Ways To Make Your Website Work

For small business owners, building a viable online presence has been vital to keep up with the evolving habits of consumers as they've shifted more of their browsing, shopping, and spending online. But now, small business owners are also looking at another big shift: The world before Covid-19 and after it. While we still don't know what the lasting impact of the pandemic will be on the small business space - though we do know it's been devastated just like nearly every sector of the economy - it seems likely that consumers will continue to spend more of their time and money online than offline as social distancing remains the norm.

What this means is that small business owners really should take the time now to evaluate their digital presence. Whether it's redesigning your website or launching your app, it's time to think about how you can better leverage your online tools to grow your business and brand.

An Actionable Website

If you've struggled to get the traction you want on your website, there are some best practices that you can follow in order to make your site more user-friendly. This starts with analyzing whether your site is really conveying the message you're trying to get across to customers and clients.

"Before you begin writing copy or thinking about visuals, think about the core value proposition of your product or service," says Taylor Rosenbauer, founder and CEO of RocketAir, a product design and branding agency. "This needs to be as crystal clear to your customers as it is to you, which means that all of your website's content needs to support that value proposition."

He recommends crafting your website as though you're crafting an argument. This means that the hero image - the first visual element a visitor encounters on the site - should clearly articulate the value of your product or service. Other sections on your site should speak to your credibility - testimonials, press clippings, case studies or partner logos - and what makes you different from the competition.

"Use strong calls to action and directional language to funnel your customers toward certain objectives, whether it's booking a table at a restaurant or adding an item to their shopping cart," Rosenbauer says.

It's important to make it easy for customers to accomplish their objectives on your website. For instance, if you own a restaurant, then there are likely two things a customer wants to use your site for: Examine the menu and make a reservation. "And yet, how many times have you had a frustrating experience on a restaurant's website that has made it nearly impossible to accomplish these objectives?" Rosenbauer says. "Think about what your customer is trying to accomplish by visiting your website and design around helping them achieve that--in as few clicks as possible. These days, people would much rather scroll down a page than click around to find what they're looking for, especially on mobile."

An Appropriate App

If you have an app for your business - and since the world has become increasingly mobile, you probably should - then take a similar approach to it as you do with your website in terms of thinking about your value proposition and what you're trying to accomplish. You should then design a feature set that supports the most important reason why people use your app.

"The best apps start off with one feature and do it better than anyone else," Rosenbauer says. For instance, when online financial services company Robinhood launched in 2015, its app was focused solely on offering users a way to make commission-free trades of stocks and exchange-traded funds. Since then, as its user base has grown, it's also added instant deposits, checking and savings accounts and cryptocurrency trading. The point is, it began with a single function, and then added functionality over time as they gained a critical mass of users.

Just like your website, it's imperative that your app is as user-friendly as possible, and the best way to make sure is to get feedback from real users. For instance, in order to overcome the assumptions and biases that we all carry with us, a designer will take an empathic approach to a product, gathering qualitative data about what users think, feel, and need. This data influences every step of the design creation. "The process of designing an app is a non-stop cycle of iteration based on learnings," Rosenbauer says. "And your job as a business owner is to constantly generate learnings from speaking with your customers, running usability tests, measuring analytics, and having a steady pulse on the marketplace."

Win By Design

"We believe that you can 'win by design,'" Rosenbauer says. "Making your product simply easy to use is no longer a point of differentiation; it's a baseline expectation, it's table stakes. In order to actually set yourself apart in the marketplace, you need to design a product that's truly enjoyable to use."

In short, your digital tools should add value to a person's life, which means designing a user experience that is appealing enough to people that they'll keep coming back. And you should come back to them too -- early and often. Websites and apps are ongoing commitments, and it's vital to keep the info on them fresh, relevant, and up-to-date. If a website appears "dusty," with the latest blog posts a year old and references to New Year's Eve specials in July, it doesn't inspire confidence in the viewer.

The Right Fit

If you do decide to get a professional to create or redesign your business' website or app, it's important that you find an agency that has experience working in your industry. You want someone who understands the nuances of your enterprises, products, and customer base. "There's no one-size-fits all approach," as Rosenbauer puts it. You should also look at portfolios to gain some insight into their art direction and whether they're actually creating tools that look unique and align with your objectives.

But just as important as seeing the pros' work, you should also learn about how they work too. What you want is a collaborative approach to the design process so that the designer is keeping you updated and getting input along the way. This is better than "the old-school model of going into a black hole for a month and coming out with a big surprise presentation," Rosenbauer says. "You want to be in sync every step of the way."

This is a time of great uncertainty for small business owners, many of whom are trying to rebuild their revenue and reconnect with their customers after much of the world has been effectively shut down. But even if people aren't ready to leave their homes just yet, with a well-designed website or app, you can still let them know you're open for business.