Small Business Website Design: 5 Ways to Elevate Your Website

In the 21st century, your website is your new storefront. 2020 saw the gap between the internet and “real life” disappear. Now “the internet” is real life, and anyone who wants to succeed in business needs to make sure their website is on par with contemporary standards. 

Website design might seem ephemeral. After all, don’t people have personal preferences when it comes to these sorts of things? 

Though small business website design might seem ephemeral, it’s just like designing a physical space in that there are some rules you can follow to make sure it turns outright. 

This article will walk you through some of those rules.

1.Make Sure It’s Easy to Navigate

There’s nothing more annoying to a customer than not being able to find their way around your website. A website should eliminate the problems in-person communication has, not compound them. Yet despite this being true, many small business websites are confusing and painstaking to sort through.

Make your website easy to navigate by splitting up your content into different pages. Think of them as “rooms”. If your customer has to spend time scrolling down and searching for the content they need, they’re more likely to hop over to a competitor of yours. Every reliable LA web design company understands the importance of user experience, and the navigation flow is more often than not mapped before the development stage.

Always remember to put your content information on a separate “contact us” page. We highly recommend putting this page in the top right-hand corner of your website — it’s easy to see. Making your contact us page easy to see is crucial to making you easy to contact.

2.Understand Your Websites Purpose

There’s no doubt that every business needs a website in the 21st century. However, you need to make sure you understand which type of website you’re going for. Specificity is key in the world of online marketing. 

If you’re selling products directly on your website, you’re running an e-commerce site. E-commerce sites need to operate as digital storefronts. Dedicate as much time and effort as you have to display your inventory. 

If you cannot sell your products or services on your website, you should probably make a branding website. This sort of website serves one purpose — to get you recognized. Make use of some of the tips below to catch people’s eyes and stick around in their brains. 

If you’re somewhere in between these two, you’re probably creating a lead generation website. Lead generation websites are all about acting as a middleman between the sea of the internet and you’re company. You can’t sell your product/service on your site, but you sure as heck can get them to call you so you can finalize the sale.

3.Make Use of SEO 

One of the key parts of website design in the 21st century is Search Engine Optimization — SEO. SEO is the process of designing your website so that it winds up on top of people’s search engine results.

Did you know that less than one percent of people click to the second page of search engine results? That’s why it’s so key to land on that first page.

Usually, SEO involves researching keywords. Keywords aren’t words themselves, but phrases people use to search for your products. For example. a keyword for a hamburger restaurant might be “cheap fries near me”. 

A basic SEO tactic would be to create a blog and use the term “cheap fries near me” as much as possible. The search engine (usually Google) will lead people straight to that hamburger restaurant’s site. 

It should be noted, however, that there’s something else that’s very important to SEO which few people talk about — website design! The longer people stay on your website, the higher Google will rank you. That’s why it always pays to have a fun and dynamic website. 

4.Make Use of Dynamic Colors

Unless you want your website to feel like an early 2000’s chatroom, it’s best to add some color to your site. However, don’t do too much otherwise you’ll pull your client’s mind in too many directions. 

Instead, make use of color theory, and pick a strong color scheme that will work for you. Perhaps you’ll go with a standard analogous color scheme — or scheme of colors that look-alike — such as earth tones. Or maybe you’ll go with a more modernist, complimentary style, bringing in two colors that contrast, like green and red. 

At the end of the day, the high-quality aesthetics of your website will lead you to generate revenue. Sites that are good looking get people to stick around on them. This boosts SEO, increases the chance that people will buy from you, increases the chance that your brand will be remembered, and increases the chance that customers will navigate over to that “contact us” page. 

5.Add Stock Photos

A great way to add character to your website is to add some photography. However, if you’re not a photographer, it can be hard to come across high-quality photos. You can hire a professional photographer, but that can get expensive. 

Why not head to one of the great websites out there that provide you with a wealth of free stock photos. A stock photo can add context to some of your written content so that clients become immediately aware of whatever story you’re trying to tell them. 

We live in a visual world, and it’s no use trying to fight that when you run a business. Make use of stock images, and watch your website numbers improve. 

Understand Small Business Website Design 

As you can see, small business website design isn’t as ephemeral as people think it is. There are easily achievable design features that will help you rake in the customers.  

Make sure your website is easy to navigate, understand the purpose of your website, make use of SEO, add some dynamic colors, and spice up your site with stock photos, and you’re more likely to succeed in the business world. 

For more articles like this, check out our “marketing” section.