There are many reasons why you need a website. This will be the main platform where you will engage your audience, gain a loyal following and acquire new customers. The business web design process is the first step of the process, but in this article today, we will cover the entire process of designing a website for your business.

Essentially, it is the face of your brand on the digital side of things.

Not having a website in today’s technological environment can cost you time and money.

Creating a high-converting business website takes strategic planning and design. Our comprehensive guide provides actionable tips to help you build an effective site tailored to your brand and goals in 2023. Follow our advice to connect with your audience and drive more traffic, leads, and sales online.

There are many different types of business websites, each with its own specific goals. Some of the most common types of business websites include:

Business Web Design Header Image
  • Ecommerce websites: Ecommerce websites are designed to sell products or services online.
  • Lead generation websites: Lead generation websites are designed to capture contact information from potential customers.
  • Portfolio websites: Portfolio websites are designed to showcase the work of a creative professional or business.
  • Informational websites: Informational websites are designed to provide information about a product, service, or industry.
  • Blog websites: Blog websites are designed to share articles, insights, and opinions on a particular topic.

Why do Small Businesses Need Websites?

Having a website is vital to the longevity of your business and makes good business sense.

For one thing, customers are expecting it.

Not only do they look for it, they expect you to have one. Everyone deals in online spaces at some point. Today’s customers are savvy and technologically sound. When they want to know something, they go online to get the information.

If you don’t have that digital imprint, your valued and prospective customers may go elsewhere.

Consider this – many customers will not use certain products or services if they cannot get information online. This is especially true for local businesses. Solving this problem is easy. You get to speak to people and can showcase testimonials that add validity to your business.

Your website allows you to tell your story how you want and when you want. Although you cannot control what someone says about your organisation, you can influence what different audiences think of you.

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Your web presence has a massive impact on how many people choose to purchase from you. Image credit: John Schnobrich.

Cost Effectiveness

There are several options available to create a website. Many templates are available specializing in business web design that will have you up and running in no time.

To use these templates, you do not need coding or technical skills to get the desired results. This saves on mailing costs and alternative advertising methods that were costly with no tangible ROI.

All, if not most, of your competitors will have a website for their customers to learn about their products, services, and the company in general.

This is where the buying journey begins. You must remain in tune or surpass what your competitors are doing, and this is where you showcase why your customers should be utilizing what you have to offer.

A website allows you to operate around the clock, servicing customers all over the globe.

A website with e-commerce features keeps your productivity going, even when the physical doors are closed. This is a powerful marketing tool that will help you keep current customers and attract new ones.

Find New Customers

One of the best things about having a website for your small business is showing up in the search engines. With just a few keywords, customers can find you based on specific needs and wants.

When they find you, fulfilling those wants and needs can help steer you on the road to success.

Your content can make a tremendous difference. Once you have the right content that will continue to attract an audience, your brand will start to become viewed as an industry resource. This provides exposure and helps build loyalty.

Business Web Design Chart
You can attract new customers through the content on your site, which provides excellent ROI. Image credit: Smartinsights.com

A website will consolidate everything into digestible areas for your readers. You can utilize whitepapers, add videos and more. The website is your brand’s personal showcase. You only get one time to impress your audiences.

Small Business Web Design: Essential Ingredients Checklist

A small business website design should be developed with a larger concept in mind. It should reflect professionalism and growth.

A good business website design does not differentiate. Customers will not be able to tell if it is a small, medium, or large-scale organisation. The beauty of the web is that it puts everyone on the same level.

There are a few elements that should be present in the website design.

A successful business website should have the following key elements:

  • Clear and concise value proposition: The value proposition is a statement that clearly articulates the benefits of doing business with your company.
  • A strong call to action: The call to action is a statement that tells the visitor what you want them to do next, such as “Contact us for a free quote” or “Sign up for our newsletter.”
  • Easy-to-navigate navigation: The navigation bar should be easy to find and use, allowing visitors to find the information they need quickly and easily.
  • Mobile-friendly design: Over half of all website traffic now comes from mobile devices, so it is important to ensure your website is mobile-friendly.
  • High-quality content: The content on your website should be informative, engaging, and relevant to your target audience.

Brand Identity

It’s vital that your site matches the rest of your online and offline branding. After all, you want your site to be an accurate reflection of your company, as well as your products and services.

Graph showing impact of branding on revenue
Consistent branding has a tangible benefit for profits and revenue. Image credit: Venngage.com

Your website should have a logo to clearly identify your brand. The logo should be prominently displayed so that people will remember it and start associating your name with the logo. This helps define your brand.

The content on your site should also match your brand in terms of tone of voice and values. This leads us neatly to…

Relevant content

You want to have content that is constantly being updated to ensure your website stays engaging and attracts the audiences that matter to you.

One way to find out what your customers want to read about is to ask them. Having an open dialogue via social media can help you make the necessary changes needed to go to the next level.

In the 2015 State of Small Business Report, only 9% of the businesses interviewed said their website was unimportant.

Little do they know – a business website helps attract more visitors, is a learning tool, and defines who you are to a larger audience. Your goal should be to create valuable content which solves the problems of your audience.

