8 Tips for Developing an Effective Business Website

Business websites can serve a number of functions: they make it easy for prospective customers to find you and contact you online, provide information about your products and services, and help define your brand. But ultimately, all business websites have one primary, overriding purpose: to help prospects make the decision to buy from you.

Here are the key website design considerations for developing an effective business site:

• Start with your buyers in mind. Identify your prospects as specifically as possible, e.g. by title, industry, company size, geographic region, etc. What are their pains? How are they likely to search for solutions? What information do they need as they go through their buying process? This is critical in how you’ll lay out your site and what information you’ll provide.
• Think about your secondary audiences as well: current customers, the media, industry and/or financial analysts, prospective employees. Give them a clear path to the information they need while keeping the focus on driving business results.
• Keep your site as simple as possible. Don’t overwhelm your prospects with information or choices. Focus on giving them the information they need to make a purchase decision and limited, clear calls to action.
• Provide clear, descriptive navigation buttons. Don’t use generic words like “Products” and “Services.” When was the last time you walked into a store and asked a sales clerk where the “products” are? Be descriptive! For example, the primary navigation buttons on the ePROneur website are Web Strategy Consulting, Web Marketing Software and Web Marketing Services. Using precise rather than generic phrases for site navigation is not only clearer for your website visitors, but also helps with SEO.
• Use colors that reflect your brand and your company’s “personality.” Dark colors, earth tones and pastels convey a conservative or premium image, and are often used on sites about insurance, luxury goods, legal and accounting services. Bright colors convey a lighter, more youthful image and are used more frequently in social media, high tech and sites devoted to teens or children. For example, contrast the colors used on the Toys ‘R” Us site with this law firm focused on intellectual property rights.
• Provide content that helps prospects make the decision to buy from you. This isn’t always “sales” content. There’s a place, of course, for text that describes the features and benefits of your products and/or services. But also offer resources that are valuable to your visitors and content that demonstrates thought leadership (blog posts, articles, best-practices or unique insights on industry topics).
• Use “flashy” content sparingly. Flash, HTML 5, video, animated GIFs and similar elements can add action and a sense of movement to your site, but use such items carefully and sparingly. Overuse or misuse of active components can actually drive visitors away. But proper use of video, animation and other active features can help communicate your message more effectively than text alone. Make sure every element supports your site’s overall purpose.
• Compel Your Visitors to Act - Remember that the primary purpose of your site is to compel your visitors to act: to subscribe to your newsletter, download a white paper or report, sign up for a free trial, register for a webinar, contact you for more information, or even purchase an item directly from your site.

By focusing on the needs of your prospects and making it easy for them to make the decision to buy from you (as well as keeping in mind the points above), you can design an effective website that produces real business results.