The end of the year is a good time to look at your website with fresh eyes. For most small businesses in Australia, the website is the first place a new customer goes to check you out. If it is slow, hard to read or hard to contact you from, many people will simply leave and call someone else.
You don't need a big budget to get the basics right. Here is a checklist of the things we think every small business website needs going into 2023. There are five, plus one bonus that matters too much to leave out.
The Checklist
- It works well on phones: Most people will look at your website on their phone, often while they are out and about. Text should be easy to read without zooming in. Buttons should be big enough to tap with a thumb. Try your own website on your phone today.
- It loads fast: People don't wait. If a page takes more than a few seconds to show up, many visitors give up. Large photos are the most common cause of a slow website. Making your images smaller in file size, without making them look worse, is often the quickest win.
- It makes it easy to contact you: Your phone number, email address and location should be easy to find on every page, not hidden at the bottom. Each page should also tell the visitor what to do next, such as "Call us for a free quote" or "Book an appointment". Marketers call this a "call to action". It simply means a clear next step.
- It is secure: Look at the address bar when you visit your website. It should start with "https" and show a small padlock. This means the connection between your visitor and your website is protected, so things like contact form details can't be easily read by others. Browsers like Chrome warn people when a website is not secure, and that warning scares customers away.
- It is easy to update: Your prices, opening hours and services will change. You should be able to change them yourself in a few minutes, without paying someone every time. A website built on a system like WordPress lets you log in and edit your pages much like editing a document.
- Bonus: it can be found on Google: A great website doesn't help if nobody finds it. Make sure each page has a clear title that says what you do and where, such as "Plumber in Geelong". Also set up a free Google Business Profile. This is the listing that shows your business on Google Maps and in local search results, with your hours, photos and reviews.
Where to Start
You don't have to fix everything at once. Pick the item on this list that is furthest from where it should be, and start there. For many small businesses, the quickest wins are making the contact details clearer and setting up a Google Business Profile. Both can make a real difference within weeks.
If your website is more than a few years old, it may not have been built with phones in mind. Fixing that piece by piece can cost more than starting again.
How a Website Agency Can Help
A good website agency looks at your website the way a new customer does. They can spot what is slowing it down, what is confusing, and what is stopping people from getting in touch. They can also set things up so you can make simple changes yourself.
How We Can Help
At IDM2, we build and look after websites for small businesses across Melbourne and the rest of Australia. If you would like your website checked against this list, or you think it is time for something new, have a look at our small business websites page or get in touch for a friendly chat.