Tips for improving your small business website

Having a small business website has become an essential part of doing business.A simple website can provide information and sales opportunities to customers all over the world.Because the cost of operating a website is so small in comparison to the benefits, having a website for your small business is really a no-brainer.The challenge comes in making your website the best that it can be and the most effective instrument possible.Here is a list of some of the most important things that your website should have or that you can add to make your site even better.

Use your website to answer commonly asked questions

Adding a frequently asked questions (FAQ) section to your web site is a great way to answer the questions that your customers might have without having to spend the money or waste the resource of printing all the details in an add.Another benefit is that you can update this section as needed to keep up with the latest comments and concerns.

Ease of use

You can have the greatest most informative website in the world, but if people have a hard time using the site to get to what is pertinent to them the site is useless.Make sure that your site is easy to understand.Use tabs and labels that are self-explanatory.Do away with fancy navigation schemes and just stick to the basics.Put your money towards enhancing the information that is vital to your business.For example, add a video demonstration or audio options.It is much easier for the customer to remember something if they can visualize it.

Internet-only deals

Give people a reason to spend time on your site by offering discounts and deals that you do not offer in stores.Your profit margins on these sales will more than make up for the discount that you offer because you need not spend as much money on staff or support.In other words, it takes less money to sell the product online. Offering free shipping and keeping the cost of the product relatively the same is also a good technique for attracting customers.

Safety and security

If you are going to be accepting payment through your website you need to make sure that you have security and encryption features in place.No customer who questions the security or validity of your site is going to willingly type in their credit card number.Make it clear to the customer that you have made every effort to ensure that their information is safe and will continue to do so by promising to not sell your information to third parties.Offer the option to be contacted over the phone to make an internet order if you find that your customers are still concerned about security.

Don't forget the basics

It can be easy to get excited about having an online forum to list and explain everything that is great about your product, but make sure that you do not forget the basics.People want to know what your hours are and where your physical location is.Some will simply prefer to ask their question to a real person and will go to your website to find a phone number.Keep the nature of your business in mind when you are thinking about needed basic information.If you sell clothes online, make sure that you include a sizing chart.If you own a restaurant, make sure to list the specials for the day.Take the guess work out of the process.Have your physical location and website work together to provide the customer with everything that they need to make an informed purchasing decision that they are happy with.