There is no disputing how important having an online presence is and when it comes to websites, there are many things to take into consideration. As more people turn to searching online for products and services, having a business website is essential. This blog does not cover all the technical aspects of putting your website together but it does cover some of the must haves for any virtual assistant or service based website.
1. About Us
One of the most visited pages on a website, this is where you introduce yourself and your business to visitors to your site. It should include some background information about who you are, how or why you started your business and what sets you apart from other people or businesses in your field. People invest in people, so this is where you have an opportunity to really connect with visitors to your site.
2. Services
This page breaks down everything your business has to offer. It is a good idea to think about your services in terms of how you will be addressing your potential client’s pain points. Rather than just jumping into a bullet pointed list, encourage potential clients to ‘want’ to learn more about the services you offer.
3. Testimonials
After they have made the decision to learn more, here is where you offer proof that you have been able to address your clients pain points and add value. It adds credibility and gives a sense of assurance that you know what you are doing. People are more likely to trust what your customers have said about your business based on their experience, rather than what you say.
4. Call to Action
So, you‘ve introduced yourself, listed your services and offered proof that you know your stuff, now it is time to add the all-important call to action (CTA). A CTA is simply a prompt to act. You have to let potential customers know what to do next, whether it is to send an email, book an appointment, sign up to a newsletter, you get the idea. You should aim to include a CTA on every page on your website.
5. Privacy Policy
Your website must have a privacy policy to comply with EU and UK data protection legislation including GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations). This legislation exists to give people more control over how your personal data is used. Personal data is any form of information that makes a person identifiable.
A Privacy Policy is a statement or document on your website that discloses the ways a party gathers, uses, discloses and manages a customer or client’s data.
When working on behalf of your client, you will now be responsible for the data you process and not your client.
You can download a Free Privacy Policy template from SEQ Legal here.
6. Responsive
Responsive design means layouts automatically adjust and adapt to any device screen size and let’s face it, visitors to your site don’t want to have to do any extra work just to ready your content. Mobile accounts for approximately half of web traffic worldwide. In the third quarter of 2020, mobile devices (excluding tablets) generated 50.81 percent of global website traffic, consistently hovering around the 50 percent mark since the beginning of 2017.
7. Contact Form
You have to make it easy for visitors to you site to contact you and using a contact form is an effective way to do just that. It reduces spam email, looks professional and is a terrific way to capture valuable information and increase engagement with potential customers.
There are lots of other elements you can include in your website like blogs, galleries, ecommerce shops, videos, and even social media feeds but if you have the basics in place then you’re off to a good start. Now comes the hard part, content, but that’s a whole other blog.
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