If you’re a small business, then by now you should know the importance of having a website. Nowadays, when a potential client hears of your business, the first thing they are going to do when they get home, or when they pick up their phone, is to look up your company on the web.

If you don’t show up in their searches, you are going to lose a huge amount of credibility and probably lose the sale. But it doesn’t stop there. If your site isn’t professional looking, if it doesn’t reflect your brand and company image, and if it doesn’t have anything for the visitor to do, you might as well forget about the sale.

It used to be that having a website was enough to prove that you are a reputable company, but with the competition on the web as fierce as it is, your website needs to be more than that now. It needs to function as a multi-level marketing tool for your business.

With 2009 coming to a close, now is a great time to take a step back and look at your website to see if it really measures up.

Here are a couple of questions you need to ask yourself to help you get your website in shape for the New Year:

1. How does your client contact you? Can they find your phone number quickly and easily? Take a look at your homepage. Where is your phone number? If you can’t spot it right away, then you need to get it in plain sight right now. Don’t make it hard for your potential clients to call you!
2. What does your business do? This may sound like a no brainer, but you’d be surprised at how many people will look at a site and just don’t get what the business is selling. Your clients aren’t going to take the time to figure it out. They are going to move along to your competition. During the holiday parties, pull up your site. Ask people to look at the site for 10 seconds. Then ask them to tell you what the company does. If they don’t get it right… it’s time to rethink your design and copy.
3. Does your design give off the image you want it to? Are you a professional company that wants to communicate strength and reliability? Does your website say that about you? Take a moment to come up with a few key phrases that you want people to think of when they look at your company’s website. Now ask a few people to look at your site and come up with their own phrases or descriptions. If the two aren’t even remotely similar… it’s time to get your website design back on the right track.
4. Can you easily navigate your site to find everything? If your site is confusing and hard to find what you are looking for, then you’re going to have a problem. Start off by asking yourself who is going to use this site. Is it potential clients? If so, then the design and copy of your site needs to cater to their needs. If your site is for current clients, then the message needs to change. If both will be looking at your site, then it’s time to consider separating the two. Have a section of your site devoted to your current clients. Place this navigation on your homepage so they know exactly where to go.
5. Are there clear call-to-actions? Ok, so I’m on your site. What now? Where do I go? What do I do? Give your visitors something to do. Tell them to call you for a quote. Or fill out a form. Again, don’t make it difficult for your visitors to get through to you.

With the New Year coming up, it’s important that you take the time to revisit your website design and copy to make sure you are making the right impression on your customers. Sites like prova.fm offer quality and affordable ways to hire a website designer who can help you achieve your new look. The company allows web designers to bid on your project with actual designs for you to choose from. You don’t pay unless you select a web designer. These kinds of companies are making it extremely reasonable for small businesses to get quality website design.

 

About the Author

Gianna Viani is a marketing writer and internet marketer based in Florida. For more information on how your small business can benefit from the website design services mentioned in this article, you can visit prova.fm. For more helpful resources on advertising for your business, visit our blog at prova.fm/advertising/blog/.