Websites are becoming the new business cards, vital for first impressions and to give clients more information than you business card can. There are so many web designers around with pricing ranging from a few hundred to several thousands. You need to make an informed decision and know what you want and don’t want on your website. Ideally it should be build with by an online marketer instead of a web or graphic designer. Generally web and graphic designer will make your site look fantastic’s, however that doesn’t guarantee any success with your site. Below are 9 essential elements your website should include.

1. Clean and Simple Design, Layout & Navigation
A confused mind says NO. What does this mean for you? If your website is too busy, has things flashing at people, they are not sure where to click or find information, they will leave your website and find your competitors. As with your business card, simple is best. With lots of white space. Don’t over crowd your page. Keep the navigation in the obvious places – left panel or top. Include a return home button on each page.

2. Capture Form
People do business with people they know, like and trust. Online this can take some time to establish especially for service or higher price items. This is why an capture form is vital to your online success. Once you are able to capture visitors details you can send them a regular newsletter and build a rapport and trust with them and hence gain more sales. Your capture forms needs to be located above the fold (in the top part of the website which users can see without scrolling) and ideally give away a free report, audio or video as an incentive to sign up. People don’t like giving out their email address but they love receiving free information.

3. Content Management System
The world is changing quickly and you need to be able to edit your website quickly. The easiest and most affordable way is via a content management system. Using a web based system you can edit the text on your website when ever and where you like. Most systems are as simple as using Microsoft Word and require no programming skills. With a content management system there is no excuse for having out of date information on your website. You may pay extra for hosting however the extra per month in the long run will be cheaper than getting a web designer to make changes.

4. Contact Us Form
Unfortunately SPAM (unsolicited emails) are a fact of live in the technology age. SPAM spiders crawl the web for email addresses, so for this reason is very important to never, never, never have your email address on a website. This is why a “Contact Us Form” is vital on your website. It allows users to contact you via email and saves you the SPAM headaches. On your contact us page make sure you provide as much relevant information as possible. By relevant I mean, don’t put your home phone if you don’t use it for business and it could be answered by your 5 year child. If you only have a mobile for business then only include your mobile.

5. About Us Page
Often the most overlooked page, but one of the most important pages is the “About Us” Page. Many users use this page to find out more about the company ie Do I trust this company enough to hand over my email address, credit card or contact them. Include your experience, why you started your business, how you work, etc. Even online people still buy from people, so make your website personal about you and your company. Don’t make it a big corporate front. Use your “About Us” page to express this.

6. Testimonials & Case Studies
No one wants to be the first. Make sure you include testimonials or case studies of previous clients and their experience. This relives buyers fears and will increase your sale. When you are just starting out, ask a trusted friend or business associate to trial your product or service (for free) on the condition that they write you a testimonial. Ask every client to provide you with one. To make then as real as possible, include: name, location, website (if relevant), and photo.

7. Blog
A blog is an online journal generally written more casually than a normal web page. They can be used for informing clients of new products/services, industry changes, interesting information. The reason I like them so much is they are excellent for increasing your search engine rankings. Search engines love fresh content, and the quickest and easiest way if via a blog. Post regularly can really improve your rankings and also provide more interaction with your clients as they can make comments on what you are say.

8. Google Analytics
Google Analytics is one of the best things you can put on your website and it’s absolutely free. Google Analytics will allow you to track your results. Once you know where you are starting from you can work to improve your websites performance. Google Analytics can tell you a host of things including; number of visitors, number of pages visitors, how long on each page, how they found your website, number one referring websites. You can also set goals and it will track performance and produce a report for you. Many web developers provide you with basic statistics, however Google Analytics has everything you will need.

9. Sitemap
Sitemaps are primary navigation. A user can click on your sitemap and find a link to each page. If you have lots of pages some users will use them to find what they are looking for, however I like them for increasing search engine rankings. You can submit your sitemap to Google and it will increase your chances of being found on the search engines quicker and higher. A sample sitemap can be found at www.brilliantblog.com.au/sitemap

Want to use this article in your e-zine or website? You can as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Natalie Alaimo is a Small Business Marketing Consultant and Online Marketer. Natalie provides small business owners, women and entrepreneurs with straight forward marketing and branding services including one on one coaching and do-it- yourself marketing products. Natalie is a published author and runs several websites, including www.nataliealaimo.com. If you are looking to kick start your business, go online now to get your Free e-book at Brilliant Web Design