So you’ve decided to start your own business! Congratulations! One of the first things that people may do after they congratulate you on your new endeavor is:
SEARCH FOR YOUR BUSINESS ONLINE
If your business does not show up in the Google search, it may come across as a bit odd. In this technological day and age, it is imperative that your business has some footprint on the web. More than likely your competitors have something up too.
YOU NEED A WEBSITE
It sounds daunting but there are many ways to create a website.
It could be something as simple as a one-page site, or landing page, that gives basic information about your company or it could be a multi-page site that goes into much more detail.
KEY ELEMENTS OF A SUCCESSFUL WEBSITE
HOME PAGE: This is the page that your future customer will see when they input your website address. It should be clean-looking and easy to read. On this page, you would include:
- Your logo
- Graphics that best fit your target demographic
- Product images if you are selling a product
- Content describing your business/offering
ABOUT: Here is where you tell your story.
- How long has the business been around (if it isn’t newly open)?
- Your mission statement
- History behind the evolvement of the business/offering
CONTACT PAGE: This is a MUST! You definitely want people whom visit your site to contact you, for whatever reason, but especially if they want to learn more about your business or product. Include the following on this page:
- Main company phone number
- Company directory (or the key people or departments you would like contacted, i.e. sales or customer service) including email addresses and/or phone numbers
- Mailing address
- Shipping address (if different from mailing)
- Hours of operation
- Map showing location (optional)
We recommend a contact form on this page. You can pick and choose what information is required of the visitor to complete and then have the information sent to the email address of your choosing.
CLEAN AND SIMPLE TO NAVIGATE: Think like your target audience. Are they technology-savvy? Will they understand where to look to find other pages within your website (i.e. header, footer, side bars)? Make sure the font used is readable as well.
CREDIBLE CONTENT: Many websites also have a blog, which is a repository for information-rich articles pertaining to the company’s industry. Here you can house articles written by yourself or staff, kind of elevating you to an authority-level, increasing your company’s credibility.
SOCIAL MEDIA: Social media is king. Be sure to include all of the social media platforms that your company is on, requesting the visitor to connect with you. You can add feeds from your social media accounts to your site as well.
There are ways you can create your website on your own, via WordPress for example, or you can hire a reputable marketing agency and graphic designer to do what they do best.
Either way, we highly recommend that your business has a presence on the web!