Did you know that 20% of small businesses fail within their first year of operation? It is a sad fact but unfortunately it is true. Luckily, however, there are ways that you can ensure that your business does not become a part of this statistic.
One of the best things that you can do to boost both your traffic and your sales is to create a website that stands out. Without a company website, your business is as good as gone. Even if your funds require a budget website, you can easily draw in customers with a variety of engaging web pages. Read on to learn how you can better your online web presence and your startup as a whole.
1. The Home Page
The most important part of a webpage is, of course, an engaging landing site. This is the first thing that consumers are going to see, so it is critical that you avoid common mistakes and make an awesome first impression.
Your budget website homepage should prominently feature your logo and the name of your site. People will know where they are shopping and absorb your brand information as long as it is displayed in a readily-accessible location. Assuming that your logo is memorable, people are more likely to remember your business later even if they click away immediately.
Home pages shouldn't feature too much text because viewers will get bored quickly. Walls of text are disengaging and consumers generally find businesses that use them to be stuffy and overly formal. They also don't want to spend a lot of valuable time reading a website when they could go to a competitor and look at engaging images.
Make sure that your homepage is rife with bright colors that don't clash and features one large image showcasing your product or service. This will get people interested enough to click on other pages of your site.
If possible, also ensure that your home page is fast loading. Slow loading sites will lose a lot of visitors (who will visit competitor sites instead) and lower website ranking in top search engines like Google.
2. Video Segments
Since 73% of consumers are more likely to invest in a service after seeing a video about it, including videos on your frugal website is essential for business. In fact, you may want to have a special page that people can go to and select from a menu of video segments.
These videos can showcase your most popular products and get people interested in shopping for them. Make sure that you link directly to the product in the description for the video about it. This is a good way to ensure that people take the time to look into purchasing it.
You also may want to have explainer videos in which happy, satisfied customers talk about the ways that your goods and services have positively impacted them. Asking real-life clients to speak to a camera (and offering a discount on future purchases in return) is the best way to do this. However, you can also hire an actor to read actual written testimonials aloud.
3. Reviews
Speaking of testimonials, you may want to have a page of your website entirely dedicated to showcasing client reviews. Since 95% of people will go out of their way to find reviews before making a purchase, you might as well make it easier for them to find reviews of your services. This has the additional benefit of letting you scan reviews and vet out the best ones to showcase.
4. An About Us Page
People are always curious about the brands that they shop from. They wonder about the materials used, the methods of production, the customer service, whether the business is sustainable, and the qualifications of the professionals who work for you. An 'about' page can answer these questions and more on your frugal website.
Write a fairly comprehensive 'about us' that uses paragraphs of 3 sentences or less. Because this page tends to be text-heavy, make sure that it is something that people need to go out of their way to find. This isn't an excuse to put a wall of text on your home page.
You can also use infographics to convey data about your business in a fun, engaging, and edgy way. This is a surefire way to get people to remain on your page after clicking.
5. Products or Services and Navigation
The meat of your webpage should, of course, be the products and services that you offer. Display each of them on a product page and link each image to a unique page that discussed the product further. Make sure that you showcase them in a logical order so that people can find the section of the page that features what they are looking for.
Adding a search function to your product page is also a good idea. This will let people find products later after having seen them on a previous visit. They won't get frustrated browsing an endless sheet of products for the one thing that they want on your site.
6. Image Galleries
While you should have product photos with each item that you are selling, it is also a good idea to have a gallery featuring images that represent your company. Photos of your warehouse and brick-and-mortar stores promote transparency for your frugal budget website. You also can include pictures of people using your products or talking to your professionals.
7. A Contact Page
Finally, make sure that you include a contact page on your low frugal budget website where potential clients can reach out to you. Include a form right on the page so that people can access you more easily. However, you also may want to display your email address, phone number, and social media pages so that everyone has the option to reach out in their preferred method.
Create a Budget Website (With All the Right Pages)
Now that you know the pages that need to be featured on any budget website, it is time to get started. Build that budget website bigger and better!
Check out the 'Web Dev' tab on our home page for more information on how you can design a site that people are excited to browse. When you renovate your budget website with the tips and tricks that you get in the articles under this tab, you will boost your visibility and ensure that your business soars to new heights.
