A website is sometimes the first point of contact a customer has with your business. Just like a shop front, it is important to set a good first impression.

When a customer walks through your shop doors, you make sure they are provided with excellent customer service and convenience in fulfilling their needs. If a customer struggles to find what they are looking for or are given a frustrating experience, it can lead to a significant loss of clients and potentially damage your business reputation.

This same struggle and experience can also happen on your website. If your website does not provide a sufficient amount of information, it can be just as frustrating as looking in a store. Businesses need to make sure their website provides plenty of information for their customers that is easy to find and navigate around.

Below is a list of information you should consider putting on your business website.

Contact information

As obvious this point is, a lot of business websites do not have their contact information readily available. Nowadays, many people use the internet to look up a stores information such as location and phone number. If your website does not provide these vital details, you will risk losing a significant amount of customers who could end up giving their business to a competitor instead.

You can also consider fusing your contacts page with the many online social tools available, such as Google Maps. Not only does this web app make it easier for your customers to find your shops location, but Google Maps is also a great way to boost your websites SEO rankings, which is more likely to put your business in the first 10-20 search results.

Website Navigation

Imagine visiting a shop where you had no idea where to access your desired product or service? Navigation is vital in both a physical store and a website. If your customer cannot find obvious signs that point them to what they need, they will leave faster than they had arrived.

Make your website navigation simple. Think about the most important aspects your customers would want to know about your business and make it easy for them to find and access. Also, take into consideration the types of customers you may be attracting. If your market base is mainly of an older demographic or English is their second language, make sure your navigation language is straightforward and simple and your text and links are based on a font that is easy to read.

Another very important factor in a websites navigation is consistency. If every business’s franchise used different colours and signs to each other, customers will be confused to what store they have entered and where to find their products. Ensure your website navigation is constant throughout each webpage, which means your menu bar shouldn’t change regardless of what page your customer may be on.

Page Clicks

How many clicks does it take for your visitors to navigate themselves around your website before landing on the right page? Measuring clicks is a lot like measuring the time it takes for a customer to find their ideal product in a physical store. The more time consuming the task is for a customer, the more frustrating their shopping experience becomes.

Many internet users don’t have a lot of time on their hands and would want to access information as fast as possible. If your website requires too many clicks to get to the right web page, your visitors will quickly move elsewhere and might even visit a competitors website because their information is easier to reach.

Make sure your information is readily available on your website and would only require less than a few clicks to access. A website is all about making your business information as easy as possible for clients and customers to find.

Help Options

It is extremely important for all businesses to provide as much help to every customer that walks into their store. Many customers judge a business by the calibre of customer service they can provide throughout their shopping experience.

This level of customer service should also translate throughout your website. The types of help options you can add can range from your customer service phone number, e-mail address or a FAQ page. In providing as much help features as much as possible, your customers will view your website as an authentic source of information, which will generate revisits, recommendations and even new clients.

Information is a key element that shouldn’t be disregarded when it comes to designing your website. No matter how flashy or sleek your design can be, it is information that brings your clients to your website. Always make sure your information is clear, detailed and easy to access. The easier it is to reach your information the better rankings your business will get in SEO search results. SEO search engines also like websites that are constantly active. Take the initiative to regularly update your websites information to match the changes that are being made in your business.

Take your website design seriously just like you would to a stores layout. Think about your customers, their needs and what sort of information they would like to find out first about your business. The best way to set a good website first impression is through your information.