Make A Useful Small Business Website To Stand Out From The Crowd

Think back to the last website that stood out from the crowd. Why did it stand out?

A useful small business website really has to set itself apart from the rest to stand out. That doesn’t mean it just needs to look great, either.

People have high expectations so to stand out you need a web designer who works on the basis of purpose rather than looks only. Useful means different things to everyone, though.

Useful could mean:

• entertaining
• informative
• life changing
• inspiring

Or of course anything else that captures attention and makes someone think wow.

Can you remember a website you saw that was truly great?

Creating a useful small business website is no easy task. That’s why you first need to figure out what is useful.

Find What’s Useful

You’ve probably heard this:

Content is king.

Don’t pay any attention to it. While content is important, great content that Is useful is even more important. There’s an important distinction between content and great content.

Not only that but the great content needs to be the right content. That means you have to find what’s useful to the people you’d like to come to your website.

If you know a lot about your target audience then you can also figure out what content would be useful to them.

Every small business will differ in how to determine a useful small business website. A plumber’s website might have helpful how to videos and information about what they do and lots of testimonials. An eCommerce website might have detailed videos about their product and ways to use it.

Google webmaster tools is a great way to figure out what types of information your customers are looking for. That will tell you how people are already finding your website so you can tailor it around that even more.

It’s helpful to find out how people are currently finding you then offering content that will attract them to you and keep them on your website.

Good Content

Equiped with what your current visitors are searching for, you’ll have an idea of what content they want more of. You also have to venture into figuring out what others are looking for, though.

A poll is a good way to figure out what content people would like. You can poll your social media followers, niche groups and even pay to reach people on social media.

A useful small business website captures attention and keeps visitors engaged. Content marketing is an amazing way to drive visitors to your website and keep them engaged.

Without good content there will be no reason for someone to visit your website or come back.

A website with only information about your small business is nice but it won’t get you any visitors. The only visitors that will come are those you send there from your business cards, marketing, or talking to people.

Good content helps bring visitors to your website for reasons you want them there for. Once you have a plan for good content, you’ll also need to organize it in a way that’s clear and simple.

Good Organization

A useful small business website is organized in a way that helps visitors skim to find what they need. People on the internet don’t read, they skim. That means you need to organize and write for skimming.

Lots of headings, short sentences, a clear hierarchy, and emphasizing text where needed is important. That means the useful content should be well written but concise. Even though it must be concise, there should be information that builds upon it.

A website that’s organized well should also look good to make it clear. Without a layout on each page that is well thought out and organized, the great content will go to waste.

A good organization means there is also a goal on each page. Every page on a useful small business website should have a purpose and a clear call to action that you want visitors to do.

Impressions are immediately created when someone lands on your website. That first impression can decide how long someone stays on your page and how far they browse. Good organization increases the usefulness of your small business website.

Useful content that is good and organized the right way will help boost visitor engagement. You’ll still have to put the work in to guide them, though.

Guide Them

Every page on a useful small business website provides visitors with what they came for. It also provides resources if they’re interested in more. Finally, there should be a goal on every page of a useful small business website.

Without a goal on every page, your needs for having visitors won’t be met. There needs to be a match between your goals and visitors goals. Every page should have a benefit to visitors and a benefit for you.

With a proper flow to each page that guides visitors to your offer, you’ll draw in new leads for your small business.

Draw Them In

With everything above in place you’ll have attracted visitors and guided them to this last step towards gaining a link to a new customer.

Content on your blog should always have a lead magnet that makes people want to get more information on your deal. Content on other pages of your website should all guide visitors to methods that will bring them into your environment.

Maybe you want visitors to request a quote, or get a coupon. Whatever it is you want them to do, every page should attempt to bring visitors there.

Inline calls to action are helpful in drawing visitors to your lead magnet if you have a compelling offer. Pop ups are also helpful if they’re done tastefully.

An inline call to action is possibly the most helpful way to move visitors to your website closer to becoming a lead or even customer. An inline call to action is text that stands out on a page placed in the middle of relevant content that links to a lead magnet.

For some businesses a good lead magnet will get people to sign up for a newsletter, others it might be to buy an item. Every business is unique in the way you’ll approach drawing visitors into your business.

There are many things that could be a good lead magnet including:

• eBook
• infographic
• coupon
• document
• checklist
• guide

If it can help visitors accomplish their goal, there’s a good chance they’ll want it. If they want it, they’ll be willing to give you something valuable to get it.

Increase Customers

Hopefully you don’t always have to work for your small business website. A useful small business website should work for you to bring customers to you.

If your website isn’t doing some work for you and connecting you with customers, it’s time to look into what purposeful web design can do for your business online. It’s time for a website that brings in visitors that are likely to do business with you.