A pattern I see constantly when working with small business owners: they think their website has to look like a Fortune 500 brand’s before it can start earning them business.
It doesn’t. After more than 20 years and hundreds of projects, I’ve found that a small business website needs to do three things well.
Load fast on a phone. Most of your visitors are on a phone, often on a slow connection. If the page takes too long to load, they leave before they see anything.
Say clearly who you serve and why you’re different. In the first few seconds, a visitor should know what you do, where you do it and why they should pick you. Plain words beat clever slogans.
Make it effortless to call or book. A tap-to-call button, a short contact form, or a booking link, right where people expect it. Every extra step loses someone.
That’s the whole game. Every dollar spent chasing polish before those three things are nailed down is a dollar that isn’t bringing in customers. Get the basics right first, then make it beautiful.
Danielle Lemons is Vice President of Operations at DirecTech Connect, a Nashville provider of business phone systems, managed IT services, websites and digital marketing. More about Danielle.
