Building a High-Performance Small Business Website

2. Build trust.

   Gaining consumers’ trust is critical to success. Consumers rely on the recommendations of family and friends. In turn, 61% recommended businesses to others.3 In addition, 46% of customers buy more and 28% pay more when they trust a business.4 Trust in your business grows when you:
   • Provide the information promised when visitors come to your site. For example, if you offer a coupon be sure it works.
   • Clearly state sales and return policies and make it easy for customers to get answers to questions.
   • Protect customer’s personal information and payment data.
   • Tell customers how you will use their data and only use it for the purposes noted.



3. Design a seamless customer experience.

   Site design is important, from attracting customers to selecting products and securely making payments. When designing your small business website, consider the following elements.
   • Use colors, images and messaging that effectively convey your brand image.
   • Include a search bar so visitors can quickly find the products and information they want. Help them easily navigate your site with simple, descriptive labels and buttons.
   • Ensure pages load quickly whether customers visit your site via desktop or mobile.
   • Offer multiple payment options.



4. Optimize your site for visibility.

   Search engine optimization (SEO) helps visitors find your site. Include embedded keywords relevant to your products, services or topics you want to cover. Search engines like Google and Bing crawl the web for relevant content, then add these pages to an index when found. The more closely your page content relates to the keywords, the higher the pages will rank in searches – making them easier for visitors to find.



5. Make visitors' purchase decisions easy.

   The right content is fundamental to creating a small business website that performs well. Relevant content attracts visitors, who buy and become customers. Tips to keep in mind when developing your site:
   • Include headlines, introductions and body copy that reinforce why your business, products and services are right for the visitor.
   • Highlight and/or embed links for case studies, products or services related to the page’s content.
   • Make the content easy to share with social media and other buttons that visitors can forward.
   • Offer an email or newsletter sign-up so you can continue to communicate with prospects and customers.
   • Add a call to action (CTA) that tells readers what to do next. The CTA may include a “buy” button, a customer service number to place an order, or a link or chat box for more information.
   
   The objective of a small business website is to sell your products and services. However, building good relationships with visitors – even if they don’t buy right away – helps to increase the likelihood that they will later. For example, if 1,000 people sign up for your e-newsletter, open the emails and follow the links, they are expressing interest in what you have to offer.



6. Promote your website.

   Social media is a powerful means to create brand awareness. Determine which platforms – Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube – best suit your business’ needs. Then create social media pages from which to promote your small business content. Social media platforms, where 45% of consumers go for reviews and insights before buying, also generate sales.5 Recent research suggests social media ads increase impulse purchases.6



7. Measure site performance.

   Over time, your website will provide a wealth of information. Continually analyze its performance to understand how visitors are reaching your site and engaging with content, as well as which products and services they buy. Time on page, new and returning visitors, and conversion rate are among the key metrics to evaluate.
   

   Page Views
   Average Time on Page
   Average Session Duration
   Pages per Session
   Bounce Rate
   Traffic Sources
   Social Referrals
   New Visitor Sessions

   Returning Visitor Sessions
   Device Type
   Conversion Rate
   Exit Rate
   Top Pages
   Top Exit Pages
   Revenue Attribution
   Event Tracking
   
   Source: HubSpot, “16 Website Metrics to Track for Growth in 2024 and Beyond,” July 15, 2024
   
   Websites are dynamic mediums that require frequent updates to reflect changing consumer interests. The data you gather will be valuable in refining your brand, products and services, and appealing to your target audience.

Ready to expand your business’ reach?

A well-designed small business website will increase awareness of your brand and attract more customers. Whether you’d like advice or need capital to fund your site launch, we can help. For more information, call 1-888-SYNOVUS (1-888-796-6887) or stop by one of our local branches.