Setting up a successful home-based business is a long process: you had a business idea that you can run from home; you did your research and found your niche; you identified the most suitable business structure, named your business, and you survived all the bureaucracy of taxation, licenses and permits.
But your home-based business will not be successful without a professional website. The website will be the pillar and face of you and your business in the modern online marketplace. Furthermore, your website is the center of marketing operations, and therefore needed to attract clients. Any business needs an online showcase place, somewhere to present their work, products and services; it is the center piece for every type of communication. It’s your brand and first impressions do count.
The website is the customers’ first contact with your business, therefore it will create a first impression of your brand: if the website is lazy, unattractive, hard to navigate and hard to find, the most likely thing to happen is for the customer to go and buy next door; if it doesn’t give them enough credibility.
Professional Web Design
It’s a client-focused process, and it is about online presence and branding, aesthetics and comfort:
Navigation and Content
As consumers, we tend to like some websites more than others because we don’t have to do a lot of clicking to get what we want. Thus, your website should contain clear, clean and simple navigation menus and options, helping visitors to find what they wish quickly. Similarly, your website should ensure fast navigation (quick load times) to improve customer experience. Needless to say, the business website should be self-explanatory and its contents should inform clearly about your products and services.
Design
The website is frequently your customers’ anchor point to your business, and this is valid for first-time clients and for recurrent customers. You want the first-timers to buy, and the old ones to keep buying. Thus, you want your website to be pleasing to the eye, fresh and attractive; simultaneously, the overall design, colours and images have to be in-line with your brand. To balance between design, content and navigation, is a dynamic refined process which only dedicated professionals master.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
The set of strategies aiming for enhancement of websites positioning in the search engines results pages, is called SEO. In fact, 90% of the people will not go further that the first page of search results. To be on Google’s first page, your site’s structure and content need to be optimized for search engines.
Check-Out Experience
The last memory your costumer will have from your home-based business. The check-out process should feel simple and provide a good experience to the costumer. It will keep him/her coming back.
Your home-based business depends on the website design, therefore choose the right web design company carefully.