10 Essential Website Elements All Businesses Need

Driving traffic to your website is only the beginning. If marketing and advertising is the march that leads your customers to the field, your website is the battleground on which sales are won and lost. You need the right tools and features to win over as many potential buyers as you can. Really, it all boils down to having a website that’s easy to use and understand. Whether you’re running a small business or a major corporation, every website needs these ten elements.

1. User-Friendly Layout & Navigation

All successful websites have two things: easy navigation and a user-friendly interface. Optimize your website for scanning with short paragraphs, bullet points, and highlighted text. If possible, utilize dropdowns for the navigation menu so that users can find exactly what information they’re looking for.

2. Clear Message of Who You Are & What You Do

If a visitor is confused about whether they’re in the right place or not, they’re more likely to leave and go to a competitor than stick around and investigate. Your homepage should clearly and concisely state who you are and what you do. Visibly state your name as well as a brief summary of your products or services.

3. Identifiable Call to Action

Now that customers know who you are and what you do, what do you want them to do with this information? Use clear command words (like “Shop now!” or “Call today for a free quote!”) so that your visitor knows exactly what they need to do. It also helps to use bold, colored, or larger text or special buttons to draw attention to your request.

4. Straightforward Product Purchasing

Once your visitor has committed to buying your products or services, there should be as few clicks as possible between the homepage and the buy button. The best and easiest way to do this is to invest in integrating an ecommerce store directly into your website.

5. Basic SEO

No matter how well-designed your website is, it won’t matter if nobody can find it. Learn the basics of coding and SEO so that your business’s site will be more likely to show up in search engines. Make sure that you’re correctly naming your page titles and URLs, employing the right keywords, and utilizing links, images, and videos.

6. Customer Testimonials

Establish loyalty and credibility by including honest testimonials from successful customers. Potential buyers will be more likely to take a leap of faith and trust in your products or services if they have other shoppers to confirm that they will meet their needs.

7. Social Media Connection

Include buttons that link to your various social media profiles so that customers can connect and engage with you online. If you really want to increase your organic reach, include a “Share” button for the different platforms. That way, loyal buyers can share their favorite products and services with their friends on social media. Who doesn’t love free advertising?

8. Contact Information 

Make your website as personable as possible by showing potential buyers that there are people behind it. Let customers know how to get in touch with a customer service representative should they have any questions or comments throughout the buying process. This should preferably be a phone number or email address. Also, be sure to include your business address (even if it’s just a P.O. Box).

9. Secure Hosting Platform

You want to have a safe and trustworthy hosting company at your back if you want to avoid security breaches and site crashes. You should also employ a web developer to keep your system up-to-date and perform routine maintenance checks for any potential security risks or malfunctions.

10. Fresh Content

Adding new content to your website will keep it looking active and modern to potential consumers. Customers can be sure that all of the information they read is current and accurate. Including new text and keywords on your site will also enhance your SEO rankings and make your website more likely to show up in search engines.