There are certain things that users of your business website will expect to see. First-time visitors will want to confirm that your business can supply them with what they need, and they will have questions that will need answering. Returning visitors may want to learn more about your company or have specific information that they need to locate.
It is best to provide this standard information in a format and location that people expect. It is also advisable to be transparent and make it easy for people to navigate your website. Here are ten of the standard pieces of information and functions that people expect to find on a business website.
Clear Indication of What Your Business Offers
A first-time visitor to your website does not want to waste time working out what your business does. So, don’t be coy making it clear on your homepage what you have to offer, even if it is only a general overview of your products or services. Some companies avoid divulging too much information about products because they are concerned about giving too much away to competitors. Some believe that if they provide too much information, it will dissuade people from contacting them. Still, if a visitor has no idea what your business does, they will move on to a competitor’s website.
Ease of Use and Navigation
If people cannot find your product pages or service descriptions, they cannot become customers. So, easy to use menus and other navigation aids are a must in a business website. It is generally best to keep a business website clean, simple, and easy to navigate. Don’t forget to include the all-important search box. Making it as easy as possible for a visitor to move from being a casual browser to an interested prospect will help get you more conversions.
SSL Certificate
A Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) helps protect the privacy of information exchanged between a customer and a website. The SLL certificate gives your site the HTTPS prefix and the padlock symbol on the web browser. Many internet users see an SSL certificate as an indication that a website can be trusted. So, even if you do not sell products online, SSL is essential for credibility. If you do not have SSL it would be advisable to get it, because some people will not trust your site without it.
Contact information
Most businesses want their customers to be able to contact them. Still, many websites do not display contact information or make it hard to find. Indicating a physical location and telephone number comforts a customer your business is legitimate and real, and providing a contact box or email address assures people that you have nothing to hide. You may get some spam messages or unwanted calls when you display contact information on your website. However, the inconvenience of dealing with spam will be outweighed by the benefits of being transparent and encouraging customer contact.
Why Your Business is Unique
Customers will want to know why your business is better than the other similar companies they can find on the internet. Prospective customers will likely need to learn more about your company before placing an order or making an inquiry. People will be expecting to discover what makes your business unique on your about us page. The ‘about us’ page should contain a brief history of your business and explain your offering’s unique qualities. In other words, you should highlight any qualities that make your product or service stand out above those of your competitors.
Third-party validation
Of course, you will show your product and services in the best possible light, and people know that. So, customers will also want to see third-party validation that proves what you say is true. Visitors to your website will be expecting to see things like customer case studies, testimonials, awards, and accreditations. Third-party validation is essential to gain people’s confidence in your brand.
Fresh Content
Customers will want to see that you have not abandoned your website. If people know that you have not updated your site for a long time, they may think you have gone out of business or are experiencing difficulties. There are many ways to provide new content. You could update your blog with company news, for example. You could offer special seasonal offers and post topical blog content. Fresh content not only shows people that your business is active–posting new content will also help you achieve a higher ranking on the search engines.
Terms, Conditions, and Processes
Make it easy for people to find the essential things, like how to purchase products and the processes to follow if something happens out of the ordinary. Customers will want to understand your shipping costs, for example. Being upfront about fees like shipping and other expenses will ensure that your customers don’t get any surprises at the checkout stage. Customers will want to know how they can get status reports on their orders. Customers will also want to understand how you handle problems and complaints, and they will need to know what your return policies are and if you offer warranties or money-back guarantees.
A Personalized Experience
It is easier than you think to make customers believe they are getting personalized service from a website. You could start by thinking about the type of language you use in your content. Try to write content as though you are talking to an individual rather than a large audience. And target special offers to the customer by using personal terms like “A special offer for you.” It would also help to provide special discounts to repeat customers, and simple things like thank-you notes and free extra services like gift wrapping will also help make a customer feel special.
A Chance to Provide Feedback
Some businesses are reluctant to encourage customers’ feedback because it can be time consuming to deal with all the comments. However, people are used to reviewing products and commenting on services. So, it would be best to provide the features to facilitate feedback on your website. Customer feedback can also help you improve your products, services, and processes. And positive feedback can be used as third-party validation on your website.
Conclusion
Some of the above points may seem a bit obvious. However, it is surprising how many websites do not meet the expectations of users. If you fail to provide the essential information and make it easy to get around your site, though, you will likely lose sales.
Make it clear what your business does and what makes it unique. Make it easy for visitors to find what they need. And don’t hide crucial information like shipping costs, returns policies, and complaints procedures. Most crucially, always remember that people will not have the patience to hunt around for information that should be readily accessible on your website.