Small Business Web Design

Your graphics, your text and your site are beautifully designed with content that is both interesting and enticing. You are getting traffic but no one is reacting. Small business web design doesn't have to have lots of pages and graphics. It doesn't have to be especially beautiful but it does have to have certain elements in the right places for various reasons.

Persuading People to Interact

I'm guessing that if you have optimized for search and are getting traffic but have few conversions then perhaps you have not yet mastered what is termed the Call To Action phrase.

A "call to action" is web copy which instructs your reader about what you would like him or her to do when they are on your website. The internet is a still largely a browsing medium for most people. People who have very different levels of computer skills, so it's important to ask your prospective clients to act. Preferably NOW!

If you want your visitors to do something, you'll get the best results if you tell them exactly what to do and make it as easy as possible to do it. Part of your small business web design is giving people the right reasons to DO something.

Examples of Actions

Start your call to action with a verb and keep it short and sweet.

For example: "Call this number 000000000 to talk to a sales representative." If a phone call is what YOU want people to do - place this message in your header or place your call to action at the top of the sidebar so it is on on their computer screen the entire time while they click and view other pages.

For a long sales page place several payment links with appropriate action phrases throughout the page so that people don't have to scroll up and down looking for it. There should be a large graphic stating something like "Click Here to Get Your Own Unique Purple Bee".

If you want people to opt in so you can send them email messages then your opt in form should be prominently displayed on your home page and in the top block of your sidebar. The message with your form must offer people something unique and a picture of the offer helps to make it stand out. Your call to action phrase - "Act Today and Get A Free Guide With This Months Newsletter!"

Appealing to People's Emotions

You have probably read before that it is not about features -  it's about benefits. The difference is emotion.

People don't buy green alligator shoes because they keep their feet protected and comfortable.  They buy them because they feel special wearing them. They feel special because they own something exclusive that makes them proud to be wealthy, they wear them to attract attention or to appear stylish. So your text should concentrate on these emotions, rather than on the featured colour - green, or material - crocodile skin.

If you have something that saves people time or money, that will make them feel good to own or have access to - for whatever the reason, then using the word "because" will help you write the kind of description that will aid you. The most clichéd and over used advertising phrase in women's cosmetics is "Because you're worth it." But gee it still works...

Testing Small Business Web Page Elements

Conversion is an art form. Many people have a great product and spend a lot of time on promotion and getting traffic but see few financial results because their page does not connect with their target market. There are so many variables on a sales page that can have positive or negative results and although many people give great advise on conversion tactics sometimes only testing your copy will improve your conversion rates.

Split testing is popular, this is when you use a script to present two versions of a page to different visitors and chart the results. Multivariate testing or Taguchi testing gives you the means to test more than two versions of a page. To start testing your small business web design you need fairly high traffic to get meaningful results. Google gives some great free tools you can use to do this such as website optimiser and Google analytics.

Careful planning used in small business web design is needed to make a site that works for you rather than a site you keep endlessly working on. The more you know the better you'll do but don't kid yourself with false economy. Sometimes getting a professional to do your small business web design will save you money because the time you spend doing it yourself is better spent doing what you do best - managing your business.

DIY WordPress Website

SEO, good content, market research and testing are all important for optimizing your small business web design for conversions. Do it yourself the easiest way by using WordPress as a content management system. WordPress is the best CMS and works "as is" very well indeed. No web designer needed, no programmer needed.  Start by installing the free WordPress blog software and learn as you use it by reading free "How To's"  on thousands of amazingly helpful blogs and forums.

I have a website with all the information you need. Visit Make Your Own Website with DIY Website - you'll discover lots of information on how to make your own website using WordPress or have it made for you, so you can then edit it yourself.

Don't sweat the small stuff. Take your time and enjoy owning a website.