Mar 21, 2012

Small Businesses Gotta Have a Website!

A website is an opportunity for a business owner to tell visitors what the business is, what it has to offer, as well as who is behind the scenes and anything else that might be valuable to visitors. Here are some do’s and don’ts to keep in mind when designing a website: 1. Do state who you are. First and foremost, a website needs to show visitors whose website they are visiting and how they can get in touch with a business representative. Providing sufficient contact information is important to draw in those customers who prefer to make purchases on the phone or in person. 2. Do state what you do. Describe what sort of business or service you provide. Also, describe your business mission so visitors can determine whether your business is right for them. You want your website to be designed in a way that informs potential customers about the types of services or products you offer. Simply listing your various services, for example, may not be enough. Go further by describing how you conduct services and how you begin and complete projects. The more information you share, the better. 3. Don’t have a confusing roadmap. A visitor can get frustrated if she can’t easily find her way around your website. Keep your website design clean. Structure it like a neighborhood, with clearly marked signposts and easy ways back to the home page. Try to avoid complex menus and page combinations. 4. Do check your cross-browser compatibility. Your website should be viewable on all internet browsers. For example, if your website looks great on Internet Explorer, you want to make sure it also looks great on Firefox and Safari.

Do you need help with your website? The Small Business Authority is here for you! The Small Business Authority is offering a FREE website, call us now at 855-2thesba for your FREE help from our experts so you can design your site, choose a hosting plan and start accepting payments for your site!

Why Try a Do It Yourself Website Builder? 1. It’s time already! Perhaps you have a successful brick-and-mortar business that has grown entirely by word of mouth. If that is your situation, congratulations! Word of mouth is one of the best types of marketing and speaks volumes about the quality of your business. Take that success and apply it online. You’re poised to hit an untapped pool of customers who have not yet heard of your company. 2. It’s a way to get your goods online. Whether you own a mom-and-pop shop or a small business with multiple locations, your products have a limited reach if they’re only available in-store. DIY builders enable you to get your products online quickly. If you have products to sell, you can have them up and available to a much wider base within minutes. If you’re selling a service, you can advertise it just as quickly. When your bottom line starts to soar, you’ll be glad you jumped into ecommerce. 3. It’s a chance to be artistic—no graphic design education is required. No one knows your business better than you do, so who could better reflect that visually? The Small Business Authority offers more than 700 design schemes to select from and you still have access to a team of professionals available 24/7/365 to assist you. Just Remember: * You have the ability to change your content on a whim rather than having to coordinate with a designer and wait for the next website publish window * You have a chance to connect with your customers by adding a company blog that embodies your unique corporate culture * You have the ability to point customers looking for more information to a convenient place Do you have any objections to launching a website that we haven’t addressed? What are they? Let us know. This article was originally published on Forbes.com.