How Does Your Business Website Stand Up to the Competition?

Featured article by Amy Tori, Independent Technology Author

Whether you own a traditional storefront or you’re currently running an ecommerce business online, there is no doubting the significant role that your business website plays in your overall success. Utilizing the web allows you to tell your story, attract interest in your product or service, and generate loyal consumers.

Developing your business’s website was probably not the easiest task you’ve ever undertaken, even with the many tools and guides available and attorneys like Aaron Kelly to help you with logistics. But now that it’s done, you may want to take a second glance at it and use a more critical eye to determine how your website stands up to the competition. Every element of your website plays an important part, so evaluate each one individually to get a clear picture of how it appears to your potential consumers.

The About Us Page. Does this page tell your complete story? As one of the most significant elements of your business website, a stellar About Us page should be written with the intent to develop trust in you and your product or service. If yours is an online business, this is even more important because customers only have the website to develop their impression of you. The About Us page should, at a minimum, explain why you started your company, what makes you or your product unique, and convey your passion and commitment for what you do. It should also include visuals and profiles of you and your team members.

The Logo. How does your business logo compare to the competition? The best logos are simple, classic, and easy to read from a distance and represent a straightforward and memorable graphic of your company and product. The should be memorable. Is your logo too busy? Does it contain too much information or too many words? Does it somehow portray your company’s vision and mission? Will your customer remember or recognize it days or weeks from now? Logos usually have a deeper meaning that is greater than the sum of its parts, so be willing to work with color, texture, and size, even if it means modifying what you are currently using.

The Slogan Banner. How clever is your slogan? Does it add something interesting and compelling to your website? Most businesses use slogans to entice customers and increase consumer loyalty because they are powerful tools for improving brand awareness. A well-designed slogan is not just a tagline that advertisers create as an afterthought; they are strategic tools that play with the consumer’s mind, making it believe that yours is a reliable and trustworthy product or service. Choose your slogan carefully by considering the many options an online slogan generator might provide.

The Shopping Cart. Does this page make it easy for your customer to shop? The Shopping Cart is an important feature, even if your consumers can contact you by phone or come to your business location. Manual ordering is often time-consuming, and customers may lose interest in you or your business if they have to follow too many steps to get what they want.

Phone pricing, downloadable PDFs, and complicated checkout prices with unanticipated costs at the end will not bode well for the long-term success of your business. Consumers want a wide range of payment options, prices listed alongside products, and easy-to-use navigational tools that allow them to move from shopping to checkout as quickly and easily as possible. Customers also like to be able to browse now and check out later, so even though shopping cart abandonment is something businesses want to avoid, consumers like this option.

Contact Information Page. Does this page help consumers reach you through multiple methods? You can inspire confidence if your customers know they can reach you. Your business phone number and email address should be a prominent part of your website, not hidden in a corner or difficult to find. Your contact form should be suitable for your demographic and your business industry. Some businesses add a click-to-call feature that allows customers to press a button that will automatically connect them to a server. This toll-free call allows your consumers to use the business click-to-call services to create a level of ease and trust your loyal following will appreciate.

Creative Content. Do you regularly include content on your website? Pictures, reviews, and discussion boards allow consumers to generate important conversations. They become social proof that your product or service works and that you are interested in your consumers’ experiences. Blogs are important as a way to add content and to share interesting narratives. Video sharing or links to pertinent articles are effective ways to show your product in action. All of these improve confidence and trust, leading to higher levels of consumer loyalty, leading to increased online traffic to your sight and resulting in higher sales.

Go Mobile. Are you ready to go mobile? More than half of consumers browse from their mobile devices, and because they are utilizing a wide range of devices, you need to ensure that your website is mobile-friendly and viewable on any size screen. If your current website platform does not support mobility, you may want to look at sites are capable of supporting your purpose and the eventual growth of your online business traffic.

How does your business website stack up? Do you have any suggestions for improving a business website? Feel free to comment here.