9. Use bullet points to get to the point

The attention span of the average internet user is extremely short. That’s why bullet points help users to:

• Quickly find what they’re looking for
• Skip over sections they don’t need
• Highlight the most important details

As readers skim down the page, all of the most important information from that section is broken out into easy-to-read bullet points, allowing them to quickly digest that section.

Nobody wants to hunt for information in a giant wall of text, so bullet points help visitors absorb key information about your company while keeping them on your website.

10. Use high-quality images

Images are an essential part of web design. They convey concepts and inspire emotions in a way that a block of text just can’t.

It can be tempting to fill your website with stock photography, but when a user encounters a generic photo they’ve seen before (or even worse, used as part of an internet meme) it may feel like you didn’t put much effort into your website. 

Website images should:

• Make a good first impression
• Complement text on a page
• Help increase conversions

Add a human element

When possible, use images that feature people (the human eye is naturally drawn to people’s faces) and make sure that those images are clear and viewable on every type of device.

If possible, use images unique to your company in place of stock photography.

An original photo of your business will have a much greater impact than a stock photo.

Images can influence sales

In one case study, a company called Harrington Movers increased sales by swapping out a stock photo on their website.

By replacing a generic stock photo of movers with a photo of their actual team, they were able to increase conversions!

While downloading a stock photo is cheaper and easier in the short-term, the study proved that unique photos can actually improve sales.

11. Add social proof everywhere

Credibility and trust can make or break a business.

This is all the more crucial online, where misinformation and scams abound.

It’s easy to brag about your own business, but website visitors want to get a second opinion from your actual customers.

Social proof includes:

• Customer reviews
• Testimonials
• Ratings
• Brand mentions on social media

“To convert the person browsing your website to a lead, you need to make them feel comfortable about giving you a call, sharing their contact information, or making a purchase,” explains Earl White, co-founder of House Heroes LLC.

The best way to build credibility is through social proof. On your website, you can highlight your company’s social proof by:

• Showcasing written or video testimonials from your happiest customers 
• Displaying positive reviews from Facebook, Yelp, and Google Business 
• Sharing industry awards, recognitions, and certifications specific to your niche

12. Optimize for search engines (SEO)

Of course, all of this content and social proof also helps with search engine optimization (SEO), provided you are using the right keywords.

SEO is the process of continually improving your website to increase its rankings in search engines.

Search engine optimization:

• Can improve your website’s Google rankings (if done correctly)
• Can be performed by a specialist or done in-house
• Is essential for any business website

SEO do’s and don’ts 

SEO is an ever-evolving process. Strategies that worked months or years ago may not help your website rank today.

A good general principle is to create content that you would want to read and find useful.

DON’T

• DON’T stuff your site full of keywords. That strategy doesn’t work anymore, and might even get you penalized by the major search engines.
• DON’T put all of your faith in plugins and programs. It takes a human element to write for humans. 
• DON’T create content on topics outside your area of expertise or authority.

DO

• DO ask yourself if visitors would find your web page useful. 
• DO answer the most important questions regarding the subject. 
• DO look for ideas and create original content for your site based on what’s working for top-ranking competitors.

13. Make sure your website’s internal search bar works

Did you know that people who perform a site search are twice as likely to make a purchase?

That’s why it is so important to ensure that their search leads them to the page they need.

Jordan Harling, multimedia manager at Interior Goods Limited

says the company recently improved the customer experience—and increased their sales—by making it quicker and easier for customers to find the product they were looking for.

After doing a deep dive into their website data, Harling said he found customers were navigating through the site manually

using filters to refine the products on each page, rather than deploying the search bar.

The team discovered that the search function was only returning products that had the keyword in their title or description

rather than the other attributes that the design team had tagged.

Tweaking the search engine was a simple task that produced immediate results, he says, with a greater percentage of people using the search bar that resulted in increased conversions.

14. Speed up your website

Speed is crucial to users, and is one of the most important SEO ranking factors for Google.

Studies found that the probability of a customer abandoning your page increases by 90% when page load time goes from one second to five seconds, according to Google research.

Website speed:

• Is an SEO ranking factor
• Keeps visitors on your site
• Can be improved over time

Some types of code that are used to make a website function can actually slow it down.

Removing this code can improve your website’s speed.

You can test your website and receive recommendations from Google using its Pagespeed Insight Tool.

It’s recommended that you test your website on a variety of mobile devices and connections to get an idea of how fast your website loads for visitors on their phones.

A low-end phone on a regular internet connection will give you a good idea of what the average mobile user will experience when visiting your site.

Another far simpler way to optimize site speed is by compressing overly large media files.

