Up until the late 90s, most companies relied on traditional marketing practices to spread the word and get feet through their doors. These included phonebook listings, word of mouth, flyer drops, and *shudder* cold calling! With the proliferation of the internet, a business can now list their services and contact information online. The issue is that converting an internet browser into a paying customer takes more than just a basic website. It should be a true digital representation of the brick and mortar establishment. Here’s how to make that happen for your website:
What’s in a Great Website?
For the best chance of conversion, there are a few essential pages a business website should feature. This way a potential customer has enough information, about the company and the services/products it offers, to make an informed decision there and then. If the boxes have all been ticked, and ticked well, your website visitor might enquire there and then – if you’ve got a contact form that is! Here are the key pages every great company website should have:
Front Page
This page is known by most as the home page, and is the first page a website visitor sees. This page usually summarises the contents of the website, and features links to extra information on other pages. Many users now browse websites on their phones, so the homepage has become longer with more information on it. This allows mobile users to scroll through the homepage and find the info they need without clicking to another page.
Information or About Page
There should be a page on a business website that has information about the company, its history and some of the people who work there. This is known as the about page, and usually features links to formal documentation like company profiles, etc.
Offerings Page
Sometimes labelled the services or products page, a website’s offerings page details what the company can do in terms of services or product offering. This page usually has links to purchase or find out more on the contact page.
Updates Page
Most organisations call this page the blog page, and it usually shows information pertaining to: company news, product launches, service improvements, new staff members, and the like.
Contact Page
Last, but by no means least important, is the business website’s contact page. This should show any landline telephone numbers, sales staff cell phone numbers, physical address, email information, and a contact form.
Your Website as a Digital Shop Space
A business website should represent the brand as a digital version of the physical store. From colours and fonts, to products and staff listed, you’ll want to ensure consistency between your physical and digital assets. Here’s how:
- Business Branding
A company website should feature the exact brand colours a business uses for everything else. Some brands have their favourite fonts to use on various marketing materials, and this can be carried over to the website. Visitors will recognise commonalities with other marketing materials they’ve seen, which aids brand recognition and retention. - Brand Personality
Whether a business environment is B2B or B2C, there’s a certain personality that comes across through the way a company communicates with its audience. This is the tone or attitude an organisation adopts and uses in its showrooms, corporate offices and general marketing collateral. Be sure to replicate that brand personality across your business website. - Services & Products
A business website that is truly a representation of its physical entity should ideally feature any and all products available in-store. This includes any spare parts, second-hand items, and added-value services such as maintenance and/or repairs. It might be a mammoth task, putting your products onto your website, but it will give a website visitor access to everything you can offer them. - Staff Members
Finally, ask yourself this question: who will an internet user meet when accessing my business website? We’re pretty confident you won’t let a walk-in customer navigate your physical store without any assistance from a staff member – even if it’s just a ‘good morning, sir – can we assist you with anything today?’ Be sure to feature one or two friendly faces on your company website, of people who actually work for the business.
Boost Your Business Website Today!
Have you got a lot going on in your business and think you could do with an updates page? Perhaps you’d like to get more online enquiries by adding a form to your contact page? Contact Waverley Digital Marketing today and let us take your business website from drab to fab! We look forward to assisting you.
