Building a website for your business is a great way to attract new customers and keep in touch with old ones. What many business owners miss, though, is that customers expect certain things from your website. This is not a one-way relationship. If you're going to build a website, you need to ensure that it offers the things that your customers expect to find. Here's an overview of the top five things customers want to see on your website and will leave if they can't.
1. Your NAP Information
First things first, your website should contain your name, address, and phone number. While this seems obvious, these are things that many website owners forget. This is a significant problem and easily avoidable. Customers who cannot find your phone number also cannot call you. Considering how many website searches start with local intent, it's downright silly not to have your address on your website. If you don't post your address, phone number, and name, customers don't know where to locate you, how to get in touch with you, or really anything that they need to know to do business. With this in mind, keep your NAP information up-to-date and on your website. As a general rule, it should be large, centrally located, and easy for customers to find no matter where they are on your site. Bonus points for making it clickable. If you have a separate business and mailing address, use your physical address on your website. That's mostly the one that customers will be looking for, and is an essential one to present to them.
2. Contact Forms
In some cases, customers aren't necessarily looking to call you right away. They may have a complaint, may have a question, or may have some other inquiry that they would rather submit via email or contact form. As such, it's ideal to offer an electronic means of contact on your website. This is also essential for small business owners who can't always get to the phone, and don't have a dedicated gatekeeper. Email addresses that are unfamiliar tend to be picked up by spamming Bots so many small-business owners set up contact forms on their website. These forms work on WordPress sites or other similar platforms. For best results keep them short and to the point.
3. Pricing Information
One of the first questions. The only way they'll get an answer to this question is if you post pricing information on your website. With this in mind, respect everyone's time and make your prices clear, easy to understand, and simple for your customers to navigate. Customers want to know that they're working with a person. Your website should have extensive pricing information. This will give potential customers an idea of the level of service they want to purchase before contacting you. Not only will this help you come off as upfront and honest to your customers, but it will also save you plenty of time on the phone explaining your pricing and going back and forth. To avoid issues with publishing your pricing, be sure to update pages frequently and inform long-standing customers of any price changes.
4. An “About Page”
Customers want to know who they're working with, what your company is all about, and what drives you. Because of this, it's essential to offer a comprehensive, detailed, unique about page. Although this about page will vary depending on who you are and what your company's mission is, the general must-haves for an about page include your company's background, a bit of information about the founders or managers, a breakdown of your services, and a general expansion of your company's elevator pitch. Your website, no matter how short or long it may be, should always have an about page that explains your experience, your company's values, and what makes you unique.
5. Social Media Links
No website is complete without some social media links. To keep your customers coming back for more, offer social media links right off the bat. They should be prominent, featured at the bottom of each page on your website, and should link directly to the social page and question. For best results, use matching social media icons to take customers to your various pages. When customers can find your social media effortlessly and easily, they're more likely to follow, share, and interact in the ways that you want them to.
Additional Tips to Make Your Website Better for Customers
Once you’ve ensured your website meets the above requirements, you’re well on your way toward a functional and helpful site. Are there things you can do to make it better, though? Of course! Here’s your step-by-step guide to a better site, made simple.
- Improve Your Images. One of the easiest ways to make your website higher-quality and more customer-facing is to reboot it with images. Think of a set of fresh images like a coat of fresh paint: it’s the perfect, low-cost way to improve your site design and ensure your customers have something nice to look at. If you’d like to, you can hire a photographer to refresh your website images. This is an option for marketing companies with a larger budget, as this will be a relatively expensive option. If you’re looking for a lower-cost alternative, consider investing in a few excellent stock images, instead. Sites like Pexels and Shutterstock offer high-resolution free or paid stock photos that you can use throughout your website and other marketing materials.
- Improve Your Typography. A strong typeface is ideal for setting your website apart from the rest. Ideal for creating hierarchy and visual interest, typography is an excellent way to make your website more modern and beautiful. Not sure which typefaces go together? This breakdown from Canva is a great way to see which fonts pair together nicely.
- Add a Video. Did you know that the human brain processes visuals 60,000x faster than text? With this in mind, consider adding a video to your website homepage. An excellent way to give your customers an immediate breakdown of your company, and ensure they know what they’re getting by visiting your page, a video is an excellent addition to any high-quality website.
A Better Website Starts Here
There are dozens of ways to improve your website, but they’re not all created equal. When it comes time to build it, the first thing you must do is ensure you’re offering the experience customers want. By giving them the five things they’re coming for, you can enhance interest and ensure they have a positive experience. Take this one step further with the bullet points above for a site that will knock your buyers out of the park!
