Reference Sheet - Effective Business Websites

Best Practices for Building a Business Website

There are some general best-practice rules to follow if you want to show your business in the
best light and create an engaging business website that stands out in the online marketplace.
You will also find it helpful to browse other business websites for inspiration and to understand
how these best practices are incorporated. Look at some of the websites you visit most often.
Which aspects of those websites do you like the most? How do they function to catch your eye?
What parts distract you as the user?

● ​
State your business’s purpose. Your homepage​ tells
​ ​ people
​ who you are and what
your business does. Consider including an “About Us” page that clearly summarizes
your business’s mission and the services or products you offer.

● Keep your website to the point. ​ Make sure the most appealing details of your
business stand out by using engaging photography, crisp graphics, and clear copy. Keep
paragraphs short and focused. Concise language, bold headings, and bulleted lists
engage your customers and make website navigation easier.

● Design with simplicity in mind. ​To maximize the design aesthetic of your website, it is
best to keep to two fonts. Consider the color palette of your website. Make sure text and
background colors have enough contrast and do not clash. This will help with
accessibility. (See accessibility section below.) Another important design feature to keep
in mind is mobile responsiveness. With billions of smartphone users worldwide, mobile
technology has spread throughout all advanced and emerging economies. More and
more, customers will access your business website from their phones so use clear copy
and eye-catching imagery.

● Consider the needs of your customer. ​Put yourself in your customers’ shoes. Spend
some time researching your target customer to learn what’s important to them and
present that information clearly on your website. (Enroll in HP LIFE’s ​Your Target
Audience ​course to learn more.)

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 ● Maintain your website. ​Schedule regular time, whether it’s once a week or once a
month, to review and update your website. Regularly updating your website keeps your
audience better informed of what is new and important to them.

● Use metrics to develop your business. ​There are a number of different metrics you
can use to find out how effective your business website is. The most important of these
is your web traffic—the number of people visiting your website. The greater your web
traffic, the greater the opportunities for increasing your revenue (another metric). Other
relevant metrics include the amount of time a user spends on your website, the number
of pages users click through, and the number of returning customers to your website.
Increases in these metrics indicate that new and returning customers are learning more
about your business and will help guide your website updates.

● ​
Understand web accessibility. Websites are fundamentally designed to work for all
people regardless of seeing, hearing, movement, or cognitive ability. To optimize web
traffic, your business website should be no different. The highest quality websites are all
web accessible and do not exclude people from their products or services. Some
examples of web accessibility tools include equivalent alternative text, commonly known
as alt text, and audio transcripts. Alt text is a written description of an image on a website
that can be read aloud by a screen reader to accommodate people who are visually
impaired. Audio transcripts should be provided on pages where there is any audio
component. If your website user is deaf or hard of hearing a transcript will enable them
to access a part of your website they might not otherwise have access to. As you begin
to build your business website remember to consider how it supports accessibility. To
learn more, visit the accessibility page of the World Wide Web Consortium, a leading
international standards organization that works to eliminate barriers to web access.

Terms to Know

● Website builders. ​Website builders are an excellent resource for creating and
managing a business website. One of the greatest benefits of using a website builder is
that they create websites that are mobile responsive and function across smartphones,
tablets, and other device types. Designed to be user- and budget-friendly, you don’t
need much technical knowledge to use a website builder.

● Domain name. ​ Your domain name is the unique web address—or URL—that relates to
your site. You can share it with current and prospective customers so they can visit your
business website. The more succinct your website’s domain name, the easier it will be
for your customers to remember it. Some website builders, such as Squarespace and
Wix, also act as domain registrars and offer a low-cost or free option for registering your

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 domain name. If you are not using a website builder, a domain name can be purchased
separately through a domain name registrar such as Domain.com, GoDaddy, or
Namecheap. Most new domain names will cost between US$10 to US$20 per year. The
price of a pre-registered domain name will likely cost more.

● Web host. ​Every website you create will require a web host—a server that stores all
data related to your website. A web host enables your customers to visit your business
website at any time. Some website builders also act as web hosts for your ease and
convenience. If you are not using a website builder, a web host can be purchased
separately through web hosting services like A2 Hosting and Dreamhost which offer
budget-friendly options for small businesses. When choosing a web host, it is extremely
important to consider the security of your website, particularly if you will be managing
sales and purchases through an e-commerce platform on your website. When handling
your customers’ financial information, having a secure website is critical to protect your
business and your customers’ data

● E-commerce platforms.​ As a business, your profits are a reflection of your sales. In

order to conduct sales through your website, you may need to incorporate an
e-commerce platform to safely and reliably transact with your customers. Some
e-commerce platforms operate as extensions within a website builder. For example,
WooCommerce can convert your Wordpress website into an online store and Wix has a
Shopify extension enabling you to manage inventory and shipping in addition to
payments.

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 Examples of Website Builders

Website Builder Benefits Limitations

Wix ● One of the largest website builders in the world offering ● Does not permit you to
hundreds of ready-to-use design templates for various types change your design
of business websites. template once you have
published your website.
● Free option available.

● The best website builder for restaurant or food service

businesses.

● Mobile responsive.

Squarespace ● Professionally designed with high quality templates. ● No free plan available.

● Offers a 14-day free trial. ● Limited design templates

available.
● A great option for creating a visually-appealing business
website.

● Ability to change design templates at any time.

● Utilizes a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface.

● Mobile-responsive.

Weebly ● Among the most budget-friendly website builders with paid ● Limited design templates.
plans starting at US$5 per month (billed annually).

● Free option available. Ability to change design templates at

any time.

● Many mobile-responsive templates available.

WordPress ● Most popular website builder in the world with a highly active ● Not regarded as highly
support community. secure.

● Free option available. ● Wordpress websites that

are not regularly
● A flexible website builder that supports many useful plugins maintained are often
for extended functionality. targeted by hackers.

● Mobile responsive.

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