One thing that just about every business owner needs in order to run a successful business is a business website. The world has become much more digital than it was even 10 years ago, so a website is a must for all businesses. However, it’s not enough to just throw together a simple website. Much more must go into it in order for your website to bring you more success.

The Basics

Your business website will be the “all about me” of your business. The homepage should give visitors everything they need to know about your business, so they must see these things:

• Company name
• Logo
• A list/visual of products you sell/services you offer
• Contact information, including an address, phone number, and email address

Typically, the company name and logo are displayed at the very top of the homepage (and sometimes both the top and bottom), while contact information is displayed at the bottom of the home page. It’s important that your company name and logo can be seen as soon as visitors come to your website, and it’s equally important that they find it easy to contact you. Also, your company name, logo, and contact information should be in these positions on every page that a visitor can click on.

An Aesthetically Pleasing Design

No one wants to visit a website that’s too hard to follow— that’s one way to guarantee poor conversion rates. Your website should be clean and easy to navigate. If it’s too hard to find your products, services, or any general information then people are more likely to click off of your website and visit a competitor’s.

Also, try and limit the number of popups that occur on your website, if any. This can also lead to potential customers clicking off and searching somewhere else.

Specialty Pages

About Us

The next important thing your business website needs is an “About” page. This page is like a short biography of your company. A short biography about you, the owner, can also be included on another page or right below the description of your company.

Many websites and blogs lack an about page, and this can leave visitors confused about what they’re viewing and what you’re selling. The “About Us” or “About <Name of Your Company>” page can be located at the very bottom of your homepage along with your contact information, or it can also be included as a tab at the top of your website.

Career Page

If you’re hiring, what better way to let people know it than by advertising it on your website! This is what a career page is for— but don’t take this design lightly. This is your chance to market your business to potential employees. Write a description, include photos, and/or create a video of what it’s like to work for your company. Job seekers will appreciate this clarity and will have a good idea of what to expect if they get the job.

Career pages are usually located at the bottom of websites. This is because the most serious job seekers know to really look for a way to apply to a company, and this will weed out a lot of unqualified applicants allowing you to grow your company more successfully.

Bonus: A Business Blog

If you really want to get more traffic to your website and impress your customers at the same time, start a blog on your website. All blog posts should be informative about the products you sell/services you provide. Search engine optimization (SEO) techniques can be used on both your website and your blog to help bring in more organic traffic.

Mobile-Friendly is a Must

In today’s digital world, more and more people are using their smartphones in the place of a laptop or computer. For this reason, you need to make sure that your website is compatible with laptops/desktops, as well as smartphones and other mobile devices. Better yet, develop an app version of your website, since apps tend to run smoother on mobile devices. A software development company can help you achieve either of these.

These are the most important components/features of a website that’s necessary for success. Both customers and potential employees are more likely to stay on your website if it’s aesthetically pleasing, easy to navigate, and all of the information that they’re looking for is presented in a clear and concise way. You need both customers and employees to grow your business, so put yourself in the shoes of both when creating your website.