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Small business websites must have an eye-catching design and compelling copy to make a positive first impression on visitors. Small business owners may not have the budget, skills or resources to make a website that stands out. With the right tips and tricks, however, you’ll be on your way to building stunning landing pages that make people stop and stare.
To help you get started, we’ve compiled a list of small business website design best practices along with a few examples.
1. Choose a Reader-friendly Font
There are a lot of attractive and interesting fonts to select from—but the main question is are they readable and easy to understand? A good tip is to pick a font that aligns with your brand’s feel and look. To find inspiration, select fonts and font pairings from Canva Font Combinations, Google Fonts and Fonts In Use.
For example, Chanel’s Couture font is used on its logo and other textual elements. The visual consistency ensures visitors have a consistent UX when browsing across the page.
2. Stick to a Limited Color Scheme
Colors can manipulate people’s perception of your home page. A study from Loyola University in Maryland found color can increase brand recognition by 80%. To maximize its productivity, stick to your brand colors and executive a consistent color scheme throughout your landing pages and marketing materials.
For example, Cadbury’s landing page is purple, which is reminiscent of the globally recognized product packaging of the British confectionary brand.
3. Use High-quality Photos
People won’t be able to see, touch and try the actual product on the online realm. To attract customers’ attention, upload high-quality product pictures. With the right images, you can make your products stand out and make viewers stop and stare.
Tesla’s home page has captivating images of its cars, solar roofs and accessories. This ensures viewers can imagine themselves using the actual product—even if they’re only seeing it from behind the screen.
4. Optimize for Mobile
There are more than 7.1 billion mobile users across the world. Of this number, 50% of smartphone users are more likely to use a mobile site when browsing or shopping instead of downloading a mobile app. These numbers show that mobile optimization is crucial if you don’t want to lose out on a big number of customers. To get started, include large clickable buttons, responsive templates and scrollable content designed for consumers.
Partake Foods’ home page has delicious images of its cookies, as well as a call to action (CTA) that mobile users can click to grab their delicious delicacies.
5. Make Your Call to Action Stand Out
An impressive website will make users stop and stare but don’t forget to integrate a call to action (CTA). A CTA prompts people to take the next step or action to complete their shopping encounter. If you’re looking to sell a product or service, CTA is one of the most essential elements that will lead to website conversion.
Playbook introduces the product on its home page as a tool that helps users “organize, share and collaborate on creative files.” After getting introduced to the product, you can click the pink “Create Playbook free” button to try the actual product.
6. Use Plenty of White Space
Once you are done placing all the necessary landing page elements, think about the white space (or blank space). Then place empty spaces around the website elements so viewers or users have visual breaks when processing your information. Done right, you’ll be able to divert viewers’ attention to important elements. Plus, you’ll be able to avoid overcrowding and cluttering your landing pages.
For example, Apple’s product photos are surrounded by white space, so viewers are naturally drawn to its iPhones.
As you navigate through a website, evaluate whether you can easily find the information you need. Otherwise, visitors will end up leaving the page. A good tip is to integrate a simple navigation style on the website header.
For example, Avoriaz ski resort has a website with an immersive 360-degree image of its hotel. There are also buttons for its packages, accommodations, contacts and a menu on the right-hand side which makes it easy for tourists to explore what the destination has to offer.
8. Avoid Clutter
Hick’s law states that when individuals are bombarded with choices, it will take longer for them to make decisions. In web design, this means it may be hard for visitors to make a decision such as purchasing a product or subscribing to an email. Having an easy page makes it simple for visitors to make a choice.
The Shopify home page only asks visitors to enter their email address to start a free trial, so they can opt in and accept the offer.
Headings persuade customers to perform a desired action. They also make it easy for people to skim your landing pages and find the information they need. Plan the placement of the headings to convey the products and services your business offers.
Adobe Creative Cloud’s home page has a main heading about its 60% off deal for students and teachers. Meanwhile, the subheadings highlight its updated Creative Cloud plan, Creative Cloud Photography and free trial on Adobe Acrobat.
10. Establish a Visual Hierarchy
Visual hierarchy refers to the organization of the design elements on a page. Some examples include the placement of the images and text. Not only does it let users know where to divert their attention, but it also dictates how the information will be delivered.
In this example from Hyer, you can see that “Hyer” the brand name is the top and most important feature of the visual hierarchy—followed by the phrase “Personalized Aviation” which is its principal service. After being drawn to the main headings and images, your attention will naturally divert to the CTAs “Book an Aircraft” and “Book a Shared Flight.”
11. Include Testimonials
Testimonials show that your product or service delivers what it’s supposed to. According to BigCommerce, 92% of consumers read online testimonials and reviews when buying a product. In addition, a business that earns ten or more reviews gets a 15% to 20% increase in traffic. These results show that including them on your website will increase the chances of customers converting.
Salesforce has a customer success stories page that has testimonials from top companies including SkipTheDishes, AGI and Loopio. The bite-sized quotes show how its solution has assisted enterprise-level companies achieve their goals.
