Website Basics for Business Owners

As we reach the year end of 2018, many of you savvy business owners are already considering ways to improve your marketing reach for next year. A great way to accomplish this is to ensure your website is doing its job. If you currently lack a website, well, there’s your step one! Now you might think a flashy-looking site will draw the most attention (and please don’t use Flash), but that’s prioritizing the “sizzle” over the “steak.”

Consider the following:

Easy-to-Find Info

Is it clear to your visitors how to find the information they want? If you’re a restaurant, is the menu only linked in the footer as a PDF? If you’re a college, are tuition costs and a campus map buried under three levels on a page generically titled “Information”? That’s not helping anyone.

Clear Call to Action

What is the goal of your website? Even if you don’t need an online store, your site has a purpose, such as getting visitors to “call us,” “sign up for our service,” or “send us your best photo of a cat in a necktie.” A well-designed website will guide visitors toward this goal in a way that feels natural.

Responsive Design

You may have heard this term in passing, but it basically means your site looks good on a computer, tablet or mobile device. In this day and age, when most of the American population is walking around with computers in their pockets (that also function as phones, I guess), it makes sense to allow your site to adapt to the screen. It’s worth mentioning that Google recommends this practice and has published its own list of benefits.

ADA Compliance

Finally, an aspect of the web that has gained traction in the last couple of years is ADA Compliance, or ensuring that your website is usable to individuals who require screen readers, high-contrast viewing mode or other special browsing devices. Certain industries are required by law to implement compliance features, so it’s a good idea to consider adding them to your site now. Here’s an exhaustive checklist of the requirements, for those who are curious.

This is just a brief overview, but enough to get you started on website improvements for 2019. If you’d like further help implementing these features on the porterhouse steak that is your website, please reach out to the more than capable team of chefs at Asher Agency!