Business owners sometimes get so caught up in the day to day business, dealing with customers and invoices, answering calls, and fixing problems. This is understandable, you are a busy person and it is hard to do everything at once. For busy business owners like this it is easy to forget some of the basics when it comes to your online presence. Here are 5 things you should absolutely have on your website & homepage:
1) Easy and Clear Navigation
The navigation for your homepage should be clear and concise. It should label what your categories and pages are, and point to the proper pages on your site. Generally you will want your navigation either horizontally on the top of the page, or vertically on the left or right side. Think like a customer when you are labeling your categories; sometimes “Bobs Business Corner” sounds like a good category on paper, but the customer has no idea if it is your Blog, your Storefront, etc.
2) Phone Number & Contact Information
This is one of the most basic things when you think about planning a site, but it is also easy to overlook; include contact information on your website where users will see it. Normally you want to include a business phone number in a prominent place on your website, as well as an email address if you correspond via email. It is also good practice to have your physical business address on the page somewhere as well.
3) Email Signup
Keeping users in the loop about your products and services is a great way to build your business, and another frequently overlooked aspect of a business website. Have a way for users to join a mailing list and stay informed. You get to send out updates and market your products, and they get news and updates about your business, which is win/win for both parties.
4) Social Media Links
Most businesses have a presence on social media sites like Twitter or Facebook, but they often forget to invite users to join from their website. Having clear and visible social media icons that link to your various properties on social media sites will help build credibility and give users a way to interact with your brand.
5) Value Proposition
This is one of the biggest things that business owners overlook when thinking about their website: Telling users what you offer and how it is different. Include your unique value proposition on your home page and make it clearly visible to users when they visit. Tell them what products or services you have available and how you are different from similar competitors. Offer free shipping? Buy 1 Get 1 Free? Free consultation? Highlight all of your relevant offers in your proposition!
These 5 items may seem simple and obvious after reading this, but you would be surprised at how often a small business site is lacking one of these items. Do you run a business and feel like your website needs some work? DirectiveGroup has years of experience helping business owners just like you with building an online presence. Call us today at 866-925-9524 and see why we are different!
