Most small business owners know they should have a website, but they don’t have a clear idea of what it is supposed to accomplish.  Many business owners think they need a website just because everyone else has one, but that’s not enough to create a solid internet marketing strategy.  You should put as much careful thought and planning into your website design as much as you would your place of business.  Many times, the first opportunity you have to present yourself to a prospect is at the virtual “front door” of your business, your website.  Think about your website in that way; each step a visitor takes is an opportunity for you to build a relationship and move them closer to a sale.   We call this the visitor experience.  A good visitor experience is the difference between capturing a prospect as a customer and slamming the door in their face.  With the short attention span that internet users have, you must be ready because you never know when the customer is going to “come calling”.

Adding Value with the User Experience

You’ll often hear website designers discussing the importance of a site adding value.  Adding value means providing useful information or services to people. You should think about your customers’ wellbeing.  Ask yourself what you can do to make their life better or easier when they come and visit your website, your virtual store.

Take Amazon.com for example. Their website is clearly designed to sell products. However, it’s also a good experience for the user. Products are grouped into categories, everything is easy to find, there are reviews, and discounts on some products. The creators of the Amazon website obviously took great care to create a good user experience.

Your business may not be as huge as Amazon, but you can follow their example.

Do you own a restaurant? A restaurant should always have an online menu. Many people search online for local restaurants and ratings. This is especially true of people who travel a lot. Visitors to your website will appreciate seeing your menu online, plus a list of locations and phone numbers. You will get more diners than the restaurant without an online menu or website.

Are you a watch repairperson? A watch repair shop website should have a list of services and prices. The address and phone number should also be easy to find. Once again, you’d be surprised at the number of small businesses that aren’t online. And those who are often miss the mark with their website.

Are you a contract manufacturer?  You should have your specialties laid out where they’re easy to find.  Be sure to state your certifications and qualifications.  Having the ability to submit for a quotation online is important, too.  Don’t make the user hunt for this information.  Make it easy to find.  You don’t need it all on the home page, but you need to make it easy to find.

Visitor Experience Tips

Make your website interactive. Let your visitors talk to you!  It could be as simple as having them participate in a survey, adding a comment to your blog or having a user forum so they can connect with other users.  Let them know you value their opinions, let them know you’re a human, too.  You care about them.

Create a subscription list. Offer a monthly newsletter or a free sample, or a book or coupons.  Let users become part of your community.

Keep your website up to date with fresh content. Not only will the search engines reward you with more visibility, but so will your visitors.  It will give them a reason to come back!  You have to think about your website as being similar to a newspaper; we all know where yesterday’s is, and if you don’t provide fresh content, that’s where your website will be, too!

Add video to your site. There’s a reason that YouTube is available on your iPhone.  It’s because people LOVE video.  Online shoppers find it very useful to see the product they are about to buy in action.   Adding video doesn’t have to be a huge project, something simple will do the trick. Take a few of your (best) products, make a video featuring them, add a call to action, and you’re ready to go.

Be social. A great way to connect with your visitors and customers is to let them know you are on Twitter, Facebook or other social networks. Chances are, they are, too.  It’s a great way to take advantage of that connection and build your relationship with them.

Product reviews. Give your customer the opportunity to review your products. This is not only helpful for visitors that may be looking to buy, but the feedback will help you improve your products and services, providing you with an opportunity to build an even tighter bond.

Create an easy navigation structure. Place the cookies on the lower shelf.  Don’t make it hard for visitors to find what they’re looking for.  Put the most important information within easy reach.  You don’t want your visitors to click more than 3 times to find that nugget.  If they can’t find it quickly, they will just leave your site, never to return. Create an easy to navigate website because less clicking means more buying.

By implementing some of those strategies you will be able to interact and appeal to more of your visitors and hopefully turn them into a buyer.

Thanks to website marketing, small businesses can now compete on a global scale. You never know who will visit your website. It could be a tourist from China or a local grandfather desperate to have an old antique watch repaired.

Make things easy for your visitors.  Give them a good website experience so they’ll want to do business with you.