What Makes a Business Website Work?

First and foremost, the purpose of your website is to add value to your prospects and customers.

If you are always focused on adding as much value as possible, the leads, sales, and/or improvements to your business will follow naturally. So, what makes a business website work?

The simple fact is, if you’re not developing a website to be online within the next three years, you’re casting a death sentence on your business. If your website is hosting a blank page with the inexcusable two words ‘under construction’, then what message are you trying to convey to your customers about your business and the service or product you provide?

There are many facets to building a business website that really works and brings you into business. So let’s look at a few key elements you must consider when developing your website.

Does it meet the business goal?

What business goal are you trying to achieve? Start with the end in mind – what are you looking for the website to do? I believe websites weren’t meant to simply exist. Each of the billions of pages on the internet has a unique purpose. It may be to entertain, to inform, to persuade or something very specific such as to collect an email address from a user.

Many business owners create a website to increase sales. If this is the goal of your website, everything on the website exists to meet that goal. Your website must engage your prospects and persuade them to take an action that leads to a sale. If something exists on your website that distracts your prospect from this ultimate goal, it is dead weight and should be removed.

It must be user-friendly

User-friendly interface.

Once you have clearly defined the goal of your website and stripped away the inessentials, you must make certain the website is user-friendly. Did you know there are numerous web browsers and operating systems? Each combination of these can potentially display a website differently. I’ve seen a website that looks great in one browser which won’t even load in another!

The essential of usability extends far into other areas of websites including the use of animation, navigation, viewing on a smartphone, and many others.

Does it have a clear message?

This essential element ties in closely with meeting the business goal. Your users are coming to your website for a reason. If your website doesn’t clearly explain who you are and what you have to offer, they will leave. You have the opportunity to use text, pictures, video, audio or other media to present your message.

Is it pleasing to the eye?

Your business has an image it projects to the world. Your website is an extension of this image or brand. Excellent design translates into trust from your users; it’s that simple.

Your website is like an orchestra—every element must work together in harmony to achieve results. 

If you start on these key elements you will be getting closer to making your website work for your business. There are so many other elements of building a website that get results. Too many to cover here. Simply copying a website won’t get it working without knowing the fundamentals and the reasons for each element, and how they all work together like an orchestra. It would be like trying to copy a piece of music without seeing the music sheets – it may sound the same but you won’t know how each piece fits in and why, and the subtle tones that make it work as a collective piece.