for customers to reach you with questions or concerns
  • Add in links to your social media (this is best if added to the bottom of a page so that it doesn’t distract from the content of the site or create unnecessary bounces)
  • Use Google Analytics to track the performance of your site so that you can see what needs work (you can also engage in A/B testing to see what small changes to your website perform best when users interact with it)
  • Be sure to fix any broken links that you may find on any of your content pages
  • Implement a plan for regular website maintenance
  • Utilize geo-targeting to cater your website to customers who may reside in different cities than the one your business operates in
  • Engage in frequent local citation building so that directories have the most consistent, accurate, and relevant information about your business so that search engines (like Google) know how, where, and when to locate your business online

Now that you have a full list of how to build the best website for your business online, we hope that you’re able to implement these best practices into your own business’s online presence. The overarching benefit of many of these website-building tips is that your site will end up being user-friendly and easy to find, while demonstrating your business’s brand voice.

If you are a current business owner or someone looking to become one, we hope this list helps you get your business’s website going in the right direction or simply just to tweak your existing website. If you have any further questions about anything discussed in this blog, if you would like to set up a free consultation with us to learn more, or if you just have some general questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us! We would love to hear from you.

Written by Seaira Galgerud