How to Create an Attractive, Easy-to-Use Website for Your Chagrin Valley Business

So much of your marketing is done online these days that, as a business owner, you'll want to make sure your company's website is attractive, easy to use, and secure. But what if you have no idea how to make that happen? Then read on for some tips and tricks from the Chagrin Valley Chamber of Commerce to give your business a website your customers will love.

Think Design

Your website should be appealing in design. Choose colors that are attractive and complementary to your business's logo. Make text large enough for easy reading, too, and spread it out across the page. Yet be sure that the most important information is on the upper half of each page. Your design and colors should be consistent across all your pages as well.

You might place an eye-catching banner at the top of your website that displays your business's name, what you sell, and basic contact information. Customers will see this immediately and know exactly what to expect and how to get in touch with you. You can easily create a customized banner using an online banner maker. Find a design that's appropriate for your brand, and personalize it with colors, fonts, texts, your logo, and even a small animation or video.

Focus on Ease of Use

Your customers should be able to find what they need on your website with only a few clicks, so make it easy to use. Provide convenient menus, links to other sections of your website, and a search box that allows customers to look for specific terms. If you include a catalog, make that easy to find and navigate, too, and it should provide all the relevant details about your products. Remember that your customers will rarely spend too much time looking for something on your website, so make sure that what they want is right in front of them.

If you really want to know how functional your website is, ask your users! Work with a team to create a PDF survey that will allow you to get insight into specific usability features, like navigation, accessibility, aesthetics, and search terms. Online PDF editors are available to help your team collaborate on the file until you are all happy with it. Once it is ready to go out to customers, add editable fields by selecting Prepare Form from the Tools menu. Then, email, post, and share to begin gathering helpful data. 

Boost Your Speed

Your website should be fast. Many people don't have the patience to wait for a site to load. To boost your website's speed, try compressing your files, optimizing code, limiting redirects, and enabling browser caching. You can also work on lowering the number of HTTP requests for your site. If all this seems over your head, ask a web designer to give your site a speed increase.

Optimize for Search Engines

You'll certainly want your website to appear at the top of search engine results, so work on optimizing that aspect of it. If you aren't sure which keywords would be most effective, turn to the Google keyword planner tool or Ubersuggest for suggestions. These let you know how to title your pages so that a search engine recognizes your site and presents it to potential customers.

Remember Security

Finally, don't neglect security. Customers want to visit secure websites and generally won't place online orders unless they're sure their information will be safe. Keep your security certificate up-to-date, and check with a web designer to maximize your security in other ways.

Create a High-Level Website

Building a great website can be intimidating, but if you focus on how your design functions to make your site easier to use, you will be on the path to success. Use free online tools to design marketing components, like banners and surveys, and place your customer’s security at the forefront of your design. With some strategic decisions, you can make it a high-level website your customers enjoy visiting. 

Connect with and learn from other local business leaders by joining the Chagrin Valley Chamber of Commerce.