At a time when internet sales growth is increasing at 10 times the rate of store sales, Small Business Owners focused on brick and mortar stores could be seriously limiting their growth potential. While a physical store may generate success in the local area, a virtual store can spawn worldwide profits.
“Any business that is looking for new customers needs to understand the Internet and how to market their goods or services through it.” – Eric Lefkofsky (Groupon Chairman, net worth: $1.75 billion)
However, developing a website can be daunting, especially for Small Business Owners who have little extra time on their hands. Small Business Owners should consider hiring a web design agency to assist in their web development. A professional digital agency can help implement an innovative and compelling website, avoid the mistakes below, and generate profits.
Mistake: Failure to Define the Business
Often, Small Business Owners become so focused on selling their brand name, they overlook focusing on their product. The purpose of the site should be explicitly stated on the home page, so that users may easily recognize the offered product or service.
Mistake: Failure to Compel Customers to Buy
Similarly, the site should either sell or feature the product or service the business is offering. If the business does not sell material goods, then photographs, descriptions, or examples of the service offering should be included. The site should sell the content; promote it as if it were the best product or service in the world. The site needs to compel the visitor that the product is a must-have, and that it will solve a need and do something great for them.
Mistake: Not including a Search Feature
Search is a critical feature for any website, especially the Small Business website. Customers may not have time to browse through every single page on a site to find what they are looking for. They may easily become frustrated or run out of time if expected to complete such a laborious task. By including Search capabilities on their website, Small Business Owners can expect increased sales and customer satisfaction.
Creating a Search feature on a website can be quite challenging, and when help is needed, the Small Business owner should consult with a professional web designer.
Mistake: Poor Spelling and Grammar
There is nothing worse than a beautiful and innovative website with bad English! Unfortunately, this is the kind of mistake that undermines the credibility of the entire Business. If a customer visits a site, and finds the literary element lacking, they will judge the founders of the Business as being uneducated and therefore not reliable.
Mistake: Failure to Create a Personal Touch
Small Business Owners should convey the mom-and-pop feel on their site; tell their story, introduce their employees, provide contact information, and appeal to their audience as if they are just next door instead of lost in the vast ether that is the internet. Not only is the customer reassured there is a real person on the other end of the site, but they also have a means of contacting that person if there are issues.
Mistake: Poor Site Design
Like bad grammar, poor site design can be detrimental to any Small Business. It would be in the best interest of any Small Business to hire an expert web design agency, to produce their website. An expert knows the design flaws to avoid and can create a compelling site to attract visitors, and thereby encourage their return to the site.
Mistake: Static Content
In order to encourage continued customer visitation, a site must remain constantly evergreen. If the site is static, then a user will know they only have to come to the site one time, get what they need, and never come back. However, if the information on the site is constantly changing and compelling, the user will know that they should visit the site repeatedly and will thus be more likely to make additional purchases on the site.
To Sum It All Up
Any one of these mistakes can ruin the digital market for the Business Owner. Therefore, it is truly in the best interest of the Small Business Owner to purchase web design services from a digital agency to ensure professional quality, and minimal mistakes. By having a beautiful, organized, and compelling site, customers will not visit just once but come again and again.
Bouncing Orange is a Perth based web development, web designer, graphic design, branding and on-line marketing digital agency for medium to corporate and government projects