25 Features Every Small Business Website Should Have

According to Statista, over 60% of web traffic comes from mobile devices so it’s essential for your small business website design to include mobile responsiveness.

Google AdSense found that 53% of users won’t wait more than three seconds for a website to load. Try compressing your files, including images and brochures, to improve your website’s load speed.

Every page should guide visitors to take a specific action, use specific language over general call outs like “Click Here” or “Learn More.”

Your branding should be consistent across the entire website, along with connecting social media accounts and touchpoints. Branding includes your website design, imagery, logos, and messaging.

Strong visuals across your headers, hero images, and backgrounds can strengthen your overall website design. These should be high-quality, as blurry or pixelated images and graphics can seem unprofessional.

It’s important to include both general and local SEO keywords in your small business website design. For general SEO, optimize headings, include meta tags, and keyword rich content. For local SEO, include your location throughout the site and consider embedding a map for visitors.

Track where site visitors come from, what pages they visit, and returning visitors. This will help you better understand user behavior, as well as enable you to make informed decisions about your website. Receiving the data will require a third-party integration and most businesses use Google Analytics.

Internal linking is essential for both navigation and adding value to your website, it helps create an information hierarchy. External linking also adds value to your website by linking to valuable external resources, but both have the potential to attract and increase relevant website traffic.

While a blog page isn’t included in the foundational pages of your small business website design, it’s a valuable webpage to add. Primarily used for educating visitors and customers, it also supports internal linking throughout the website and increased web traffic.

Maps are usually found on the contact page, and they can help customers pinpoint your business’ location, as well as the area you serve. Along with this, embedding a map will boost local SEO.

This may seem obvious, but not every small business website design includes the necessary foundational pages to convert visitors into customers. Foundational pages include your homepage, an about us page, a service or product page, and a contact page with your business information.

Along with the foundational pages, your small business website design should include a navigation bar with all your pages linked. Limit your main navigation bar to 5-7 items, grouping related pages together in a drop-down menu if needed. Websites with longer pages may want to consider a sticky navigation bar that follows along the top of page as a user scrolls.

Advanced filters and sorting can make it easier for visitors to find the products, services, or information they are looking for. This feature is especially useful for websites with larger amounts of content or multiple product categories, helping users narrow down their options and navigate the website more efficiently.

A frequently asked questions section or page can help answer common questions your customers have about your products or services. Addressing these questions upfront saves time and resources, builds customers trust, and enhances the overall user experience.

You will need to integrate trust signals into your small business website design. Trust signals include reviews and customer testimonials, case studies and blogs, as well as security badges near payment sections.

Websites that collect personal data must be secure and protect the stored data. Make sure to develop a compliant privacy policy statement and include it within your site. Many small business website designs opt to link this page in the footer. A cookie statement is normally a pop-up when a visitor enters the site but is just as important to include.

Here is a guide to the website policies professional websites should include.

Your website’s terms and conditions are an agreement between you and the site visitor. It covers intellectual property, payment collection, warranty information, and refund policy. This is also where you would include any disclaimers and your website accessibility statement. Your small business website design should have alternate text for images, captions for videos, and proper contrast in colors for readability.

A team page can increase customers’ trust within a business and humanize your brand. For example, sharing a short biography and professional headshot lets your customers get to know the people that are bringing your products or service to life.

For businesses that receive frequent customer questions, a live chat tool can be a valuable addition. It is a great tool to quickly answer customer questions and can even help lead them to buy your service or product. It is especially helpful outside of business hours, when calls and emails may not be answered.

Consider offering free resources such as an eBook, brochure, or flyer in exchange for contact information. It’s a great way to provide value while collecting emails for marketing purposes.