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Do-It-Yourself Website Design

Building your own website is relatively simple. The key is understanding basic small business website design principles. Although fancy fonts and custom graphics are nice, they aren’t enough to make your website successful. And don’t let those Web hosting companies that promise you a $2.99-a-month business website fool you either. They might give you basic templates to work with, but they don’t give you the pertinent information you need to make any money.

You’ve got to know how to optimize your site so the search engines can find you, and you’ve got to know how to write content so visitors become paying customers.

That’s where these basic website design principles can help.

For more detailed information on optimizing your website so the search engines can find you, see our Search Engine Optimization page.

Small Business Website Design That Works

The first and most important rule of effective website design is:

CONTENT is king.
If you’ve been scammed in the past by hosting companies or affiliate or multilevel marketing (MLM) programs that promise you big returns for minimal investment, you know there’s no such thing as “get rich quick.” A flashy sales page won’t make you an instant millionaire. You need to build an information-rich website that’s loaded with relevant content. That’s what Web surfers, and search engine spiders (like Google and Yahoo and MSN), are looking for — relevant information.

Once your visitors see that your site provides them with valuable knowledge — relevant information, they’ll be more inclined to buy from you. Why? Because they trust you more than the “noisy” site filled with flashing lights and blinking banners, but no real information to help them.

So the first step in effective small business website design is to write valuable content that gives your visitors what they want: knowledge, information, the confidence they need to buy from you. This is called PRE-selling.

Next, you need to keep in mind that your website should:

Keep it simple.
Focus your content on the benefits of one specific product or product line, such as “cosmetics”, or one specific service, such as “career coaching” or “bookkeeping.” If you dilute your website with lots of unrelated content — vastly different topics that don’t provide targeted information — the search engines won’t give your site a second glance and you won’t get listed in their indexes. Unless you’ve determined you don’t need to get traffic from the search engines, it’s vital that your content be highly focused, or niche specific.

The best way to do this is to use keyword-specific content for each page. This means each page will be entirely devoted to one aspect of your subject. For instance, if your website is about “How To Care for Your Dog,” each different page on your website will be focused on one topic related to Dog Care, such as “Canine Tooth Care,” “Flea and Tick Control,” “Special Diets for Diabetic Dogs,” and so on. You’ll use your specific keyword throughout that page, which gives you relevance in the eyes of search engines. Your goal is to have the search engines list your site in the results it gives Web surfers who type in phrases or keywords that your pages have information about.

You also need to make your website:

Easy to read.
Internet surfers are looking for information fast. They want to be able to skim a page and find what they’re looking for quickly, without having to read huge blocks of dense text. Therefore, break up your Web pages with headlines, subheads, and chunks of white space that make it easier for readers to scan.

Your headlines should grab their attention using benefits-focused statements or questions, such as “Keep Your Skin Young Looking Longer” or “Are You Looking for a Way to…?” This draws your reader in and makes them want to read more. Your subheads should entice them even further with hints of the benefits they’ll receive by reading on.

Easy to navigate.
Your visitors should be able to find what they need easily, without getting lost or confused, desperate to find a way out. Provide clearly marked links to take them back to the page they came from, or to take them to the next page or your home page.

A navigation bar on each page will also help them find their main topic of interest, and lead them where they want to go. A site map is also a good idea, especially if some of your pages aren’t listed on your navigation bar. It’s best if visitors can reach their desired destination within one or two clicks from your home page. If they have to keep clicking to get where they want to go, they might not find it worth the effort and click away from your site, never to return again. Giving them an easy way to get around is the best way to keep them around, and keep them coming back.

And last but not least, make sure your website is:

Benefits-oriented.
Your website copy should focus on the benefits your visitors will receive from using your product or service. Instead of raving about how great you are or what a miraculous discovery your product is, tell your visitors what’s in it for them. They want to know, “how will this improve my life/make me more beautiful/free up my time?” Your copy should trigger key emotions using phrases like, “Wouldn’t it be great if you could…” and “Imagine finding a way to…”. Make it about them and how they can solve their problem or improve their life. Make them care enough about themselves to take action, to purchase your product or service.

Recommended Resources

Whether you’re a bricks-and-mortar company, an online entrepreneur, a home-based business, or a work-at-home mom looking for ways to increase your income, you can dramatically improve your business’ bottom line by designing a website that works.

You can also learn how to create your own website in our Special Report, How To Create A Website That Works in 3 Easy Steps, available for download through our Products page.