Small businesses today need to have a striking, informative and engaging website, which is quick to load, easy to use, and optimized across all devices. If you are to stand out amongst the competition, this is essential. In this post, we are going to focus on one element specifically – creating a website that is engaging. This is actually where most businesses struggle. With that in mind, read on to discover some top tips on to create a more engaging website.
- Break up text effectively – Nothing turns users off more than big chunks of text, which are difficult to digest. No matter how important the information is that you wish to share, no one is going to read a wall of text. Most individuals will skim over sections with bold headings, and they will quickly look over bulleted text to get the general gist of each point you are trying to make. You need to break up text effectively if you want users to be engaged, otherwise, they simply won’t entertain the information at all.
- Be careful with your use of colour – Colour can be the difference between a great small business web design and an awful one. It is advisable to stick to a colour palette containing around three colours maximum, otherwise you are going to create a messy design, which dilutes your brand image. It’s all about being strong, and often this means a simple approach to colour selection. Make sure the colours you choose contrast effectively, so they are easy to read.
- Add a live chat feature – Most people will agree that picking up the phone and waiting on hold to speak to a customer service representative is a hassle that they do not want, especially if you have a quick, general query. Instead, by incorporating a chat feature, users can get a quick answer to their query, as opposed to simply clicking off your website and looking elsewhere.
- Be human – Your tone of voice is so important when it comes to creating an engaging website. You need to get the balance right: it is all about being relatable and within reach yet still maintaining an air of professionalism. People are looking for a business that is trustworthy and an expert in their field, they also want to feel comfortable. You don’t want to put people off by coming across as arrogant. Check out this article for more suggestions on making your website customer friendly.
- Make sure navigation is easy to follow – No one is going to engage with your website if they don’t even know where to begin. If you want visitors to spend a greater amount of time on your website, you need to make it easy for them to use and get around. Navigation should be instinctive; the user should not need to think about the moves they are going to make. It is definitely a case of the simpler, the better. Make sure your menus are standard in appearance, so readers are comfortable when using your website.
- Write for humans not search engines – Google and RankBrain and highly intelligent learning algorithms and teams of clever people – apparently recruited from NASA no less! – So the days of just writing your keyword 100 times in the content and title tag and writing unnatural articles that are spun or written for search engines are long gone. If you for example you offer web design in Birmingham then using a keyword such as web design Birmingham once in your content would work well, but don’t over use it. Write as though you are speaking to a human who is sat there in front of you, not a search engine, because after all, your reader is sat there in front of you.
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