Imagine John owns the Shank Shack, a local golf retailer in Tyler. He carefully designs his store to create an excellent shopping experience and to display his love and knowledge for golf. But when it comes to his website, he figures that since his company is a small brick and mortar business, his website’s design and content don’t really matter. Or do they?
Actually, a website is an extension of your business. Just like your business’ physical location, you want your website to have prime real estate, showcase your brand, and convert browsers into customers. What type of website might help John do that?
You are correct!
Option A works because it provides information like the business address, phone number, lets customers shop online, has social media icons, and shows that John sells used golf clubs.
Not Quite!
Option B is lacking content that is vital to a strong website. Option A works because it provides information like the business address, phone number, lets customers shop online, has social media icons, and shows that John sells used golf clubs.
The first step to creating a strong website is finding a prime location, which on the internet is a good domain name (your web address).
You can use websites like Google Domains, Go Daddy or 1 and 1 to search for and register available domain names. We highly recommend purchasing privacy protection to keep your name, address, email address and phone number safe from spam and scams. Also, do not forget to renew your contract annually so you do not risk losing your domain name.
You can consider including a keyword in the domain address. Shank Shack is a witty name, but people might not find it if they do a search for used golf clubs. Adding “used golf clubs” or “golf shop tyler” can help people find John’s business more easily. Something like ShankShackUsedClubs.com or ShankShackTyler.com may suffice.
Use the .com extension if it’s available because it’s the most widely recognized domain name extension.
Set up a custom email address on your domain, like John@shankshack.com. This will make your business look professional, and can help raise brand awareness among people you email. Bailes + Zindler can help you get this set up.
Your website should satisfy your customers’ needs, while helping reach your business goals like raising awareness, driving sales, or collecting leads. To raise awareness, start with the basics: business name, map location, and contact details. Consider putting your contact details in the footer of every page and encourage customers to email or call if they have any questions.
Have an “About Us” section explaining what your business does and stands for. Link your business’ social media accounts, and have staff bios and customer reviews to help visitors get to know you.
Next, include features that are unique to your business. For example, if John sells used golf clubs, he might want to create a page that allows customers to shop his selection or see pictures of different golf clubs his has in stock for inspiration.
To make contacting your business easy, and to help you to stay in touch with customers, create a contact form on your “Contact Us” page, where they can input their details. This contact form is great because it allows customers to get in touch with you without having to write an email. The path of least resistance is always a good rule to follow. Don’t ask for too much information, or they might not fill it out.
Search engines pull words from your webpages to understand what the website is about, so it’s important that the website’s content is descriptive. To make sure your website covers all the relevant information, use the 5 W’s:
If you think it would be helpful to explain your product or service in more detail, create a frequently asked questions section (FAQs) to allow customers to learn more about your company.
Finally, make sure to use font sizes, colors, and other aspects of design consistently across your website to make it look presentable and professional.
Bailes + Zindler understands that websites are not all cookie cutter. Every business has its own unique products and services that need to be presented in their own way. We have experience building websites for companies in many different industries. We can help you build a strong website that can distinguish you from the crowd. Remember, it's more than just a website, it's your business. Please get in touch with us by filling out our contact form at CONTACT US. If you are ready to get started today, feel free to fill out our project form at START A PROJECT.
Ryan Bailes