A question every small business owner should ask before starting to plan their website; “what are the 3 most important aspects of a small business’ website?” Whether you’re planning on making a website yourself or finding a developer to make one for you from scratch, there are a few essential elements that every small business’ website needs to have if it is to be a successful one. We’ve made a list of website tips for small businesses so you can make sure you cover all the important stuff:
1. Design
So first things first…how do you make your website make an impact? We all know that first impressions are everything, and if your website doesn’t make a great one on its visitors, they won’t bother sticking around to find out more. This is why your website’s design is so important. Not only should it tell your visitors what your business is about in an instant, it should also be a seamless extension of your brand and make an impact on every visitor who lands on your page. A clean, eye-catching design will work wonders towards the success of your website and ultimately, your business.
On the hunt for a web designer to create an impactful website design for your business? Take a look at our case studies and drop us a line for a free consultation to discuss what our team of talented designers and web developers can do for you. It’s what we do!
2. Choose a good domain name
Your domain is the name everyone will associate with your business, so make it a good one. It should match your business’ name (as closely as possible). Your domain name is also important when it comes to SEO, so make sure it’s something relevant to your type of business.
3. Make it SEO friendly
Last but by no means least, make sure your website is SEO friendly. Your website should be optimised for SEO at the time of development. Make sure that whichever web developer you choose is experienced in SEO and check that all his previous websites are SEO optimised by searching for relevant keywords and seeing if his websites rank highly.
Every web developer knows the importance of SEO, so if they don’t mention it as something they plan on doing, err with caution. It’s an easy step for developers to skip in order to save time since the average person wouldn’t know if it had been done (and done well) anyway.
Take a look at one of our clients, Genevieve Ryan, a dance academy in Ireland who went from ranking below 20th for all their target keywords to ranking in the top 3 for keywords such as ‘adult dance classes in galway’ and ‘kids dance classes galway’ in a matter of months.
- SEO begins in your domain name. Wherever possible and appropriate you should try to include keyword(s) and/or the location relevant to your business; for example, www.coventrycarpenter.com. This will help customers searching for a business like yours in your area to find you online.
- Ensure your website is optimised for SEO on the front and back end. A nice looking website won’t do your business any good if it hasn’t been optimised for SEO. Think about it…if no one can even find your website, how are they ever going to choose your business?
- Include keywords on every page. You can get a good idea of if your website was built with SEO in mind by taking a look at the front end (the part everyone sees). If it has been there should be keywords on every page.
- Research what the most frequently asked questions are when people are searching for a business such as yours and include them on your website. Why? Because FAQs win you SEO brownie points and boost your site’s ranking and overall visibility.
- Make sure your website is built with basic SEO. Basic SEO involves registering your website on many high authority websites, causing it to show up on Google’s radar or important websites; again boosting your ranking.
Remember, for your website to actually bring you new customers it needs to be firstly found and then chosen. Make sure you go with an experienced and trustworthy web developer who won’t cut corners. Your website shouldn’t just look pretty on the face of it, it should be optimised for SEO and have the ability to actually find you new custom by reaching potential clients who don’t already know about you and ultimately grow your business.
Check out some of our SEO case studies (linked below) and take a look at how we helped other small businesses like yours climb the Google rankings in a matter of months through our basic and ongoing SEO work.
Looking for a website design company in Ireland? You’ve stumbled across the right blog post!
Be yours a bar, restaurant, music school, dance school, yoga studio, hair salon, beauty business, ecommerce, a physical store selling products, or something else entirely…at mamma marketing we build each and every one of our websites optimised for SEO.
Taking the hassle out of the very first step to getting your website succeeding on Google…finding someone you trust to do it properly! With Mamma you can relax in the knowledge that your website will be made right, from the get-go.
