Here are four ways you can improve your website and give yourself an edge over your competition with today's savvy online consumers.

4 ways to add value to your business website

It’s always difficult for a small business to impress clients. As a small business owner, especially one who runs their company from home, you don't have the financial might for high-quality marketing or other strategies that larger businesses enjoy. This means you need to find a different way to impress, and one way to achieve this is to add value to your website. Without a dedicated office, your website is the perfect hub where future clients and customers can learn more about you, so where do you begin? 

#1 Add better blogs and content 

No matter what type of business you run, you need to fill your business website with content. People aren't always going to visit your website just to browse your products or services. They want to learn from someone who is an expert in their industry, and content is the best way to do this. 

Valuable content, whether text or video posts, will make this possible. You should also use keyword-rich headlines that help these articles rank high on search engines, drawing more people to your website. People will want to leave your website having learned something, so your content must be as educational as it is entertaining. 

#2 Include all the information clients need, without the complicated jargon 

Have you ever visited a company’s website and not been able to figure out exactly what they do? Rather than clear and concise information, each page is filled with more jargon than the one before. While the website might look good, it isn’t of use to anyone except those with specialist knowledge. 

No one wants to read vague descriptions of products or services, so avoid this by getting to the point. Explaining what you do in clear, unobtrusive terms makes your website more effective. Besides this, including an About page, something on the company history, pricing, contact details and location, and any other useful info that clients may need.

#3 Clean up the design and make it user friendly 

The days of cramming as much information onto one page are over. We’re not in the 90s anymore, so any website that seems like an assault on the senses is one people will click away from as soon as they arrive. 

You may not have updated your website for a while, but running a business can be time-consuming. If you want to make your site as appealing as possible, hire a professional web designer to build and maintain your site. 

You should also make sure all the links work properly and your users aren’t constantly taken to 404 error pages.  Add a search bar and easy to find menu items so your website users can easily access the information they need.

#4 Add widgets to enhance the user experience

Widgets are useful ways for customers to get to other external pages or obtain information that could be useful to them. You’ve likely seen bloggers with widgets to their Instagram or Twitter, but this isn’t all you can do. 

Even simple widgets like the weather in your area can add something to your site if you’re targeting local customers only. Likewise, those that work in healthcare or want to keep people up-to-date on health within the area can install a COVID API which lists current case rates. 

Think about the type of widgets that are useful to your target audience or that will improve your user experience.

Your perfect online space 

A high-quality website that’s full of value is your chance to promote your services to people who may be on the fence, or have even stumbled across your site by chance. The first impression of a website is always the most important, so make sure your website offers visitors everything they need to know in a user friendly way.