Whether you’re a recent startup or an established brick-and-mortar company, your Website speaks volumes about your business and your brand.
A professionally designed Website makes you look more credible and gives buyers a way to learn about you before getting in touch.
In fact, eight out of ten people trust businesses with Websites more than those without them, recent studies suggest. So, if you want to beat the competition then you need a professional, mobile-ready Website that reaches, engages, and inspires your audience!
Luckily, if you’re shopping for small business Web design you don’t need to settle for cheap-looking templates. You don’t have to build one yourself either. Many design companies cater specifically to small businesses and invest the same amount of resource into small projects as they do big ticket items.
Ready to get started?
Step 1
Decide What You Need Your Website to Do
For most businesses, a Website is a key part of generating leads and closing sales, whether or not your site has a shopping cart. Work out what you want your Website to do for you.
If you want to simply advertise your business, you may want to keep your Website small and include things such as your contact information, customer testimonials, photos of completed work, as well as links to your social media profiles.
Step 2
Know What’s Out There
There are many off-the-shelf solutions designed to help small businesses create a stunning Website fast.
WordPress is one of the best-known and makes up nearly a quarter of the Web. Other solutions include Magento, BigCommerce, Volusion, and Shopify. These companies will walk you through the design process step-by-step and work with you until you’re happy with the end result. Some of them will even complete the project over the phone – a stellar option if you’re stuck for time!
Step 3
Write a Content Plan
Communicating what you want over the phone or online can be tricky. Luckily, there are a few steps you can take to make the process flow smoothly.
- Understand your needs. E.g. Do you want to advertise your business or sell your products online?
- Understand your objectives. E.g. Do you want prospects to contact you, buy your products, or do you want site visits to make money through advertising?
- Understand your audience. E.g. How old are the people you want to visit your site? Will they visit by desktop or smartphone?
- Analyze your competition.
- Make sure your branding is consistent, both in terms of visuals and voice
- Get a handle on the kind and amount of content you’ll feature
- Keep your design attractive but simple
- Know your budget
- Understand your recurring costs (if you’re not sure, ask your designer)
- Have a plan to keep content fresh and relevant