As a minimum, your website should contain basic information about your company including your name, products or services, contact information, store location data, possibly pictures of staff and your logo.
However, few businesses can get away with just providing the bare minimum. There are plenty of touches you can add to your site to make it stand out from competitors. These are often cheap and easy to use.
Instead of just putting the address of your store locations, add a Google Maps widget. Provide closing and opening hours, specific descriptions of your business goals and objectives, and a client list (be sure to brag about your biggest cliental).
You may also want to provide a “news” section, highlighting various achievements and announcements.
For eCommerce sites, customisable shopping is a must-have. Allow your customers to browse by price, category, or even more specific items like colour.
You should also link your website into your social media strategy. Add bookmarks for your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and RSS feeds. You can also add widgets to show your latest social media updates on the main page of your site, giving visitors the impression your business is brimming with constant activity.
Patrick Stafford is a freelance journalist and a former deputy editor of SmartCompany.
