Do you think your website is telling your customers everything it should be? Think again. Here’s 10 things that should be on every small business website.   Read through the list then check your site.

And in no particular order….

1. Contact Details. All of them that you accept open queries to – email, phone, fax, contact forms, and your business address. Even if people don’t’ use them, contact details tells uneasy clients that you’re a real business and aren’t going to run away with their money.

2. Testimonials. The technical word for this is “social proof” but why use a new word when the old one still works. Your business process should include a step where you collect testimonials from those happy clients you’re generating. (You should also be taking on board any negative feedback and seeing what you can do about it.) At the end of the day, though, it is hard to write any more powerful content than a customer quote. Don’t fix grammar issues or spelling, unless it’s really bad, and be sure to get permission to post the customer’s name, such as “Kelly from Manitoba”.

3. Prices. There’s no harm putting your prices online despite what people think. Consider these two scenarios that can happen when you don’t put your prices online:

• a potential new customer is budget-conscious and since you don’t list prices, they assume you’re too expensive (even though you might not be).
• a potential new customer gets in touch to find out about prices and once you give them a quote, they realise you are well outside their budget. Now the customer feels slightly uncomfortable and not sure what to do.

If you just post prices (even if they are “starting from $xyz/£abc), then in the above scenarios will likely turn into a better result:

• a potential new customer sees your prices and decides you are out of their budget and will either a) reconsider their budget if your service/product is compelling enough, or b) keep you in mind and reconsider next time.

4. Personality. You’re a human being, right? And you’ve crafted a business that suits your passions and your interests, right? So show it off! Stuff, unfriendly web content doesn’t showcase who you are. Use a conversational voice and relax with your content. You can still be professional and polished without being overly formal (unless formality is part of your unique selling point).

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). Do you often get the same queries and questions over and over again? Save yourself the customer service hassles and increase conversions but putting these out on your site. You can have a page dedicated to FAQs, or you can intersperse them on the appropriate pages throughout the site. Or both. (I’ll leave it to you to decide if it’s pronounced ‘fack’ or ‘eff-ay-queue’). This is very important for adventure tourism where you should talk about safety and ‘what to bring.’

6. Customer Service Policies. Is there a money-back guarantee? Do I lose my deposit by cancelling within 30 days? Get all that information out there; even if it’s a strict policy, customers have the right to know.

7. Content that is Updated Regularly. A lot of people complain at this one – their service offerings or products never change and aren’t changing anytime soon. I’d argue why that is – you should always be evaluating – but you need to do something to your site to create the feeling of freshness. Search engines like this, and customers like it too because it tells them you’re alive and real and still in business. Ways to do this: a news or events page, a blog, rotating your testimonials, or rotating your photography.

8. Search. Many usability books will tell you that most website browsers forego all that navigation that you painstakingly put together and just head for one function: the search. And with all the poorly designed sites out there, you can’t blame them. So put these kinds of users at ease and have a search function that works. Most website systems have built-in search features, but be sure to test them and make sure the results are accurate and easy to understand.

9. Connections to your other marketing outlets. Did you spend big bucks for a great brochure that’s being handed out at local events? Why not put an easy-download copy on your site next to the related content? Moderator for a popular forum in your niche? Why not mention it. These things not only build credibility but they also give buyers a round picture of who you are and what you’re about.

10. All the Information Possible. You’ll lose people at “call to confirm” so, if you can, all but avoid it. So be sure to put the times and availability of all your options. Do you do special features or requests? Why not upsell these online? Don’t hide them. Be as descriptive as possible – you don’t want to drown people in information but think about if you were talking to a potential customer in a café shop: what details are important to mention to close the deal?

The Lesson Learned:

These days, it’s easy for anyone to get their hands on 94% of the information. The top dogs are those who provide their customers with that extra 6%. (source: Men with Pens)

To Learn More…

Does your website have everything it needs to convince your customer you’re the right small business for them? Why not get a website audit and ensure your online presence is working smarter and harder.

And for more help writing better website content, why not have a read through our Do-It-Yourself guide, Write Right Online – make your online content work smarter.
Photo Courtesy of koalazymonkey