When uploading or resizing images, aim for file sizes of 100 KB or fewer.

Reduced file sizes can make a big difference in page speed and doesn’t have to take away from image quality.

15. Offer something interactive

Instead of giving your audience a passive experience whenever they visit your website, give them opportunities to actively engage through interactive content.

According to a DemandGen Report, 59% of marketers believe that interactive content is highly effective at engaging an audience, and a further 81% agree that interactive content grabs attention more effectively than static content. Interactive elements can be as easy as quizzes and surveys or as complex as tools like ROI calculators.

Types of interactive content include:

• Quizzes
• Surveys
• Calculators
• Chatbots

A simple tactic is to offer visitors the chance to enter a contest or giveaway by sharing something via social media (along with a branded hashtag) or by entering in their contact details on the site. Likewise, chatbots offer a way for you to engage with your audience in real time by answering questions, guiding them to the information they’re looking for, or just demonstrating that you’re available to listen and talk.

Beyond using a chatbot as a customer service tool, you can even use your chatbot to help you with your marketing and sales.

Some businesses use their chatbots to help set up sales meetings and appointments, and others even use chatbots to make direct sales to customers.

16. in addition, Give your visitors a clear call to action and improve small business website

After a customer has become familiar with your brand and learned about your product, it’s time to get them to act. A clear call to action (often a button or link) lets them know what to do next, whether it’s downloading a resource, completing a transaction, or using live chat to schedule a consultation.

Call to action best practices:

• Use a differently colored button that stands out
• Write engaging text that entices a user to click
• Place calls to action on your most-visited pages—not just the contact page.

Streamline your contact forms to improve small business website

If you use a contact form, make sure it’s easy for visitors to complete in a short amount of time.

While you may be tempted to gather all the information you want right from the start, form submissions increase when the number of form fields decreases. 

Stick to the following fields to make the process quick and easy:

• First and last name
• Phone number
• Email address
• A “How can we help?” field for the visitor to enter any additional information they would like to provide

Use contrasting colors to draw attention to your CTAs

Make your buttons and forms stand out by using a color that contrasts with the rest of the page.

Contrasting colors will draw attention to the button and entice users to click. A white page with a brightly colored “Order Now” button will draw the user’s eye.

Use A/B testing for your call to action

All call to action phrases aren’t created equal, so try different phrases like “Get a Quote,” “Buy Now,” or “Message Us” to see which ones customers click on the most.

Something as simple as swapping out a low-performing call to action phrase with a better one can improve your sales with minimal effort.

Be sure to test your call to action buttons regularly to make sure the visitor is being taken to the right page.

17. Locate and fix broken links and improve small business website

Over time, pages of your website will be moved or deleted.

This results in broken links that don’t go anywhere.

If a visitor begins clicking links on your site only to find that they don’t work, they may give up on trying to navigate your website and return to the search results. 

in order to improve small business website Broken links:

• Are a negative SEO ranking factor
• Frustrate website visitors
• Are easy to find and fix

Once someone visits your website, you want to keep them there.

Updating your internal links ensures that visitors get to where they’re going.

For very small websites, you can manually visit each page and verify that each link works.

For medium-sized sites, you can use Google Search Console (it’s free!), which will give you a list of broken links that need to be fixed.

18. Experiment with your site to improve small business website

Experimentation is a great way to improve your website. Have you ever had two competing ideas for improving a web page, but you couldn’t decide on which one to use?

A/B testing allows you to try both and learn which version users prefer.

Tiny changes like swapping out the color of your “Order Now” button, or rearranging elements on a page can actually result in higher sales. 

Free products like Google Optimize allow you to show different versions of a page to different users and track the results.

Would a black-and-white homepage result in more appointments than a homepage that’s bright orange with pink text? Experimentation lets you find out.

improve small business website and Web design is constantly evolving

A website should always be improving, so refine, update, and upgrade yours regularly.

A website that’s four years old could look like someone pulled it out of a time capsule, so keep making small improvements to make sure your website looks modern and trustworthy.

Check out competitors in your field (especially those that appear at the top of search results) and see how your site matches up.

Use their sites as inspiration to improve your own and ensure visitors always have a great user experience.

Follow these tips to improve your website

For a small business to stay competitive in today’s market, you need to be able to make your website a place that your audience enjoys visiting.

Whether you’re opening a new store or revamping your website, to improve small business website take advantage of the tips we’ve outlined above to help you reach out and engage with customers in a way that they appreciate.

Improving your website can seem daunting, but it’s one of the most worthwhile projects you can tackle for your business.

After all, a well-designed website pays dividends, selling you and your company to potential customers you didn’t even know were looking.