There are billions of searches that search engines like Google and Bing get on a daily basis from consumers across the world. According to research, around 97 percent of consumers research their required products or services online to find local options or to check reviews. As a small business owner, you should know that your website is likely one of the first things that most consumers will notice about it.
On the basis of its design and features, a lot of people will form opinions and decide whether to make a purchase or leave. Think of your web page as a promotional tool or platform through which you can create brand awareness and experience growth.
If you want to achieve the desired results with online marketing, you need to focus on the web design and invest in it. Here are some tips that could be useful for increasing the reach of your small business.
- Reduce Loading Time and Friction
When you are involved in the designing process of the website, it is important to keep in mind that visitors judge your brand through your website. Make sure you have your logo plastered on every page, which you can easily get from a professional logo design website.
Moreover, the loading speed of your website should be within seconds. Large image files, lots of videos or animations and flashy design elements can slow down the web page and take longer to appear. This could result in visitors closing it and moving away to a competitor.
Your website only needs to have relevant content and visuals which include your brand logo, portfolio of work or product images, and interactive call-to-actions. This way, there is minimal clutter and you can reduce any friction which can prevent consumers from navigating to another link or category. The audience today has many options and an attention span that lasts about 8 seconds.
In order to make sure that they remain on your page and market your products or services to them, you should optimize the website for less loading time. It is also crucial to get rid of elements which cause friction so it’s easier for people to interact and take the required action.
- Use Clear and Original Images
The product catalog and imagery on your website is one of the most critical factors in web design. As a small business owner, you need to attract the attention of the visitors with the images on your website. It’s how you can market what you have to offer effectively and convince people of your authenticity as well.
One of the best ways that you can make the most of your web page is by using clear and original pictures of products or your work. While there is nothing wrong with picking stock images and using them, original photos go a long way in online marketing. They can set your business apart from the others and highlight its unique factor to the audiences.
With stock pictures, you may end up appearing similar to the others as another website might have the same one. To avoid this, you can use a small part of your marketing budget to hire a professional photographer and use those images for the catalog or the main page.
- Add Home Page Scrolling
While you want to keep all the information compact and make it easier for the website to load faster, you can still create an interactive home page. Previously, WordPress expert designers and brand owners paid a lot of attention to engaging consumers above the fold. Now, it is actually considered good web design when people can easily scroll down and find relevant information and options beyond the first two folds of the web page.
By adding home page scrolling to your website, you can include more CTAs (call-to-actions), images and contact information to help visitors find what they want. There are a lot of websites of small businesses such as Birchbox which have an attractive home page design going below the fold.
- Incorporate Social Sharing Buttons
This is actually very important and can boost the credibility of a website and create awareness as well. Incorporating the share link or blog feature on social media networks such as Twitter, Instagram or Facebook is always a good idea for online marketing. This way, you can make it easier for people to post your blog or promote a particular product to their followers or friends.
If you take the example of Soko Glam, you will see how the Korean Skincare brand has used this to their advantage. In their web design, the company has included an option to share their blogs in ‘The Klog’ section and within their product listings as well.
- Have an FAQ Section
There are a number of people who go through the FAQ section of a website before sending in queries or contacting the company. By including the section in your web design, you can provide a good user experience to the consumers and give them the answer to the basic questions related to pricing, shipping or brands.
Nowadays, almost all big and small websites feature an FAQ section in the menu bar or within the footer. This helps people find it quickly and go through the relevant information.
To Sum Up
These are some of the tips for online marketing with web design that could help take your small business to the next level. If you apply them and make improvements in your website, you could generate higher traffic and boost conversions as well. While designing a web page, it is a good idea to keep a few of these in mind so that your website can compete with bigger brands in the digital world.
Author Profile
David Anderson is a business graduate with a marketing major. He specializes in communication design and has helped many brands achieve their goals in marketing communication. Now he writes for freelance clients on topics related to brand design, visual communication, and marketing.
