Why does your small business have a website? It may be because you feel like you have no choice. In order to compete in today’s world, your company—no matter its size, scope, or industry—needs to have a presence on the Web, and it’s as simple as that. For this reason, many small companies scramble to erect business websites—but in doing so, they sometimes fail to use website technology for all its worth.
If your small business has a website just to have one, you may be neglecting some of the key website components. Below we’ve got a quick checklist. If you’re missing out on any of the following items, it may be time to call either your Web developer or a content company like Grammar Chic, Inc. to take your small business website to the next level.
- A compelling About page. We’ve written before about the importance of a company About Us page. Note that the About section of your website is likely to be one of the most-visited sections of your site, and it’s sure to be where new leads head when they want to know more about what you can offer. Thus, it is important to write About text that is fairly brief, to the point, relatable, human, and—above all—value-focused. Talk about what benefits you can offer your clients and customers, not just your corporate history or company governance.
- A blog. One of the keys to a successful website is regularly updating it with fresh and informative content—something Google uses to evaluate and rank your website in search listings, and something that determines whether your readers will keep coming back to the site for more. A business blog is non-negotiable in today’s world, and it’s best if the blog is integrated into your business website.
- Logical navigation. Each page of your site should have clear, uncluttered links to the other important pages on the site. If your site is not easy to navigate—if a new user couldn’t find his way from your Services page to the About page, for instance—then it may be time to talk with your Web designer about a new, smoother layout.
- Social media buttons.Social media sites are essential for engaging with your customers, clients, and leads—so make sure they’re easy to find! Include social media buttons on your small business website to show that your company is indeed active on social media.
- Calls-to-action. You need at least one on every page!
- Contact info. This, too, should be on every page of your site; including the phone number and email address on every page is not only helpful for mobile users, but it also helps the search engines to properly categorize your page in local search results.
- A Contact page. A final recommendation: Combine these last two elements by creating a Contact Us page on your site, which should offer both full contact details, an email capture form (optional), and a strong, rousing call-to-action.
These elements—combined with consistent messaging, strong Web copy, and appealing visual branding—will ensure that your small business page is helping your company to grow and flourish. To learn more, we invite you to contact us today, either by visiting www.grammarchic.net or calling 803-831-7444
803-831-7444.
The Red Ink 
I wholeheartedly agree with a all the elements listed here but I do not take issue with #4 “Social Media Buttons” as this implies that small business owners have time to devote to create compelling content that would want to make website visitors share this content on their social media accounts. True. It doesn’t take much time or effort to put such buttons on your website’s pages but one would have to hire a service with skills in marketing, SEO and copywriting in order to churn out this type of content on even just a semiregular basis. Such a service is very expensive.
Thanks for your comment. Agreed, that it can be very time consuming to create compelling content continuously–but it is also a common misconception that hiring a content marketing agency is out of budget for small business owners. The majority of Grammar Chic clients are small business owners–and many agree that it is more cost effective to outsource this work rather than bring it in-house. You have to consider opportunity costs, after all. Either you hire someone to handle your marketing for you and absorb the additional overhead (which is usually more when considering salary, employer taxes, Worker’s Comp, health insurance, etc.), or you, as a business owner, do it yourself–which isn’t always effective either.
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