This is important for both attracting new customers and retaining old ones. For instance, the right blend of valuable content can easily create repeat business and increase your average lifetime customer value.

Products and Services Page

There should be a page that specifically outlines what products and services you have to offer. If there are several products, each one should be outlined in detail. For services, there should be a comprehensive listing of what you offer and a price list.

In the background, there should be unique title tags with basic search engine optimization tactics to keep you relevant in the search engines.

Your product and service pages are where your site will pay for itself, so it’s important to get them right. Essentially, you have two goals here:

  • To attract users directly to your sales pages,
  • To funnel users towards your sales pages via other content or marketing channels.

These tips on what should be included in a small business website design should guide you in creating a user-friendly, accessible site that will cater to diverse customers.

Social Media Access

Every business, large or small, should have some social media platform. This helps them interact with their audiences and humanizes the brand. This is another outlet to connect your brand with prospective customers.

Sharing buttons let your customers and other interested parties pass the information on without face-to-face interaction. Social media platforms are great marketing tools.

Testimonials are the key to getting the word out. Every time someone visits your site, they should encounter a reason to believe why they should be using your products and services over your competitors.

Before we move into the final section of this article, we will share our most popular content around banding and website design:

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Ease-of-Use

The site should be easy to navigate, and any e-commerce elements should break down any barriers to purchase. The experience should be just as easy as if there was a brick-and-mortar store.

There should be several ways to pay. You want to make it as convenient as possible to conduct a transaction. Your e-commerce element should be a seamless process that makes it worth the customers’ time.

More Tips on Business Website Design

Business Website - Business Web design

Key Elements of a Successful Business Website

  • Clear and concise value proposition: Your website should clearly and concisely communicate what your business does and why customers should choose you over your competitors.
  • A strong call to action: Tell your visitors what you want them to do, whether signing up for your newsletter, downloading a white paper, or purchasing.
  • Easy-to-navigate navigation: Your website should be easy to navigate so visitors can quickly and easily find the necessary information.
  • Mobile-friendly design: More than half of all website traffic now comes from mobile devices, so it’s important to ensure your website looks good and functions well on all devices.
  • Professional design: Your website should be professionally designed and well-maintained. This will help to create a positive impression on visitors and build trust in your brand.

How to Choose a Web Design Platform

There are many different web design platforms available, such as WordPress, Drupal, and Shopify. The best platform for you will depend on your specific needs and budget.

  • WordPress: WordPress is the most popular web design platform in the world. It is free to use and offers a wide range of themes and plugins that can be used to create any type of website.
  • Drupal: Drupal is a more powerful and flexible web design platform than WordPress, but it is also more complex to use.
  • Shopify: Shopify is a popular platform for ecommerce websites. It is easy to use and offers a wide range of features and integrations.

When choosing a web design platform, it is important to consider the following factors:

  • Your needs: What type of website do you need? What features are important to you?
  • Your budget: How much are you willing to spend on a web design platform?
  • Your technical skills: How comfortable are you using a web design platform?

How to Design a User-Friendly Business Website

Here are some tips on how to design a user-friendly business website:

  • Use clear and concise language: Avoid using jargon and technical terms.
  • Use large and easy-to-read fonts.
  • Use plenty of white space: Don’t crowd your pages with too much text and images.
  • Make sure your website is easy to navigate: Use clear and concise navigation menus and labels.
  • Use high-quality images and videos: Images and videos can help to make your website more visually appealing and engaging.
  • Test your website on different devices: Make sure your website looks good and functions well on all devices, including desktop computers, laptops, tablets, and smartphones.

How to Optimize a Business Website for Search Engines (SEO)

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing a website so that it ranks higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). This can help to attract more visitors to your website and increase your leads and sales.

Here are some tips on how to optimize your business website for SEO:

  • Do keyword research: Identify the keywords that your target audience is searching for.
  • Use keywords throughout your website: Use your keywords in your website’s title tags, meta descriptions, headings, and body text.
  • Create high-quality content: Your website’s content should be informative, engaging, and relevant to your target audience.
  • Build backlinks to your website: Backlinks are links from other websites.

Business Web Design: Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How much does a custom business website design cost?

A: Plan to budget £2,500 – £15,000+ for a custom-designed business website with 5-15 pages. Costs vary based on site complexity, custom features, and whether you work with a freelancer vs an agency.

Q: What’s most important for a business website homepage design?

A: The homepage should clearly communicate your business value proposition, highlight your products/services, and drive visitors to key landing pages. Limit clutter and create a design aligned with your brand.

Q: Should my business website be designed for mobile or desktop?

A: Take a “mobile-first” approach to business website design. Over 60% of traffic comes from mobile, so optimize for the smaller screen and expand the design to desktop.

Q: How can I optimize my site for better SEO?

A: Use a clean URL structure, target relevant keywords, create optimized meta descriptions, add alt text to images, and develop fresh, high-quality content. Also, ensure fast load times.

Q: What should be included in a website design proposal?

A: The proposal should outline the full scope of work, timeline, deliverables, costs and payment terms. Get proposals from 3+ designers before deciding.

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