When you’re running a small business, it’s all hustle all the time. With so much work to be done, there are some things (like marketing and design) that can fall off of your radar. After all, if you are busy running around being the #boss, you probably don’t have time for things that you feel are tertiary to your business operations.

Sound about right? Wrong!

In a digital world, your website is one of the first points of contact between you and your customer base. Before they ever step foot in your store (if you have a brick and mortar), they’ve looked you up online. Your customers have done their research! If your website is not aesthetically pleasing, or is too confusing to navigate, you are losing out on business.

So what can you do to combat this? Here are the dos and don’ts of small business website design to help you get started.

The Ultimate Guide to Small Business Website Design

Do: Make sure your website is aesthetically pleasing

Your website background should be beautiful but not too dominant. It should not distract from your brand; it should add to it and highlight your products/services. Rely on UX recommendations to make sure that your website appeals to the eye and does not overwhelm your visitors.

Do: Have a mobile version of your site

Optimizing for mobile viewing is crucial to web design in 2018. The majority of internet browsing happens on our phones–if your website uses images, text, and other components that are difficult to view on mobile, then your customers are unlikely to stick around to see what amazing things your business has to offer.

Don’t: Turn your website into a treasure hunt

The structure of your website should be smooth and logical. Make sure that you have a clear navigation system. All buttons should be clickable and all links should be up to date. Make sure that using your site is straightforward: if you don’t understand it, your customers definitely won’t!

Don’t:  Use low-res imagery

The visuals on your website matter. If you want your potential clientele to take you seriously, then you need to have high-quality imagery. Do not rely on amateur images shot with an iPhone or hand-drawn elements on your website. You should invest in customized, filtered images that promote your brand image and exemplify your brand values. Many small business websites struggle with this. If you’re not sure how to judge whether or not an image is of good enough quality for your website, check out this guide on how to optimize images for web.

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