By Mashum Mollah
As the website development industry evolves, design trends come and go, and new functionalities that weren’t possible before are introduced. As expected, it is only natural for website standards to change over time as well. Below is a shortlist of four things every small and medium-sized business website should have to stay competitive.
Location and Contact Information:
If you operate bricks and mortar business, the primary goal of having a website is to increase foot traffic through your door. For this to happen, you have to include easy ways for people to locate and contact you.
A common way of achieving this is by including a Google Map on the website. It is common knowledge that smartphone use has grown tremendously and people resort to the Maps app to find directions. An interactive map with your locations or a contact page will make it easy for potential clients to open, search, and find directions to your store (or stores).
Another super-easy way is through including a contact form on the website. The form then sends the information input by the visitor to your inbox thanks to technologies like node logging basics and others. From there, you can call the client through the number provided or even respond via email.
Of course, you could simply put up your business number and email address on the page. However, offering clients a way to contact you through the website gets rid of an extra barrier.
SSL Certificate:
You have probably noticed that websites now have a padlock in the corner of the browser over the last few years. This symbolizes that the website you are visiting implements an extra layer of security that protects your private details. A Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate offers you the confidence that personal and payment information will not land in the hands of hackers.
The certificate is particularly critical for businesses that collect visitor information through an online store, members-only section, or a contact form, for example. However, even if you don’t collect this information, it’s still advisable to get a certificate to build trust in your business. Furthermore, browsers alert visitors when a website is not secure, something you wouldn’t want to happen when potential clients visit your business site.
If you have many websites then Multi-domain SSL Certificate is the best option to choose from. Multi-Domain SSL also knows as SAN Certificates can secure up to 100 different domain names and hostnames using only one SSL Certificate. It saves your money because you don’t need to buy separate SSL for every website.
Mobile Responsiveness:
A mobile responsive website means that it changes the way information is displayed according to the size of the screen your visitor is using. Responsiveness makes it easier for your site to be viewed, read, and navigated on smartphone and tablet screens. Apart from improving your visitors’ overall experience, it is also something that’s favored by Google – and your site will rank higher in search engine results.
An Exceptional User Experience:
While designing or upgrading your site, make sure that you do so with the visitor’s point of view in mind. What kind of experience will visitors gain when they visit your website? How easy is it for a visitor to find the information he or she is looking for?
While these may seem like obvious considerations, many businesses out there tend to overlook user experience. A few things that will help improve on the experience include keeping the menu simple and easy to navigate. In addition, critical information should appear at the top of your page and headings should be used to make your content scannable and readable.
Conclusion:
Today, having an attractive website is not enough, you need one that captures leads for your SME. While there are many working parts that work together to create a great functioning website, the list above breaks it down to a few features every small business website ought to have.
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