Must-Haves for Your Small Business Website

Whether you are operating a traditional storefront or have recently emerged as an entrepreneur for a small dropshipping company, it is impossible to ignore that fact that business websites provide tremendous advantages to the growth and sustainability of a company.

Many business owners may originally scoff at the idea of building a website, especially if the company has existed successfully for a number of years, but with the many online tools, guides, resources, and professional services available to you, the chore can be an exciting venture into cyberspace. Think of it as an opportunity to extend your visibility, increase traffic (both foot traffic and online traffic) to your business, and enjoy a more consistent relationship with your loyal consumers.

Here we list some must-have facets for your small business website and delineate the significance of each one.

The About Us Page

The About Us page should be the first and most significant element of your business’s website and should never be designed as an afterthought. Because loyal consumers are rooted in their ability to generate a trusting relationship between you and your customers, the about us page plays a key role in promoting a positive impression of you and your company.

It is important that you use the page to introduce yourself and your team. The About Us page should include profile pictures and at least a paragraph of information about each of the key players in your business. Additionally, it can present your backstory. This means that you can take the time to explain why you started your company and explicate your vision and mission. The About Us page can exemplify what is special about you and your business.

Include information that can trigger an emotional response in your readers and inspires a connection between you and your community of consumers. The page is your opportunity to demonstrate that you are a real human being who cares about your consumers. Some About Us pages also include interesting and relevant content that is posted regularly in order to encourage repeat traffic to your site. 

The Shopping Cart

The Shopping Cart is an important feature, regardless of whether or not you provide other ways for consumers to order. Phone and manual orders are often inconvenient, cumbersome or downright time-consuming for more tech-savvy shoppers. Remember that prices should be listed alongside product items, and online consumers have a general aversion to downloadable PDFs that may include prices, product descriptions, or other information. Modern shoppers want simplified checkout processes, upfront pricing, a myriad of guaranteed and secure payment options, and user-friendly navigability when moving from shopping cart to checkout. Some entrepreneurial advice includes setting up processes that avoid shopping cart abandonment, but many people like a system that allows them to shop now and purchase later.

Overall Mobility

More and more consumers are using a wide range of devices to access websites, including ecommerce business sites. A majority of customers are currently browsing online shops from smartphones and mobile devices instead of a laptop or home computer. Ensure that you have a plan in place for your website to be mobile-friendly. This means that your website should be optimized for mobile in order to ensure that it is able to be read on any size screen. Before you choose a platform for designing your site, be sure to look at which ones are progressive enough to support your purpose and the future growth of your online business traffic when you are ready to consider scalability.

Contact Information Page

Make your contact information a prominent aspect of your website. Providing numbers that make it possible for your consumers to get in touch with you easily will increase their level of trust in you and confidence in your company and product or service. It is even advisable to include a separate Contact Information Page that can be an aesthetic addition to your well-designed website.

Relevant Content and Blogs

Part of the advantage of a small business website is designing a place where your consumers can go that is more than a traditional website for purchasing your product. Because humans are social animals, developing a space for your following to come together provides a sense of community for your business. Clients will come for the interesting conversation, and they will stay to learn more about your product or service, your company’s backstory. Posing a simple question, hosting a drawing, keeping an updated blog, or sharing relevant content provide opportunities for you to get to know your consumers so that you can connect with and serve them better.

What have you found to be some business website necessities? Feel free to comment here.