7 Essentials for a Modern Business Website

The internet has changed the way business takes place. Ecommerce, tutorials, website directories, review sites, and more all reflect the changes. The most significant change, however, has been the business website. Any business, small or large, can inform and attract customers from anywhere in the world. What makes a quality business website; what attracts people and new business? Below is a list of seven essential traits a business website should include.

Visually Appealing
Your business website must be visually appealing, the color, style, and texture must be appropriate for your business. Gaudy colors and blinking gifs are probably not apropos for a law firm but may be perfect for a disco. A quality visual design is crucial for the branding of your business.

Effective Navigation
Visitors to your website should be able to navigate easily. If customers cannot find what they are looking for, they will leave. Your menu should be easy to read and direct people to the content they seek.

Business Contact Information
Business contact information displayed on every page of your website makes it easier for visitors to contact you. If visitors have to search to find contact information, they may look elsewhere. Your contact page should display map links, geodata, address, and phone numbers.

Search Engine Optimized
Your business website needs to be search engine optimized if you want prospective customers to find you. Keywords, robots.txt, sitemaps, structured data, and more are all part of successful search engine optimization. The best website may be useless unless found in search engines.

Secure
A website that uses a current SSL certificate creating an HTTPS domain provides visitors with a sense of security that is missing with non-secured websites. The certificate also adds safety for data input via forms and other documents on the site.

Social Media Connections
A business website should be tied or linked to any social media platforms on which the business participates. Business often engages in several communication channels. Tieing these channels together with your business website offers visitors structure. Your business website is the core of your online branding.

Mobile Website
A mobile, responsive website can be viewed on most devices and offers a flexible platform for your business to deliver content to visitors. Many people rely on phones or tablets for their internet searches. A business website must accommodate multiple viewing platforms.

Of course, there is always more, but these seven essentials will get you off on the right foot when evaluating or creating your business website.