7 Website Design Tips for Small Businesses

Table of Contents

• Why Is Good Website Design Important?
• 7 Tips to Create the Best Website Designs for Small Businesses
• Key Takeaways
• Conclusion 
• FAQs

Owning a business website in today’s tech-savvy world is not a requirement but a necessity. Having a website increases a business’s credibility significantly. Also, it ensures that companies can extend their reach to a much wider audience than what is possible from a brick-and-mortar store.

But, when it comes to designing a website for a business, there’s more to it than simply creating a few good-looking web pages with the business’s information on them. In this blog, we discuss some great website design tips for small businesses. We take a look at what goes into designing a website that is both aesthetically pleasing and highly practical.

Why Is Good Website Design Important?

A website that only looks good is not worth much. Similarly, a website designed to be practical but not visually impressive will still not attract many users. Thus, what you need is a website design that incorporates a balanced combination of aesthetics and usability.

But how does one design such a website? The best way to build an impactful website is to first delve deep into the psyche of internet users. Once you understand what the users expect when they visit a website, you can begin designing a website that will offer visitors what they’re looking for. Below, we have listed some points you should keep in mind before designing a business website.

Impatience is key

If you think a visitor will spend their time reading each word you’ve posted on the website, you can’t be more wrong. Today’s user is impatient. If they can’t find what they’re looking for within the first ten seconds of their visit, they will press the back button and look for alternatives.

Quality visuals + quality content = the perfect match

There are quite a few websites that are impressive design-wise but a huge turn-off language-wise. Thus, making sure that whatever content you put on the website is credible will increase user retention.

Intuitive design goes a long way

“Ease of use” is a principal factor in a website’s design. A user would always want a website that can provide relevant information in as few clicks as possible. So make sure that your website’s design carries the straightforwardness users want today.

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Now that we are through with what to keep in mind while designing a website, let’s take a look at some tips that will help you abide by the philosophy of website design.

7 Tips to Create the Best Website Designs for Small Businesses

So far, we have discussed what makes a website’s design approachable and coveted among users and web designers alike. Now, let’s shed some much-needed light on the best practices that some of the best small business websites follow. 

1. It should be easily navigable

According to statistics, approximately 60% of the global population is active on the internet. And out of this, 90% of the users use mobiles to access the internet. Hence, you need to make sure that your website is as compatible with mobiles as it is with other platforms. If the website is cluttered, badly arranged, and laggy, users won’t bother to navigate the mess to get to what they want. Moreover, a bad website design on any platform also affects website rankings, making it unworthy of being listed on the first page of a search result.

A good website does not confuse the visitors about where to go and what to click on. Thus, when you design a website, consider the user’s point of view first. The placement of the buttons, labels, images, text fields, etc., should be such that these elements don’t stand out like a sore thumb.

2. Website loading time should be less

Loading time is a big deal for any website. Visitors expect a website’s content to render completely as quickly as possible. Estimates say that average loading times for websites should not exceed the three-second mark. If a website takes even one extra second to load, its bounce rate surges. Ensuring that the content on your website is optimized will decrease its loading time by a huge margin.

3. CTA placement should be strategic

Often, a user visits a website with the intent of using its services. And if your website can give its users that one needed push, your business will rake in a lot of profits. And a call-to-action (CTA) button does just this. It encourages the user to try out your services.

When you design a website, try placing your CTA where it’s within the user’s eyesight. Doing so can have a positive impact on your business.

4. The design shouldn’t be overpowering

In the pursuit of appealing to the visual senses of your website’s visitors, keep a check on your ambitions. An over-the-top website design, no matter how good it looks to your eyes, can throw off potential customers.

Try to keep things simple and minimal. Make use of white space and calming colors wherever you can. Also, for textual content, don’t insert whole paragraphs on a webpage. Instead, use bullets, different font styles, formatting, etc., to keep things interesting and easy to spot.

5. Focus on the customer’s needs

Running a business is basically selling your goods and services to your customers. The best small business websites are built such that users feel welcome when they visit them. In this respect, optimally using your website’s “About Us” section to highlight your customer’s demands and needs can play a pivotal role in getting more footfall.

6. Invest in SEO services

SEO is the deal-maker or deal-breaker for any website. No matter how good your website’s design is, if it doesn’t rank in the search results, there’s no use for it. But that doesn’t mean you should entirely discard it. Hire a good SEO agency and get your website optimized to ensure it gets good search result rankings and more traffic.

7. Ensure all information is available readily

The most important aspect of a website is its ability to offer relevant information to its users with just a few clicks. If a visitor has to go back ten pages to reread an article on your website, its design is flawed. Thus, you should make sure that your website’s layout is such that every web page on it is within the user’s reach.

Key Takeaways

• Designing a website is achieving the perfect balance between aesthetics and usability.
• User experience should be the topmost priority of any website design.
• SEO is pivotal for any website.
• A website designer should consider the user’s point of view before deciding on a layout.
• A website should offer a seamless experience to its users regardless of the platform it’s being run on.
• A website’s loading speed should ideally be around 2 seconds at the most.

Conclusion

Designing a website is all about striking the right balance between appearance and functionality. And when you are investing financial, mental, and physical efforts in building a website for your business, you want the best of all worlds. After all, a website is your entire business’ portfolio and you would want to make a great impression on your customers. So follow these nine website design tips for small businesses before you set out to create one for your company.

FAQs