Tips for Building Your First Small Business Website

Building your first business Website can seem daunting. You have so many other things to worry about that the thought of creating and maintaining your site keep getting put on the back burner. But, it's not as hard as you think. Here are a few tips to get you started.

Have a Clear Goal

Every small business Website is different because every one serves a different purpose. If you want your Website to be a portal for people to buy products, you need to build it around that goal. If you want it to provide information and entice potential clients to call you, you have to build it with that goal in mind.

State Your Purpose Clearly and Quickly

Make sure that the written content of your Website isn’t too long-winded. Website visitors don’t often spend a lot of time reading through pages of content just to find basic information. So make sure that the important points about your company and its offerings are very clear and easy for visitors to find.

Tell Customers What You Can Do for Them

Try reading your content as a potential visitor to your Website. Focus on what benefit you provide to your customers or clients.

Utilize Calls to Action

Do you want your visitors to sign up for your newsletter? If so, add a form on your main page. Do you want them to shop through your new collection of products? Tell them so.

Develop a Page Hierarchy

Almost all business Websites include at least a few different pages. You might choose to go with a very simple format, including a home page, about page, and contact page. Or you might want different pages for your different services, with a main services page that offers a general overview. That’s something you should decide on, or at least consider, before building your site.

Get Inspired

If you’re unsure of how you want your Website to look or how you want your content to read, look around for some Websites that you really like. Outside inspiration can help you get an idea of what you want from your new site.

Own Your Domain

Purchase an actual business domain name. Some providers offer free ones that come with extensions. But "mysmallbusiness.com" tends to be more professional and easy to remember than "mysmallbusiness.wordpress.com".

Choose a Reliable Host

There are plenty of different hosting platforms available. Do your research and determine the best one based on the needs of your particular business. ​

Add a Face to the Name

A lot of customers want to know that there’s a real person who’s going to be working with them. Add a photo and tell your story. If you started the business to help people or if there was a specific thing that happened that led to your business idea, let people know.

Make it Easy for People to Contact You

This can be an email address, phone number, address, social media accounts, or all of the above. The more ways you give people to contact you, the more likely they are to feel comfortable reaching out.

Include a "Contact Us" Form

Sometimes people are looking to get in touch but they don’t have access to their main email program or just can’t click on your email link for whatever reason. A "contact us" form makes it easy for people to send a message no matter where they are or what kind of device they are using.

Add Images

Images can go a long way for adding interest to your Website. Some ideas include team photos, examples of your work, and even relevant stock images.

Include Customer Testimonials

Customer testimonials can be another great element to add to your Website. If your business is brand new, work on getting some quality testimonials first, rather than just publishing bland, generic recommendations. But even a few text blocks from customers can help build your credibility.

Add Video When Possible

You can also add video testimonials or other types of video content if it’s relevant to your message and of high quality.

Insist on a Mobile Site

And most important, make sure that your Website is "responsive" or "mobile-friendly". Having a site that isn’t mobile-optimized can drive away customers, hurt your SEO, and look unprofessional.