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4. Ten Website Essentials Every Small Business Website Needs
It’s true. Your customers are spending more and more time online each day. And if your goal is a stable influx of leads, it’s high time you meet them there.
The good news is establishing a solid online presence may be easier than you think. It all starts with having an effective website—one designed to bring more customers to your business and keep them there for the long haul.
So whether you decide to build your business’s website yourself, work with a small business web design company, or hire a dedicated small business website creator, make sure your website strategy includes the following ten website essentials.
They’re a big part of the reason our clients’ sites have been so successful—and when applied to your web presence, you’ll notice a difference to your bottom line as well.
Let’s break it down.
1. Effective Messaging
Winning customers means meeting them where they’re at—and if you can craft a sales message that lets you know you understand and can solve their problems (more on that in a bit), you can’t help but win more leads.
When crafting a unique brand message, your goal is simple: communicate what you do, who you serve, and why your products and services are the obvious choice.
While some business owners clearly understand how to communicate with their customers, it can be helpful to hire a professional writer. Working with a skilled copywriter—or team of small business website designers—is an investment that pays off in spades for busy small business owners.
2. Unique Branding
Nearly every small business operates in a crowded marketplace. And the fact is, there are plenty of service providers out there—many of whom may already be successful in your niche.
With customers inundated with advertising every day, it’s important to stand out. By codifying your colors, fonts, images, and visual styles, your brand becomes recognizable. That familiarity then becomes the foundation of trust and a solid reputation in your area.
In other words, consistent branding helps you stand out like a friend in a crowded room.
3. Clear Service Offerings
Here’s a test to use on your current (or future) website:
Have someone unfamiliar with your business go to your website. Let them look through your homepage for five seconds and then close the page. Then, ask them the following questions.
- What do you sell?
- Who do you sell to?
- How do they do business with you?
If they can answer those questions, great. If not, your services need to be stated more clearly. Because here’s the bottom line…
Customers don’t work with the best providers. They work with the companies they most easily understand.
4. Realistic Testimonials
For many small business owners, word of mouth got them to where they are today—and for good reason.
When another customer shares a positive (and believable) experience with a company, the choice to work with that business feels much easier. For this reason alone, positive reviews on your site are essential.
And don’t worry if they’re not perfect. Research shows that companies sharing less-than-stellar reviews are perceived as being more trustworthy and reputable—especially if that business goes out of its way to right any wrongs.
5. Stunning Gallery Pages
Along the lines of sharing reviews, few things are as persuasive as seeing the finished result—and happy customers—posted for everyone to see.
Pictures prove quality and build trust nearly instantly. They solve the problem of doubt by helping customers imagine what their ultimate success will look like. So don’t cut corners on your gallery section.
It’s a must for any effective website strategy.
6. Establish Authority
Showing you understand your customers’ problems is not enough—you also need to prove you can solve that problem.
Here are a few questions to help you prove just that:
- How long have you been in business?
- Is your team big or small—why is that an advantage?
- How many clients have you served?
- Do you have any licences, certifications, awards, etc.?
- Are you the first, biggest, most widely skilled, specialist, fastest at something?
Any business can establish a solid authority—even if you’re just the hardest working team in show business!
7. A Simple CTA and Easy “Yes”
At the end of the day, your site has one job: to guide visitors toward working with you.
A clear CTA gives them that path—and if you can offer something small for free, you’ll find customers much more ready to reach out for more information.
With that in mind, write out a three-step plan using the following template. Then include it on your site!
- What is the first step (your easy “Yes”)?
- Then what happens?
- What does their final success look like?
8. Complete Risk-Reversal
People are risk-adverse. Because, at the end of the day, we’re all a little scared of losing something: money, our reputation, good feelings, whatever.
This is where your warranty and guarantees come in. To write a persuasive risk-reversal, think about what your customers are most afraid of. What are their objections? Then, write a creative guarantee that ensures you’ve got their back—and will make any wrongs right.
9. Solid SEO Strategies
Customers make their way to websites in any number of ways. They may click a digital ad, see a billboard and “Google” a business, or stumble across a webpage looking for related information.
SEO helps you capture those surfing the web by ensuring your website stays at the top of Google search results. This “backend” work can make a tremendous difference to the number of leads your site attracts—and it’s one of the most cost-effective forms of digital marketing for small businesses!
Here’s how Integro Marketing helps our clients win more leads each year:
- Industry keyword research
- Proper meta titles and descriptions
- Schema implementation on pages and posts
- Helpful, relevant, and authoritative blog content
- Local landing pages for your area
- AEO content for AI search and summaries
If you’re unsure of how to do this yourself, reach out to a website strategist in your area.
10. Off-Site Due Diligence
Here’s the final truth of a great website:
People don’t just stop at your site. They explore for more information about your business in online forums, Google Maps, and more.
In other words, there’s a touch more that goes into superpowering your website to bring in leads—and here’s how we do that for Integro clients.
- By setting up a Google Business Profile
- Regularly posting to social media accounts
- Getting backlinks from other reputable sites
- Increasing online mentions of your brand
Together, these extras create an online ecosystem that solves two age-old questions:
"Are these guys for real?"
and…
"Can they help me?"
Nail your website and a few offsite bonuses, and the answer becomes a resounding “Yes.”
Small Business Website Design in Lancaster County
Integro Marketing is passionate about helping small business owners nail their online presence.
If you’ve been thinking a solid marketing strategy is a needed step for your business, reach out today. Our team of strategists, writers, and creative designers is ready to meet you, learn about your business, and create a marketing plan that wins.
And to us, that means this:
More leads, better profits, and the security that comes from stable business growth.
So don’t leave another sale on the table. Talk to an expert over a free Discovery Call today.
Your Step-by-Step Marketing Blueprint:
Presale: Reaching Cold Prospects
1. Your Marketing Budget Guidelines
The Sale: Converting Customers
7. Your Sales Conversion Strategy
Post Sale: Creating Raving Fans
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