What a minefield.
Websites. The internet. The interweb.
There are many small businesses out there some of which have websites and some of which do not. For those that do there will be some who have awesome, interactive, totally clever sites that look beautiful, load quickly and do everything the owner needs. There will be some that are just OK and do the job but could really do with some TLC. There will also be some which are, quite frankly, trying to punch above their weight and could use a complete makeover. Or deleting and redoing.
As small business owners we need to ask ourselves why we want a website. What does it need to achieve? One thing is for sure: there is a high probability that our competitors already have a website and are getting custom from them so if you feel left behind you are probably right. One objective is achieving new customers but that is not enough. We all want to do that. We should also ask HOW we want to achieve our objectives too. Some examples:
A restaurant wants new customers. They might do this online by offering a special offer for online bookings with a sample of their menu specials to entice people in.
A conservatories company wants to tap into the homeowner market and can add a catchy QUOTE option on the front page to capture data from potential customers for emailing. They would also want a gallery of previous work done with testimonials.
A photographer would want a highly visual website to showcase their portfolio as well as the usual ABOUT and CONTACT screens. Their pictures are what make them different or better from the rest.
One thing we all have in common with our websites is a homepage.Every website has to have a page that the viewer land on once they find our website (we will deal with that in another article). In our opinion there are some rules that should be followed when designing a homepage. Yes, this is just our opinion but it is tried and tested and we have chatted with some really clever people with marketing experience too so we stick by it. Here are a few tips:
Try not to clutter your homepage with too much text. Viewers will find text if they are that interested on other pages
Put a clear message on your home page as to why the viewer should spend time looking over your site.
In conjunction with the point above try to direct people to where you want them to go. Our conservatory company might have a CLICK HERE FOR A QUOTE button which directs the viewer directly to their CONTACT US page or even a hidden info form. That way they get all the data from that customer for future use as well as the option to speak with them in person and increase their chances of a sale.
Don’t be afraid of bold statements. If you are unique or exclusive in an area then say so. If you offer the best value then say so. You need a clear reason why the viewer should contact your business instead of one of your competitors clawing at your heels.
Consider the size of the screen. If your homepage is longer than a screen and requires scrolling to see the bottom then make sure you put the most important info at the top.
At Full Circle we follow tried and tested yet simple rules to ensure that a website offers a friendly and enjoyable user experience which is why we design beautiful and useful websites. If you would like to consider what we could do for your business then do please give us a call on 07825 559642 to arrange a chat with a project manager, see our website (www.fullcirclewebsitedesign.co.uk) or email us at fullcirclewebsitedesign@gmail.com