Whether you’re a crafter on a site like Etsy or a mom-and-pop business that’s looking to transition to a wider audience, you need a website. Investing some time and money in a good web design makes sense for your small business, you’ll be able to communicate with your customers 24 hours a day, plus pull in new customers that otherwise never would have known about you.
You’ll need a professionally-designed website in order for your customers to take you seriously. Here’s what to look for:
- Find someone with small business SEO experience. You’ll want a web designer who caters to small business and understands your needs and audience. SEO (search engine optimization) helps the right customers find your site, and it’s critical that your designer understands how it works. Ask friends, family and other business owners if they can recommend someone.
- Be clear about your expectations. Spend some time finding other small business sites that you like, and let your web designer know specifically what it is you like about those sites. Is it the colors? The way the navigation is laid out? A good web designer can combine several elements into a seamless design.
- Give him or her an idea of your “brand.” The designer will need to know about the products or services you sell in order to give you a targeted design. Provide him or her with any printed brochures, sell sheets or advertisements you’ve used in the past, so they can create a design that’s consistent with your brand.
- Ask for references, then follow up. A good web designer should be able to give you the names and contact info from their past customers. Contact those people and ask them about their experiences.
- Study your competitors. Find out who else in your industry has a website, and study how they’ve been successful on the web. Address any market weaknesses you see in their site by playing up your own benefits in your design.
- Market your business. Once you’ve got your site up and running, it’s time to get the word out. Create buzz by offering a deal or a contest for people who visit your site, posting on forums and in the comments on industry-related sites and using social media like Facebook and Twitter.
- Be patient. Success won’t happen overnight — it takes time to attract customers and build a solid reputation. Listen to your customers and act on their feedback.
Don’t go with just any web designer; although it might be tempting to have your nephew or the neighbor down the street try to build your website for a lower cost, if it looks tacky or unprofessional, your customers will notice. A quality web designer is worth the investment.
Want to know more? Contact us we’ve helped hundreds of small businesses launch successful websites.