A website is an essential tool that every single business needs, regardless of size, target market or offering. But beyond that, your website needs to make people choose you above your competitors. 
How? Well quite frankly it’s straightforward – you need a really good website. 
 
Your website needs three very simple components: Who you are - What you do - Why people should do business with you 

 Your website is your shop window 

These days everything happens online, right down to the everyday grocery shop. So if the internet is the high street, your website is effectively your shop window – and just like any good window display, you want it to make people linger, enjoy the experience, think favourably of you – and ultimately to remember all of that, and therefore your business. 
 
Importantly, your website should encourage your customers to trust you. If they don’t, they won’t be back. 
How can you achieve this? 
 
Design – this must be easy to navigate, straightforward and professional, with all the information your customer needs right at their fingertips, without them ever having to look for it. 
 
Colours – the tones and combination of colours you use will set the mood of your website and your customer. Making an impression with a bold choice is fine, but make sure it’s not sending out the wrong message. When thinking about colours, make sure they don’t make your words difficult to read. 
 
Branding – make sure your customers know it’s you. Not just on the front page but on every page of your website. Make sure the branding is consistent and that even if they walk away from the screen and come back, whichever page of your website they’re on, they know exactly where they are. 
Words – these are so important. But that doesn’t mean you should use too many. Once you’ve lost your customer’s interest you’re unlikely to get it back, so don’t write too much. Customers are there to think about your business, not what your cat had for breakfast or how well your offspring did at school. Keep it focussed. 
 
To that end, make sure everything – yes, everything – is spelt correctly. One misspelt word or grammatical error makes you look uneducated and unprofessional. This is probably very far from true, but unfortunately you will be judged on it, and poor spelling or grammar does not encourage a customer to trust you. 
 
All the information on your website needs to be current – if it looks like it’s not up-to-date, it makes your business look that way too. 
Update your website regularly so there’s something new to look at. This will also have a big impact on your Google rankings, and the higher you climb up those, the more customers you will have. 
 
If you can’t achieve any of this yourself, get a professional copywriter to do it for you. Don’t know one? Ask your web designer, because they will. There’s a reason people make a living out of writing for other people – it’s difficult. It’s difficult to get everything right and it’s difficult to strike the right tone – and that is all amplified hugely when you’re talking about something you’re very close to or really care about, such as your business. 

 What a bad website says about you 

This may sound obvious but nothing good. At worst, your customers will forget it and forget that you exist. If they can’t understand it, if the colours aren’t easy to digest, if there’s too much information, if they can’t find what they want in a hurry, if anything’s misspelt... you don’t look professional or trustworthy. They won’t be back, and you will not have their custom. 

 What a good website says about you 

That you know what you’re doing, that you care, that you have strong values, that other people would recommend your services, that you’re contactable, and that you can be trusted. In short, that you are someone to do business with. There is quite simply no downside to having a brilliant website. 
If you think your business would benefit from a new website and you don't know where to start, why not have a free, non-obligation consultation with it'seeze Horsham. Call us today on 01403 610125 or send us an email, and we'll get a date in the diary. 
 
Tagged as: Website tips
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