How to Improve Your Small Business Website

It’s said that you never get a second chance to make a first impression, and that philosophy is certainly true when it comes to small business websites. Your website is your customers’ first point of contact with your company, its goods and your reputation, and must offer a fair reflection of the service they can expect from you. Look at what your competitors are doing. If their sites are attracting more customers and offering a better experience than your own, it might be time to improve your small business website.

Familiarize yourself with your existing website’s performance

First things first: if you’re to improve upon your existing website, it’s essential to understand where you might have gone wrong the first time round. How much traffic are you currently attracting? How long are people routinely spending on your site’s pages? Analyzing your site’s performance is essential if you’re to understand how you can improve. Next, think about your target audience, and the ways in which your existing site might appeal to, or distract them. Put yourself in your customers’ shoes if you have to; be honest about the aspects of your website that you really like. Finally, complete a plan of action. Your website will continue to disappoint if you approach the process of redesigning it half-heartedly.

Hire the services of a professional

If a job is worth doing, it’s worth doing it right, and it’s often a good idea to draft in the knowledge and expertise of a professional if you’re struggling with your website’s redesign. Well, we can’t all be good at everything, can we? If your business is severely lacking in the web design and management department, now is the time to consider a contractor. The skills that a freelancer or contractor will bring to the table are often unrivalled, particularly if you’ve already noticed that your website is flagging. Under these circumstances, the services of an umbrella company will become invaluable. Liaising between businesses and those freelancing their services, umbrella companies provide financial planning for contractors, and ensure that all legalities are followed appropriately.

Consider UX

UX, or user experience, refers to your website’s ability to fulfill the needs and desires of your clients when they visit your website. Does your site answer their queries and provide the information they’re seeking? Do your customers find everything they’d expect when they navigate your site’s pages? Now that you’ve determined your audience and assessed your website’s performance, it should be a little easier to target your content, and to improve its UX. Consider mobile access and how your site will work when it’s viewed on a cellphone or tablet device. It’s also a good idea to keep navigation simple, to reaffirm your brand, and to ensure that colors, logos and imagery are consistent across your site. The easier a site is to use, the more often a customer will return.

Don’t discount social media

It can be tempting to forget all other platforms in the race to finish your website, but don’t discount social media. Sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Google+ are absolutely vital when it comes to the quest for more customers, enabling your target audience to discover, like and share your content – and attract their friends and family members in the process. Make sure that you include visible buttons or links from your website to your social media pages, and maintain a presence across as many platforms as you can. Think about the content you post; ensure it’s relevant to your brand, shareable among your followers, and interesting. Cross-platform advertising is likely to become the key to your success, so be sure to place its importance at the fore of your plans.

Your website has the ability to make or break your business – to attract new customers or turn them away at the door. It has never been more important to consider the impact that your website is having upon your company, and to make the necessary improvements to see all elements of your business soar.