5 Tips for Building an Effective Business Website

Clearly, businesses need websites today. Regardless of how your customers heard about your company, many will check your website before making a purchasing decision. Studies show that 94 percent of B2B buyers research companies online first. They want to learn more about your products and services before deciding to purchase. A business website can help you engage and connect with them, so you don’t miss an incredible opportunity.

However, building an effective business website can be daunting, especially if you are a newbie. At a minimum, you’ll want to cover the basics such as your company information, contact details, and your mission-vision. Furthermore, your URL should be short and could be easily connected with your business name. Preferably, websites carry the suffix dot.com. But, other suffixes such as dot.net are also fine.

Beyond these basics, here are five tips to help you create a beautiful business website:

  1. Make your website mobile responsive. Mobile usage had overtaken desktop for the first time in 2016, demonstrating just how many people use their smartphones and tablets to shop online. A responsive web design improves user experience and translates to a positive perception of your business. They load faster, which is likely to decrease your bounce rate and boost your ranking.
  2. Have a call to action. Every page in your website should encourage your reader to do something. A great CTA button directs users to download a white paper, sign up for a service or buy a product. They get them to take a desired action, which ultimately help your business achieve its defined objectives. Keep them above the fold so your readers don’t have to scroll down to find them.
  3. Keep your web design simple. Limit your use of colors, fonts and animated gifs because they can distract and pull away the focus of your readers from the webpage. Use short paragraphs and bullet points to make information easy to read and less boring. Paragraphs should be shorter than six lines, too. Plus, a simple web design improves the loading times of your business website.
  4. Get personal. If you want to remain competitive in the modern landscape, you need to engage your business websites with your users. Provide high quality experience to keep a positive brand perception. Also, include a good photo of yourself or team on your about page. Customers want to know that there’s a real person working with them.
  5. Use images to tell your business’ story. Many business websites get the content aspect right but miss out on the media part. Visuals help sell your products and services. They could be the reason why your customers choose you over your competitor. But, do not overload your site with photos. They can diffuse attention and slow down your load times, too. Feature a few good photos on your homepage and interior pages.

With many website tools available, creating a website don’t need to be difficult. You just have to keep these design principle in mind to build an effective business website. Identify your goals and design your website to accomplish them. Remember, your website is your electronic business card. Make it a good one to be seen legitimate.