Every company needs a “killer” website to:
- Attract prospective customers and build credibility
- Enhance relationships with existing customers
- Sell additional services
- Attract talented team members
Here are some practical suggestions about building a website. First, start simple. Don’t pay for a site that’s all singing and all dancing, with fast-moving graphics. Start with a simple site and add other features later on. You can post hundreds of pages of articles and tips on your site to demonstrate your expertise. Make sure that key words related to your business, services, products and location are on the home page to enhance your search engine rankings.
Make sure you include testimonials on your website, as they can give a very good impression of your business to prospective customers. Client testimonials carry much more weight than anything you can ever say about yourself.
Another key component is your USP (Unique Selling Proposition) i.e. what makes you different. Once people land on your website, they have to find it compelling. You don’t want to be perceived as “just another lawyer/veterinarian/retailer/or whatever” – you need to be different.
Here are some common differentiators:
- Unique product line/range
- Specialisation in an industry/niche market
- Location
- Opening hours
- Unique customer base
- Speed of service or delivery
- Free postage
Any images you include on your website should be consistent with the company “identity” you’re trying to project. If you’re striving for a hip and relaxed representation, for example, you don’t want photographs of people in suits and ties!
An interesting approach to website photographs is to have pictures of the owners:
- with one of their customers, or
- getting involved in the community
Here are some features you may want to consider for your website:
- Search box
- Useful links
- Monthly newsletter for customers
- Inventory of previous newsletters
- Business articles
- Firm profile
- Team member page with pictures
- Contact us page with web-based email
- Online feedback forms
- FAQ section
- Daily headline news and weather
- Map showing how to get to the office
- Online employment opportunities page with reply form
- Interactive calculators (for pricing, monthly payments, taxes and fees, shipping)