As a small business, you are facing a lot of competition, especially if you are still establishing presence within your community. People go online to learn about you and your business before they ever walk through the door or pick up the phone to call you. First and foremost, if you do not have a website – you are missing a great deal of opportunities to your competitor who does. Secondly, if you do have a website – there are key things that should exist  for you to get the most benefit from having one in the first place.

 

4 Must-Haves For Every Small Business Website

1.      About Us Page

People need to find who you are and what your business does quickly, and in one place. If a prospect cannot understand what you can offer them in a short period, they will wander elsewhere. Distinguish in easy-to-understand language who you are, what you offer, and what sets you apart from the competition. Don’t forget to include physical address, phone number, email, and methods for easily contacting you. Nothing is more annoying than not being able to quickly get the contact information for a business. Don’t lose prospects because you didn’t give them a clear way to reach out to you.

2.      Social Media Icons

Show that you’re engaged with the online community by displaying your social media icons through your home page. Social media is a powerful tool for a small business by itself, and displaying it among the content on your website only doubles the visibility. Gaining a follower on your social media websites promotes long-term relationship building long after the prospect has left your website.

3.      Updated Content

Can you think of a time when you went on to a website and had to call because you knew the information on the website about their services or hours of operation was out of date? How frustrating! People who visit your website before ever visiting your business judge the time and effort you put in to keeping updated and assume you run your operations in the same way. From now on, assume that prospects are entering your website on an hourly basis so that you never allow your content to go unkempt.

4.      Lead Capture Form

If you truly want an edge against your competitor, a lead capture form is the place to start. Think of a time you stumbled on a website and wanted to redeem a coupon, free trial, or white paper. You were most likely prompted to enter your name and email address before gaining access to what you were wanting to receive. At this point, the business has traded you something you find of value in exchange for your contact information (something they find valuable). Don’t let a prospect stumble on and off of your website without attempting to capture their contact information. Remember to offer something of value that your business can give in return, as no body likes to give out their contact information for free.