Website Basics: Features Every Website Should Have
In this post we will go over some website basics and features every website should have. We’re pretty sure you will learn a whole about things to look for when choosing a web design agency or building your own site from scratch.
Your Website Is More Than Just A Website
The fact of the matter is this. Your website is more than just a website. In fact, it is the only asset your company has that provides ongoing marketing and contributes to your advertising strategy 24/7. Or hopefully.
However, the sad truth is that many websites do absolutely nothing for the people and businesses they represent. In fact, they just get lost online and customers wonder where is my website. And we’d hate to see that happen to you too!
Your website has the ability to be a lead generating machine if you play your cards right. And isn’t that the purpose of a website? To attract new customers in addition to accurately representing your brand and company values?
Here are some of the things your website should offer:
- Your website should aesthetically represent your brand
- It should display important information for consumers such as name, address and phone number (NAP)
- Your website should discuss the products and services you have to offer
- Customers should be able to reach you through your website
- Purchases and transactions should be able to be made through your company website
PRO TIP: Hire experienced web designers such as NJ web design and SEO Agency Bizmap LLC. With a good company, they can lead you in the right direction regarding web design!
8 Important Features Every Website Needs
Below we will go over 8 important features every website needs. No matter what type of website and no matter what your budget, you should at the very least have these things! Make sure the web design agency you hire adds these important features to your website to make sure you get the most out of it.
Clear Contact Information
Your website needs clear contact information displayed in numerous places. For example, besides just the “contact page”, your website should have your phone number and other means of contact clearly visible for prospects to see.
Some places to display contact info:
- Contact page
- Navigation bar
- As hyperlinks within page content
- In footer widgets
PRO TIP: Display phone number clearly on secondary navigation bar. Make it a hyper link so that customers can just click and call.
Name Address and Phone Number (NAP)
In the same line of thought as displaying clear contact information, you want all of our business info such as name, address and phone number clear on your site. This contributes to your local SEO and your overall SEO strategy. NJ SEO Bizmap LLC recommends that, this information should be consistent with any other listings you may have.
For example: if you are displaying your business hours on Google My Business as being 9AM-5PM, you will want your website to also say that. Doing so creates consistency and relevancy and signals to the search engines that these are the times that you operate.
CTA’s
Every website needs clear CTA’s. Your website’s purpose is to inform the user about your brand and to motivate him or her to take an action. As an example, if you’re on a website that sells CBD oil, you should walk away from the website being given the opportunity to purchase CBD oil.
You CTA’s should be clear and concise and motivate web users to make a purchase or call you. Having a website that lacks any clear CTA is a big mistake that you’ll pay for in lost clients.
Cohesive Branding
Branding on your website is a great opportunity to visually portray your company values to the world. A website that is well branded portrays your business as professional and well managed. In addition, it adds to the credibility of your brand.
Here are a few tips for your branding strategy:
- Display your logo on your website and all marketing material
- Use the same color palette throughout all advertising and website
- Be sure to use the same font on your website and other marketing materials
- Make sure your branding compliments your industry aesthetics
About Page
Your about page is an opportunity to tell consumers about your brand and who you are. Every website needs an about page, so be sure to use it wisely. If you are a local business, you can give details about your location such as where your business operates and the areas you service. In addition, you could add directions to your business and other important information such as your hours of operation on your about page.
Your about page should include the following:
- Information about your company such as who you are and some history
- Services you provide
- Information about the location of the business and areas you service
- Brief intros of team members and the owner of the company
Contact Page
Your contact page is another essential part of your website that you must have. Your contact page should be easily accessible on the website’s main navigation or footer. Your contact page could include a Google Maps embed to provide location relevance of your business.
Some pointers for your contact page:
- Should be easy to access and visible for website visitors
- Include all means of contact
- Incorporate a contact form
- Add a Google Maps embed
- Add directions
Blog
A blog is another important feature every website should have. When creating a blog, know that blog content will leverage the online presence of the rest of your site. As with the other pages of your site, your blog posts should link to other blog posts on your site, other pages on the site and authority sites too. Your blog should be written on subject matter that is important to your niche. As an example, if you are a NJ photographer, your blog should include posts on photography and other relevant niche-specific content.
Some pointers for having a great blog:
- Include how-to’s
- Write in easy to read wording
- Have headings, subheadings, lists and bullet points
- Include images and media
- Use long-form content that is well-researched
- Do interviews of gurus in your industry
Social Media Integration
Your social media should be included in your website. Be sure to have links in the header navigation bar and/or footer widget area. If you don’t have social accounts, you should create some. Include your website in social media accounts and add the accounts to your website too.
Doing so is a great way to increase and improve your online presence. In addition, it is great for SEO and will and credibility to your website. Here are some helpful tips for your website and social media accounts:
- Include any social media business accounts on your business website
- Consider displaying recent posts on your website
- Use plugins to enhance integration between social media and your site
Conclusion
While every website is unique, each website should have certain specific things. In combination, your website should contribute to your branding and help get your business online. A contact page and about page are just two things every website needs to have. There are many more that you should take into consideration when hiring a web designer or SEO agency to set up your site.
We hope this post has been helpful. And we hope you have learned some website basics and the features every website should have.
