A website is not a “nice-to-have” option anymore. In fact, not only should your business have a website, it should be designed and built so that it helps you stand out from your competition and encourages people to choose you.
We often find that low-performing websites are often missing some key essential elements that allow the company to promote its brand better.
If your company website is not giving you the desired result for which it was created, it might be that your site is missing one of these items.
Needless to say, there are a lot of benefits you can get from having a business website. But, you can only get these benefits if your site includes the right website elements. The rest of this post will showcase the elements you need on your business website if you want to reap the benefits of a website listed below.
6 Essential Website Elements Every Business Site Must Have
Go through this list if you are starting a website to include each element in your website plan. Or, audit your existing site to ensure you have each of these essentials on your current website.
1. Accessible contact details
Many people visit your website to find details to help them visit your location in-person. Make those details easy to find, and include your phone number, email address, working hours, address, and map. It’s important to include business contact information on your website, and it’s also important to display it in the right ways.
Contact information is essential, especially if you’re also running a physical location with your online store. Customers need to know how to contact you. When your address is properly highlighted, it drives search engines to display your brand when nearby customers search for a business like you.
When you put an email address or a phone number on the site, don’t upload this information as part of an image — the number or address should be clicked on or copied right from the site to place the call or send an email conveniently and quickly. Most smartphones these days have the ability to do “click to call” on the web, so make the process as easy as possible for users.
Don’t want your phone ringing off the hook? Just use an email address, but be sure you answer emails promptly.
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Location Pages
Because contact information is so important to both users and search engines, it’s not enough to show your business addresses on your website. You also need to create a location page for each of your business’s branches if your brand has multiple locations. Including this information on your site will help drive customers to your brick-and-mortar store (if you have one). Include a map on your site, too!
Location pages are essential website elements for multi-location businesses. Create a page for each of your locations. On each page, share the location’s unique qualities, hours, address, and contact info. Also, embed a Google map on the pages to send even more local SEO signals to search engines.
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Customer Reviews/Testimonials
Customer testimonials are recommendations from satisfied buyers that affirm the value of a product or service. These are sometimes paid endorsements, as found with influencer marketing. But more often than not, they are given by happy customers, voluntarily or upon a company’s request. In addition to looking for business details, customers visit your website to find out if they can trust you. They look for signals that show that your products and services offer good value and will leave them satisfied.
To help customers get the proof they need, add reviews and testimonials to your site. Past customer reviews are critical to shoppers. When combined with sharp salesmanship, and targeted marketing, customer testimonials can help buyers overcome objections, boost online sales, and turn customers into brand ambassadors — which are why they are an essential website element.
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Lead Generation Form
Your website shouldn’t act as a passive marketing asset that only shares information with customers. It should act as an active marketing tool that collects information from customers and guides them toward making a purchase.
A lead generation form is a web form meant for capturing emails and other information of potential customers. The most common types of lead generation forms include contact forms, registration forms, and simple newsletter signup forms. It may also collect information such as name, birthday, and other details that help your brand qualify and segment customers. You can check out our article on things you need to know about lead generation for more details.
Also, note that it’s not enough to add a lead generation form to your website and have customers start signing up. To get customers to add their contact information, you need to give them an incentive to do so. It would help if you had a lead magnet that drives them to sign up.
A lead magnet is a valuable offer, freebie, or upgrade that customers receive when joining your list. It could be as simple as a coupon code or free content assets like an ebook or PDF checklist. Adding a lead magnet will boost your sign-ups as it gives website visitors something in return for joining your list.
5. Search engine optimized pages
If you’re wondering what to put on a website, the answer is: Whatever it is, make sure it’s search engine optimization (SEO) friendly. It enables users to find your site by searching on search engines like Google. If your site isn’t optimized for search engines, you won’t drive valuable traffic to your site.
SEO is one of the most critical elements for your business website because, when used properly, it helps you rank in search results to drive more traffic and revenue for your business.
So, how do you optimize for search engines?
- Conduct keyword research
- Optimize for long-tail keywords
- Make your site mobile-friendly
- Optimize your meta tags
6. Friendly ‘About Us’ page
The About us page gives you a great chance to tell your story to your visitors. It helps to establish a connection between your brand and your potential customers. We see many small business websites don’t give enough focus to their About Us page, which is a great mistake.
Here are some tips to make you About us page better:
- Tell your brand’s story. How did you start? Describe your business journey. People love to know about the business they are buying from.
- Use real images on the about us page. Stock images are a big no-no here. Be authentic.
- Try to connect with your potential customers through your story. Check the example site below to see how it’s done.
Final Thoughts
Now that you know what to put on a website, you can start optimizing your site to create a better experience for your audience. The five website elements in this list are just the beginning of your business website. They are the bare minimum of what you need. There is so much more you can do with your site.
Once you get these website elements added, continue to build out your site with more content that will work to attract new customers, engage existing customers, and drive more sales and interest in your brand.
