So you’ve built your website and all the moving parts seem to be, well – moving pretty well, but you still need to think about how you’re going to accept and affect payments and orders and how much of your website works with your logistics back office, if you have one.
These are some of the issues that a lot of small business owners and entrepreneurs tend to forget about from time to time, or when they do think of how to implement these elements into their online environment, don’t take the full holistic account of what they need into consideration.
So we’re going to take a look at a few of these issues and help you put some thought into the information that your website, must have. Now, remember, payments and online security can be a challenge, so instead of doing it yourself, speak to someone that can help you with a payments developer Hub.
First, let’s start with some facts about online trading and selling. Did you know that in 2020, online sales in the United States alone amounted to nearly $5.6 TRILLION, overtaking traditional retail for the first time. Many forecasters put this rise down to the pandemic and in many respects – they’re right, but here’s what a lot of the people seemingly in the know did not think about: there is now a whole new generation of online shoppers.
The continued rise of the silver surfers (that is elderly persons to you and me) have now been made comfortable in the online environment and are ordering everything from food and medicine, to booking vacations and arranging help around the house when they need it.
All of this means that you have to get your online shopping right, but the beauty of it all, is that what you don’t get right today – you can still fix tomorrow, such is the nature of the dynamics online. We’re all about getting business done and getting it done correctly, after all creating and preserving wealth has never been more important.
There are five points of information that you absolutely cannot live without on your webpage.
NAP – write this down and never forget it, because one may be very alarmed to see how many websites don’t get this most basic data requirement down. NAP stands for Name, Address, and Phone number. If you do nothing else outside of the information you’re posting, you must do this.
Contact forms – You can have the most amazing design, fantastic product or service offering, and more, but without a ‘contact us’ button, you may as well have none of it at all. Now, how sophisticated you decide to go with that contact us button is up to you, but remember that automatic bots have just turned businesses, even small and medium-sized ones at that, 24/7.
Pricing guides – we know that you want to think twice before publishing an intensive pricing guide, because that may well turn potential clients off before you’ve had the chance to engage with them, but consider that if someone is your website – they want to know more, so presenting that information in a way that encourages contact is more beneficial, than not publishing it at all. (Where it’s relevant of course, if you offer bespoke services then no one really expects a pricing guide).
And finally, you need an ‘about page’ and your social media links. Pretty self-explanatory but something that many online sites are still getting wrong or unbelievably, missing altogether.
You can find more great advice, right here.
(Disclaimer: This content is a partnered post. This material is provided as news and general information. It should not be construed as an endorsement of any investment service. The opinions expressed are the personal views and experience of the author, and no recommendation is made.)