Small Business Web Design Principles: 5 Must Follow Formula to Success
Small businesses make up the wheel of a cart that keeps the society moving. According to the recent stat done by Australian Business Bureau, there are 2.1 million businesses trading in Australia as of 2014-2015. As the number keeps on piling for small business, it becomes an essence to build a website that resonates with your users. Are you a small business owner looking for inspiration for your business? Or small business focused web agency? These web design principles will keep you off your feet. And, you can certainly take away something essential for future reference. So, let’s break down the practices that you should follow for small biz design.
It should give a clear picture of what users can expect
Being worked with a ton of small business, I have developed an eye that tells me what’s going wrong in a website. Most business owner or design agency fail to explain the USP (unique selling proposition) of a website. You have pushed your users to the door and you start selling them by explaining about yourself. Trust me; they don’t care about “Who you are.” All they want to know is if you have the solution to their problems. Start your headline with how you can solve the problems. If you can deliver it, users will turn into customers.
Content Structure should flow with design
I have seen many websites where I do nothing but sit back, and have a good laugh at it. No, I’m not trying to make fun of anyone. But, the design and content come out horrible for few
businesses. Your content structure should follow a natural pattern. Don’t get moved by SEO too much that you push content way more than your site can take. The typography and design should resonate with your brand. A user should be able to distinguish between your major information. Make content structure highly consumable.
Easy to Navigate
Don’t make users search for the necessary information. You only have 3 seconds to turn your users into qualified leads and funnel down into loyal customers. Follow left to right rule. When users enter your website, they navigate from left to right. Keep your logo on the left side and important pages on the right menu bar. Give a clear picture of what users can expect when they click on a button. Don’t put them on a doorway trap of showing something else and delivering completely different. Every section of your site should have a compelling value proposition with call to action that demands attention. Instead of using a generic call to action goes for action oriented CTA. For example if you are selling free trial for a product, don’t use something like” click here”, go for something more action oriented like “sign up for free trial.”
It should resonate with your ideal audience
Ideal audience is the one that are most likely to buy from you. I will not go through the process of building one as there are various guides that details down the persona creation and matching the right fields. However, your website should have resemblance with your target customers need. Try to eliminate fluff and speak in the language that your audience use. Your communication skill is a key factor on converting your users. Your website should have the ability to communicate with your customers.
Don’t fall into static trap
Web is evolving every day. I have seen small business owners haven’t picked up from where they had started a decade back. Still, they are using ugly HTML templates that even a Grandpa would hate.
Your website should be adaptable. Mobile trends have grown rapidly, so your site should be fully responsive. You should keep testing your layout, design, and content integration to generate more conversion. Although small business and corporate business principles look kind of similar, there are vast difference in design and content. Small businesses don’t have to deal with complexities like corporate business. However, if you can’t leverage the principles properly, you will still miss clients on regular basis.