What makes a website great is a subjective aspect. After all, what works for one website may be completely harmful for another. However, there are some general features that every business website should have to be successful and effective. Let’s take a look at some of the essential features of a great business website.
Mobile Friendly
With almost half of internet traffic coming from mobile devices, a mobile optimised website is critical. A mobile responsive website adapts itself to the size of the screen to deliver a stellar experience no matter the device it is accessed on. A mobile friendly website not only delivers a seamless experience to your visitors but it’s also important for search engine rankings.
Easy to Use
Online users are in a hurry. Your website should make it easy for them to find the information they are after. Good user experience (UX) ensures your visitors stay engaged and long enough to take the desired action.
Make sure the navigation is simple and has a clear hierarchy. Use visual cues and consistent layouts to make your website functional.
Your website should meet the requirements of people who are looking for something and those who are just looking. Features like a search bar and related content suggestions will help improve user engagement while reducing bounce rates.
Contact Information
Your visitors don’t have the patience to play detective to reach you. Offer several different points of contact – email, phone, social media and include a simple, clutter-free contact form. A Google map is the icing on the cake.
More than anything, make sure that the information is readily accessible across your website. The footer is a great place to include your business address and contact details.
Optimised for Search
There are several ways to drive traffic to your site including influencer marketing, social media marketing, PPC and email marketing among others. However, organic search is by far the biggest source of quality traffic.
Search engine optimisation (SEO) is an expansive strategy that includes aspects like website design, content marketing, keyword optimisation, link building and more.
If you are building a new website for your business, be sure to make SEO an intrinsic part of the design process and proactively engage in SEO best practices and strategies to improve your rankings in the search engines and drive traffic consistently.
Easy to Digest Content
Internet users rarely read content in its entirety. Most users skim through a page scanning for important information to identify if the page is relevant to what they’re after.
Keep this in mind when formatting your content. Use headings, sub-headings, bullets, paragraphs and lists to break the text into digestible bytes that users can quickly and easily scan.
Clear Calls to Action
Your visitors have landed on your website and have perused the information on your pages. They have explored your navigation menu and got to know about your business. But if you don’t ask them to take the next step, they won’t.
The next step could be any positive action – following you on social media, joining your mailing list, downloading a free eBook, filling in your contact form, scheduling an appointment or making a purchase.
Write clear, compelling calls to action (CTAs) to nudge your visitors into action.
Fast Page Load Speed
There’s nothing more frustrating for your visitors than waiting for your website to load. Slow page load speed is one of the biggest reasons why users leave a website. Ensuring your site loads within 3 to 6 seconds is critical for good usability. It also has an impact n your search rankings.
Work with a professional website design agency to build a lightweight, nimble website that loads quickly. Every second delay in load time will increase your bounce rates. So don’t make your visitors wait for too long to experience your website. Otherwise, your visitors will land on your website only to leave in no time.
Conclusion
This is a brief look at some of the essential features of a successful business website. Keeping up with these basic principles will provide a good start for your online presence. For more information or to discuss your website design project, contact the web design specialists at Ranked Ready Websites Services – Web Design & Development In Australia.
