Many business owners would like to know what they should understand about having a website created before they move forward with having their business put on the web.
In today’s business world not having a website is about as out-dated as the fax machine, yet many businesses haven’t taken the leap because they simply aren’t sure what they want to have in their business web page design. Some businesses are service oriented and simply need a means of marketing their services and their contact information while other businesses sell products and could take advantage of an online presence to sell more products. The information herein is the best advice for business owners considering a web site for the first time.
What the Web Site Does
Regardless of the type of business a web site is created for it is the online representation of that business. This is important to keep in mind so that the final website reflects positively on the business. A professional look and feel to the website is important and that ultimately up to the web designer that is selected to create the site. The site should be hosted on a fast and reliable web host. A professional website for a business should not come out looking like a cartoon put together by a child, unless the business happens to be in comic books or cartoons. The point is to make sure the web designer has experience creating business websites and not simply putting together blogs. The website should attract visitors and ultimately clients, and the design will play a large role.
Elements to Include
There are many different elements that a website should incorporate to ensure that visitors get a good impression about the business and also get enough information about the business to make an informed decision. Some of these include:
- Well-designed, to-the-point landing page: The landing page has to catch the attention of the visitor and do so quickly. It should be straightforward and to the point with eye-catching images and possibly even Flash elements. Scrolling logos and photos that change as the visitor is browsing, make the page visually appealing and will hold attention more so than simple static pages.
- About Page: Introduce the business and staff to the world using an about page. Make the visitor feel connected by telling them about the business and about yourself.
- Services; Detail the services that are available, use scripting languages to bring the pages to life.
- Contact Page: A business web site without a contact page is simply a bunch of words in cyberspace that won’t generate one lead. There must be a way for clients to contact you. The contact page can be information with ways for the visitor to contact the business, a submission page where the visitor completes a form or a combination of these. The important thing is that there is a way for visitors to contact the business.
- Locations: A well-designed business page will also include a location page, particularly if the business would like for people to be able to find them or if they have a service business and people need to be able to find them. A good locations place will include map links that show exactly how to get to the location by linking them to Google Maps, MapQuest or other online mapping services.