Importance of Having a Functional Website
Every small business owner envisions making their website live and seeing well-written content, beautiful graphics, and their company name proudly displayed for all to see. And while these elements of visual appeal are all essential to a good website, it will all be in vain if your website fails to function smoothly. Take the time to review your website to ensure it functions well and is ready to help you achieve your business goals.
Put the User Experience (UX) First
Impressing website visitors with creative design is important for success, but you’ll also want to make your website easy to use. This involves having deep knowledge of what drives your customers to seek the service or product you offer in the first place. Whatever your visitors are looking for on your website should be able to be accessed within seconds of reaching the landing page. In general, contact information should be found either in a corner of the landing page or just one click away.
Whether you decide to build your website from scratch or use a platform like WordPress, each aspect of your site should be optimized for quick transitions from one page to the next.
Make Your Website Organized
Every customer appreciates good organization on a website. If pieces of information are hard to find, or if the landing page just has far too many tabs to choose, a potential customer will likely head back to the search page to find another company that offers a better user experience. If there is some information users have to dig for a little, such as clicking the “about” page to see contact information or directions, the page that they find it on should always be able to link back to other main pages.
Not only will this be part of a better all-around user experience for your customers, it will also greatly boost the SEO of your website.
Don’t Forget to Optimize for Mobile
The amount of internet users who convert to customers while using a mobile device is larger than ever, and it only can be expected to grow in the future. Your website will need to essentially have two versions: one for desktop and one for mobile. Without a mobile-optimized website, users will be stuck pinching, zooming, and squinting to see any information or use any functions on your website. This can send potential customers quickly swiping back to find a better mobile experience, even if your product or service is better quality or more cost effective than the competition or is located closer to the user.
There are several simple ways to make your website mobile-friendly, including checking the theme you choose on WordPress or other hosting websites. You can also check the performance of your website on mobile devices by using Google’s free mobile website speed test.
As you go through the process of refining your website design, be sure to test out the features and functions for yourself and ask people you trust test it out on various devices to get honest feedback. With a well-designed website that functions smoothly, your small business will be ready for fast growth.