12. Create a Custom User Experience (UX)
Having a stunning website can attract customers—but it’s the ability to deliver personalized experiences that will make them stay. Personalized features such as behavior-based product recommendations, targeted offers and geo-targeting allow small businesses to deliver content that aligns with a user’s wants and needs. According to Accenture, nearly 60% of consumers want real-time offers and promos.
Amazon’s website offers personalized messages inspired by a customer’s browsing history. As you browse through various products, you’ll also be recommended items customers bought together with the product.
13. Test CTA Placement For Maximum Clicks
There’s no such thing as right or wrong placement for CTAs—but a small change in placement can significantly improve results. In the example below, Unbounce moved the CTA from below to above the pricing grid to increase the click-through rate. The variation resulted in a 41% increase in conversions.
14. Design With Accessibility in Mind
A good small business website must be accessible to everyone. It must be able to accommodate individuals with auditory, cognitive, visual or motor disabilities.
Here are some characteristics of an accessible landing page:
- Contrasting colors: Choose contrasting text and background colors to make it easy for visually impaired people to read the text.
- Keep navigability in mind: Individuals with motor impairments rely on the keyboard to scroll through the page. To make a site accessible, examine whether website users can navigate through the page by selecting the “Tab” key.
- Alt text: Individuals or users who depend on dictation software won’t be able to see the actual image on the page. As a result, include an alt text for every image to ensure that visitors will be able to know the image’s content even if they can’t see it visually.
- Add video captions: Add captions or translation options for videos so visitors can understand the dialogue in the video. If you cater to an international audience, consider adding translated captions too.
The background on Patagonia’s home page has contrasting text and background colors that make it easy to read. Upon clicking “Watch Preview,” there’s an option to watch the video with captions.
15. Run A/B Tests Involving Target Customers
Having a beautiful website won’t immediately lead to high conversions. You need research-backed information on the ideal color, design and placement via A/B testing to communicate your value proposition.
For example, Groove created a sales page that had a dismal 2.3% conversion rate.
The team collected feedback from marketing experts and customers, then used the information to rebuild its landing page. As a result, the newer version with improved visuals and copy doubled its conversion rate by 4.7%.
Bottom Line
There’s no need to be an expert to create a high-converting and stunning small business website design. As long as you know the right tips and tricks, you’ll be able to create beautiful landing pages that convey your brand’s personality and message. Additionally, if you’re new to small business website design, it can be a good idea to use a website builder, such as Squarespace or Wix, which makes the process very easy–even for the absolute beginner. For more information, check out our article on the best website builders for small businesses.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are the top practices for small business website design?
Some top practices for creating a small business website include choosing a readable font, sticking to a consistent color scheme, placing high-quality product photos, optimizing for mobile and experimenting with CTA placement. For more information, check out our article on making a beautiful website for your small business.
What should a small business website design include?
A small business website should have testimonials, a compelling call to action, a navigable sitemap, contact information, headings and relevant information related to your business. Besides the aforementioned, there are other website elements or information that you should include based on your business’s needs and your customers’ expectations.
What are examples of websites?
Some examples of websites include e-commerce websites, portfolio websites, blog websites and small business websites. To create various types of websites, you can check out our list of best website builders and free website builders.
Is HTML best for creating websites?
Although HTML is the basis for all static web pages, most websites now use CSS for style and JavaScript, as well as other enhancements. Web design software can have these features already made for you with templates.
Are SEO tools included with website builders?
Yes, many leading services offer tools to help you boost your site’s visibility on search engines. Most builders are designed with an infrastructure that helps search engines easily find information. Additionally, many platforms come with tools to customize your site’s meta descriptions, automated data markup and easy social media integration to help share your content across platforms.
Which software is best for web design?
Website builders such as Squarespace and GoDaddy are best for web design since they are all-in-one platforms that also provide web hosting, domain registration and built-in editors to users. However, you can check alternative service providers based on your specific needs
In today’s digital age, having a professional online presence is crucial for healthcare providers. At msmbbs.com, we specialize in medical website design services tailored to meet the specific needs of doctors, clinics, and hospitals. Our expert team ensures that your website is not only aesthetically pleasing but also user-friendly and compliant with industry standards, including HIPAA compliance.
We understand the importance of creating custom healthcare websites that provide seamless navigation and an excellent user experience. Our services include:
Custom Website Design: Tailored to reflect your practice’s brand and values.
SEO Optimization: We offer specialized medical SEO services to ensure your website ranks high in search engine results, attracting more patients.
Patient Portal Integration: Providing a secure and convenient way for patients to access their medical information.
Appointment Scheduling Systems: Streamlining the booking process for both patients and staff.
If you’re looking to enhance your online presence and connect with more patients, visit msmbbs.com and discover how we can help you create a state-of-the-art medical website that adheres to the highest standards of healthcare web design.
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