Are you a young startup owner building your first website?
If the answer is yes, you’ve got to read this! I have been discussing the topic with various business owners lately, and I can’t wait any longer to share the notes which I’ve been making… Here it goes-

For a startup business website, it is essential to keep in mind that a 21st century user is a person ‘spoiled’ by multeity of features designed specifically to enhance the user experience, improve client engagement, and at the same time, to drive business growth. During the recent decades, certain traditions of website layout, design and content have been formed, and every new business owner who wants to succeed in business must keep them in mind like the alphabet of business development.
Here are the top 20 ‘must-have’ website features; I have put this list together after reading a few Internet articles and discussing the topic with fellow-business people. Your website MUST HAVE:

1. Responsive Design, which ensures the website works well on all devices (desktops, tablets, smartphones); This will enhance user experience and improve search engine ranking.

2. Clear Navigation, to offer an easy-to-find and use menu structure; this will help your users find information quickly, reducing bounce rates.

3. Contact Information, an obvious feature, for sure. Make your contact details visible and accessible from various pages; include phone number, email, and physical address. The easy access to contact information builds trust and creates pleasant experience for your potential customers.

4. About Us Page with information about the company’s mission, values, and team. This will let you establish credibility and build a connection with the audience.

5. Call to Action (CTA), a great feature which is supposed to guide users toward desired actions, such as signing up for newsletters or making a purchase.

6. Social Media Integration to link your website to your business’s social media profiles. Having those will enhance brand presence and allow your users to connect on different platforms.

7. A regularly updated Blog or Resources Section with industry-relevant content, to improve SEO*, provides value to users, and establishes expertise.

8. Testimonials and Reviews page with customer feedback and success stories to build trust and social proof.

9. Secure and Easy Payment Options: if you want to succeed with your business, you need to provide multiple payment methods and secure checkout process. This section of your website is supposed to facilitate transactions and ensure customer data protection.

10. A Search bar to help users find specific content. This can improve user experience by making information easily accessible.

11. Having an FAQ Section where you can keep answers to common questions is also a good idea. This will make your life easier, as it will provide quick answers to users.

12. Fast Load Times. Make sure to have optimized images and efficient coding practices; this will enhance user experience and improve search engine ranking.

13. In order to build trust and ensure compliance with regulations you may need to have Privacy Policy and Terms of Service section with clear information on data usage and legal policies.

14. Analytics and Tracking is something that you need like air nowadays, because integration with tools like Google Analytics will provides insights into user behavior and website performance.

15. Having an Email Sign-Up Form would create an easy way for users to subscribe to newsletters and at the same time, it would allow you to build a mailing list for marketing purposes.

16. A great, relatively new website feature is Live Chat Support with a real-time customer support option; it can significantly improve your customer service and user engagement.

17. Portfolio or Case Studies is a must for majority of service company websites. Having a showcase of past work or projects will demonstrate your expertise and attract potential clients.

18. You may consider such feature as Secure Hosting and SSL Certificate to ensure your website’s security and data protection. A feature like this helps build trust and improve SEO.

19. To provide an easy-to-manage content management system for your users, you’ll need to set up a User-Friendly CMS that allows you to make regular updates on your website even without having any technical expertise. A must-have feature, no doubt.

And the last but not least, a very important feature is-

20. Clear Branding, or consistent use of logos, colors, and typography, to create a professional image for your business and continuously promote your brand recognition.

By incorporating these features, a startup business website can effectively attract and retain visitors, convert leads, and build a strong online presence.

#businessbranding, #userexperience, #websitebranding, #businessdevelopment

NOTE: SEO* – Search Engine Optimization – the practice of optimizing your content to appear higher within search results. Pls, return to this blog for a new article about SEO soon.

Sources:

1. HubSpot: 15 Features Every Business Website Should Have
2. Forbes: Essential Website Features Every Business Needs
3. Neil Patel: 10 Must-Have Website Features for 2023
4. Smashing Magazine: Important Features For Business Websites