5 Must-Have Website Features for Business

Every small business needs a website in today's digitally connected world, here are 5 must-have website features you need to know about in order to run a successful business online. This article focuses on small businesses but can be used for any type of business.

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Every small business needs a website in today’s digitally connected world, here are 5 must-have website features you need to know. Without a website, clients and customers will struggle to find you, resulting in drastically reduced sales and missed opportunities. It takes more than just a generic site with little-to-no content to succeed, however. To strengthen your small business’s digital footprint on the web, make sure your website is equipped with the five following features.

1. Google Analytics

1. Google Analytics - Must Have Website Features

Google Analytics is the top must-have website features for all business websites. Using this free tool, you can track channels for data analytics purposes, monitor bounce rate, exit rate, unique page views, total page views, average time spent per page and more. Using this information, you can then create custom-tailored content designed for your site’s audience.

2. Site Search Analytics

Google Analytics can give you useful information about how people are getting to your site and what they’re doing there, but information about why they’re behaving that way needs to be inferred from the data. According to Object Rocket, tools now exist that will give you a rich profile of users on your site by analyzing their search patterns with on-site search functions. Knowing why is key to your business success online, which is why we ranked it #2 in our list of must-have website features.

3. Responsive Design

Responsive web design is another one of the most important website features that can increase your website’s traffic and authority. As explained by Google, responsive sites automatically adjust viewport sizes based on the device on which they are viewed. When a user visits your site on a mobile device, it changes the design to create the best possible viewing experience. There are several ways to create a mobile-friendly website, but responsive web design is the only method recommended by Google.

Just recently, Google changed their ranking algorithm to use mobile page structure when deciding search ranks. This is important because Google user typically use their phone for searches, so to go with this trend, Google made it more important than desktop structure.

4. Brand Elements

Don’t forget to include your business’s brand elements on your site. When users visit your website, you want them to immediately associate it with your company. Therefore, you should include your business’s brand elements like your logo, slogan and color scheme. Incorporating these elements into your site will reinforce your business’s brand and should be included in your website features toolset.

5. Social Media Links

Finally, include links to your business’s social media accounts and profiles on your site. Each Facebook like or Twitter tweet is a signal of trust. And the more trust signals your site has, the higher the chance of converting visitors into customers or clients.

Bonus Website Features

Above, we listed the top website features, but that is not all you need to do in order to be successful online. Here are some quick hits for things to look for when you are planning your digital marketing strategy.

Content is King – content is what you put on your website that drives traffic and gets you found for certain keywords. Having a blog like the one you are one helps this dramatically. So, get blogging.
SSL (Secured Website) – Having a secure website will drive more traffic to your business and sets you apart from scammers and spammers. Have an https:// domain and the green lock like you see on our website gives your visitors peace of mind and tells Google you are legit.
Speed – Having a slow website is like having a car that only goes 20 on the interstate. Your users will become frustrated and leave before they fully enjoy your content. Make sure your website loads in less than 3 seconds or risk losing new visitors.
Standardization – I know, having a unique website is cool, but if you overdo it…you risk confusing your visitors or worse…having them just leave. Users of the internet are used to certain things…don’t move too far from that. Keep your navigation standard, keep your structure standard, etc. You can still have a unique website without overdoing it and potentially losing returning visitors.

These are just a few must-have website features for your small business’s website. We understand that you have limited time, so we’d like to be part of the solution that implements these features and more with minimal time suck. We can help build your website and SEO in a way that can put your first among your competitors.

If you are interested in learning more about how this topic can help your business, please contact our agency on our contact page or call us at 1-888-964-4991. We publish a new article once or twice per month so make sure to follow us on social media and allow for push notifications if you want to stay in the loop with our agency and digital marketing.

Posted In: Branding, Business, Design, Graphic Design, Logo, Website Design, Website Development