In this article I will tell you how to build a website to start a business without spending too much money. I will also tell you about the content that each website for business should have. In particular:
- what sections you have to have on your website,
- which add-ons will get you loyal and returning visitors
- and what free tools you should use to monitor your website
If you already have a website, take a look at this article and check if you're not missing any essential and key parts.
If you don't have a website yet, this knowledge will be important for making the first overviews, sketches and wireframes - a lot of this content turns out to be necessary after the page is done, which is harder to do and is more expensive.
How should a website for business look?
First things first: the name of the business (and logo, in case you have one) should stand out on first glance. Underneath, place a sentence stating what you are exactly specialized in. Don't make the visitor guess - tell them what you do making it as clear as possible (for instance: "We distribute stationary").
Make sure that the textual content of each page of your website is visible without scrolling the page down (this is called what's "above the fold").
The navigation menu should be noticeable right away. It is best to place it next to the name of the company.
If possible, use short sentences and paragraphs, headings and lists. Long text discourages, no matter of its value.
What sections should be available on a business website?
If the business has regular information that can be interesting for visitors (like new products, but NOT that you hire a new employee), it should be placed on the main page or in a separate Newsletter section. If you don't have regular news, just omit this section.
In the Contact section, publish the following: the full name of the business, its postal address, telephone number, e-mail address, fax number, tax number (and country-specific registration numbers to increase credibility), the banking account number (with the full name and address of the bank and its SWIFT code - required for international transfers), opening hours (including weekends) and a map with a marked location of your company (use Google Maps). Some photos from the surrounding area and the building itself may come in handy for the visitors. The Contact section should also have a contact form. People are more likely to fill it out rather than opening an e-mail client to send a message. Keep the number of fields to a minimum - most of the time a "How can we reach you?" and "Message" field will do.
You will save a lot of time by making a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section with answers to repeatedly asked inquiries. Put a link to this FAQ (or even the questions themselves as links) in the Contact section. If you still receive questions that have not been already answered, just add then regularly to this page.
Your website will be found only, if it has relevant textual content, that the search engines (like Google) may browse and index. Therefore, you need to have an Articles section, in which you should put at least a dozen pages with content related to your market and products. It is best to have an automated system (called Content Management System - CMS in short) that will be configured so that the beginning sentences of a handful of the newest articles will be posted on the main page of the company's website. I have found that posting articles in their own section without them going through the main page is a lot less beneficial in terms of search engine rankings and incoming traffic. If you don't have the time to write articles yourself, leave that to an employee or find a freelancer on Elance, Odesk or Fiverr.
A business website should also have an About us page (you can put that content on the main page if you don't have news there). Start by stating the Company's mission: what problems do you solve, why the existing solutions are worse, what do you bring into the market, and which services you provide. After that, type the usual information: founding dates, what the company exactly does, who do you work with, who are your customers (post examples).
Publish examples of completed work in a Portfolio. Include photos (and videos, if possible and of good quality) with a clear description, what is visible, what were the challenges, what has been done to achieve this result, which technologies were used, for who and for what purpose it was made. If possible, post testimonials and contact information to review them.
Finally, publish a Pricing section with at least estimate ranges for common tasks. You will save both your time and that of the visitor's by avoiding long agreement talks, after which it comes out that the price range is unacceptable for one of the parties. You can also post examples of completed tasks with their final prices.
How to get returning visitors to your website?
First of all, you have to frequently (on average - two times per week) publish new content on the website (usually in the News or Articles section).
That aside, it is absolutely crucial to add an e-mail mailing list, which is basically a form with the Name and E-mail fields. The visitor can type his contact information and thus subscribe to get the latest news and offers from you via e-mail.
This way you get a constant and personalized way to reach your visitors - you will mail them directly and use their name to increase attention! An example of this can be found beneath this article - if you sign up for my mailing list, you will not also get updates, but also key tips for website owners. As for using a mailing list service provider, I recommend Aweber.
Remember - most of the people who visit your site will not come back. That's why you need to get their e-mail addresses and keep them engaged by sending regular updates and tips.
How to monitor traffic on your company's website?
You can without any effort (and for free!) check, how many visitors your website has had, which other sites did they visit that directed them to you, what did they type into a search engine (like Google) to find you and so on. Website stats (often referred to as analytic) are the most important part of your website, as they will tell you which pages resulted in the highest conversions (sales, sign-ups, submitted contact forms etc.) and which caused the visitors to leave your site (you need to fix those pages as soon as possible).
The best (and free!) stats system out there is Google Analytics. Adding them to your site shouldn't cost you much but the return will come quickly.
You should also use the free Google Webmaster Tools to monitor any problems with viewing and indexing your website by search engines and visitors. These so-called "Webmaster Tools" are in fact a system that notifies you of any problem with your website, plus some more statistics. Adding it to your website is so easy, that it should be done within the Google Analytics installation price.
Checking your website from the technical standpoint
The last, but not the least important thing is for your business website to be of high quality technically (referred to as "Search Engine Optimized" or SEO in short), which will automatically increase its standings in search engine rankings and thus - the incoming traffic. You can check that after the website is done instantly.
