How to manage your website
A website needs to let visitors know what it is all about within the first three seconds of loading. There are many sites out there that are meant for a very specific group of people, yet you can't tell what they are about from the domain name, or from the title of the home page, or from the artwork in the header. Anyone who finds this type of site in a search engine will probably leave quickly!
A website not only needs to provide information that its visitors want, it needs to provide it in such a way that the site's visitors develop a trust of the site's owners. Only after that is accomplished will they be comfortable spending money with the company behind the website.
A website should contain a short history of your business, including information about how and why you got into that line of work. Are you a professional violinist who started playing the violin when you broke your leg skiing, and had nothing better to do at the lodge while your friends frolicked on the ski slopes? Did you become a watchmaker because people in your family have been watchmakers for five generations? If there is an interesting back story about your business, let people know.
Perhaps the most important thing to include on your site is a USP (unique selling point). To find your USP, ask yourself, why should someone buy from my business? The most important answer is your USP, but make sure you list all the other reasons prominently on your web site.
The next most important thing people need is information that will help them make a purchase. If your site's purpose is to get people to a physical storefront, then you need to add maps and directions, as well as the hours you are open. If you are selling items on line, make sure your site has prominent 'BUY' buttons.
Finally you need to make an easy way for people to contact you and display it prominently on your site. Do you want a phone number to open up a Skype program when clicked? A website expert can add it. Do you want people to fill out a contact form. A web site professional can choose the right type of form script and make sure that it stays working.
Another important thing that should be on your site are testimonials. A video testimonial will carry more weigh than a written one, because visitors can watch the person as they give their testimonial. Another great way to give credibility to testimonials is to obtain them from customers who will allow you to link to their Facebook page. It is much harder for anyone to fake these type of testimonials.
Knowing what info your website should hold is only half the battle. There are tricks to website management that only professionals know. If you are busy running your business you probably don't have the time to test how your site looks in computer screens of various sizes, using different versions of all the most popular web browsers. Leave this to a professional (if you're looking for one, Rudi Donckers has our vote. He offers quality at a good price).