The first few months
of a new year are the perfect time to review your business' online presence or
get cracking with launching one. We look at the essentials you need for a great
website.
1. Claim your Domain
Selecting the
perfect domain name for your website should be one of the first things you do
when setting up a new business. Choose it wisely. Make it as short as possible
and easy to remember.
Depending on your
type of business, you can select .com.au, .org.au or .net.au and so forth. You
could select .com if your business was reaching customers overseas. An
extension of .com.au is the most trusted one in Australia but may not be
available for your business, as they are popular. In this case, try adding
something different to the name while still keeping your business name visible.
For example, if you have a bakery in Malvern, and your business name is Freshly
Baked and you discover that Freshlybaked.com.au is not available, try
Freshlybakedmalvern.com.au. Your customers will still know that it’s your
business when they see it in the Google rankings.
2. Made to Measure or DIY
Website design
and build by professional web development companies are the best way to go,
especially now that prices have really come down in the past couple of years.
Professional web development companies have teams of designers that can create
the perfect website for your business, and they can also host your website and provide
24/7 support within Australia, as well as give you a Content Management System
for you to manage your own changes down the track.
Costs can vary
from $395 up to approx. $1,695 for something that has the lot. ‘Mobile-friendly’
is the standard for website development. A ‘mobile-friendly’ website adapts the
layout to the viewing environment. For example, it shouldn’t be necessary to
pinch or expand the Tabs or text to see them clearly on small smartphone
screens. These items should be clearly legible and easily tapped, no matter
what size device you are using.
Do not be
tempted to have something developed overseas, since you will always be
disappointed by the quality, especially in design, and simple issues like
spelling and grammar. And, when you try and get it hosted in Australia, there
will be problems with future changes down the track since the original
developer has disappeared and there is no one around that can support it.
If you are
particularly tech savvy, you can develop your own website using standard
templates that many web hosting companies offer you. They offer lots of
features and multiple templates for very little cost.
However, by the
time you have mastered the templates and learned the skills, you will have been
better to leave it to the experts. If you are tempted to use a friend who
thinks they ‘know the ropes’, remember to ask your friend for two important
things – a ‘mobile-friendly’ website for responsive design, and a platform for
you to make changes down the track – preferable using a common application like
Wordpress. And ensure they don’t disappear when you need help later on!
3. Are you contactable?
If you've
already got a website, are you sure you've done everything you can to ensure
people know how to contact you? And if you're launching a new website, contact
details should be high on your agenda. As a minimum, your contact details
should include your name, address, phone number, email address and a map of
your location.
Are your phone
number and email address clearly visible at all times, including on your Home
page. Are your social media profiles obvious? Instagram is becoming more
important for building your brand, so don’t forget that possibility. You only
have a few seconds to convince people to buy your products or services and if
they struggle to find out how to get in touch, you'll lose their trust and they
will go elsewhere.
4. Ensure you're user friendly
Are you
confident that customers can easily navigate your website and fully understand
exactly what you're offering? If you've already had a website for a while it's
easy to get complacent and assume it's doing what it should. But if you're getting
limited engagement, there could be something wrong.
You need to
review your website every now and then to ensure it is up to date. Information
on your About Me page can become out of date and details on your Services or
Products pages can change.
Ensure that all
links to other pages actually take you to the correct page and links to your
social media pages actually work – you would be surprised how many times a
click on the Facebook icon fails to display a page because the Facebook account
does not exist. Mistakes like these, lead customers to think you don’t care or
are just plain lazy, and they will switch off immediately and go elsewhere.
You should also
make a point of regularly checking your website analytics to monitor how people
are arriving on your site and what they're doing when they get there.
5. Do you need all those social
accounts?
There's no
question that social media is vital for pretty much every business, but that
doesn't mean you need to be absolutely everywhere. You should only be hanging
out where your potential customers hang out so do your research and focus on
the platforms that will work best for your business. Look at your bigger
competitors and see where they are focusing their social media efforts.
Facebook is
pretty much a standard these days, but is not absolutely essential for all
businesses. If your business has a lot of customer engagement where you want to
build loyalty, Facebook is excellent because it’s like your ‘conversation pit’
– you’re telling people what your business is doing and they are responding
with Likes and Comments and Reviews. If on the other hand you’re selling bolts
and washers, Facebook will pretty much be a waste of time! And don’t forget
Instagram or even Twitter to connect and build brand loyalty.
If you've
already got social media accounts, this is the time to review the ones that are
working. If, for example, you're focusing lots of your efforts on Facebook but
you're getting limited engagement, you need to work out why. Maybe you're
posting the wrong type of content or your customers simply don't use Facebook.
Ask them.
6. Content is everything
Content needs to
cater to the needs of customers that you want to attract; are they looking for
information, where to purchase a product or service, some type of interaction,
or to transact with your business? Each page of your website needs to cater for
your website users in the most effective way possible.
- Communication: People on the web tend to want information quickly, so it is important to communicate clearly, and make your information easy to read and digest. Some effective tactics to include in your web design include: organising information using headlines and sub headlines, using bullet points instead of long windy sentences, and cutting the waffle.
- Colours: A well thought out colour palette goes a long way to enhance the user experience. Complementary colours create balance and harmony. Using contrasting colours for the text and background will make reading easier on the eye. Vibrant colours create emotion and impact (e.g. for buttons and Call-to-Action). Lastly, white space is very effective at giving your website a modern and uncluttered look.
- Images: A picture can speak a thousand words, and choosing the right images for your website can help with brand positioning and connecting with your target audience. Photos should be of high-quality and be engaging.
7. Get selling
Your website is
your shop window to the world and you can use it to sell directly to customers. Professional
web development companies can include a shopping cart on your website at no
extra cost.
However, before
leaping into online shopping, consider there are other ways to selling your
products. An online shop requires constant attention because you have to
monitor orders and track stock levels. You have to wrap and pack, post and deal
with returns and complaints – or use someone to do this for you.
Just having good
quality photos and prices, with useful product descriptions, can attract
someone to come into your business and buy. This works especially well for High
Street businesses where someone can come in and browse, and you can ‘up-sell’
at the same time and build loyalty.
If however you
operate from home, then certainly an online shop can work for you.
In
conclusion
There’s plenty
of useful information above to help you get started with a website for your
business.
I currently
provide small businesses with a rebate
of 20% off the cost of website development. There is a national website development company located right here in
Melbourne that will come out and discuss your requirements, all free of
charge. They will also host your website and provide you with a ‘Content
Management System’ for easy updates and free 24/7 support by phone and email.
They develop
websites for as little as $495 and I can get you 20% off their prices. Even the
most basic website can have integrated links to your Facebook, Instagram and
Google+ accounts. To get a 20% rebate off these prices (excluding hosting),
all you need to do is contact me.
For further
information, contact me below:
David Haigh
(t) +61 (0)3 9885 7688
(m) +61 (0)412 550 020
(m) +61 (0)412 550 020
I have recently retired after 30 years consulting for
corporate clients such as NAB, AXA, IOOF
and AustralianSuper. My experience covers website design, social media
and business strategies. I am now focussed on providing consulting services to
small business.
My services are
provided on a voluntary basis, free of charge, and with no obligation.
