How To Build An Effective Website

As a small business owner, I understand the importance of time and how you should be spending it where it matters most.  Time and time again I’ve seen many business owners spending their time on managing their website.  This works well if you know the technical aspects of what is required to manage a digital asset like a website.  Even then, after spending hours refining content and creating an appealing value proposition or an online store to sell inventory; I still see areas where owners can improve.

Build a Website For Your Customers

Just like you, your customers need to save time.  If they spend too much time to find the information they need, they might get annoyed.  Try to consolidate segments of content into bigger pages.  If your site only has your contact information, a few testimonials, a contact form, and a simple store; is it really that much better than a glorified business card?  Each page on your site should have a specific goal for your customers, if it doesn’t you might be looking at a significant gap in your user flow.  I understand you are passionate about what you do, and you need to relay that on your website but that doesn’t mean your users or your customers will perceive it that way. 

Automate Your Website

The internet these days are, for lack of a better term connected.  More so than when the internet was in its infancy.  Companies have APIs, you can take data and turn it into mobile apps, and you can leverage a simple service like a chatbot.  Doing so will set you free to run your business, or get more customers.  More often than not, there’s a service or API that you can use on your website that will set you a tick above the competition.

Build Your Website in the Cloud

If you want fancy, you need to pay for it.  The latest tools and gadgets that you want to incorporate these days require more processing power than single server-based websites.  Take the load of your server and leverage the power of the cloud.  Your tools operate better, your media loads faster, and you significantly reduce the chances of failure.

Customize, Customize, and Customize

With goals in mind, make sure your site is customized for every type of customer you see in your business.  The reasoning comes down to customer service.  If your customers don’t see you catering to them why should they buy from you?  Add customer service functionalities like appointment schedulers, service chat windows, and clear contact forms.  Because at the end of the day where would your business stand without customers?