A goal for any great website is to have content that is meaningful and pleasing to your viewers and at the same time be easily indexed by search engines. So, when the business plan is written and you’re ready to design your small business website, keep these 10 tips and tricks in mind for an effective and meaningful site.

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1. Install and Use Analytics.

Using Analytics to see how people are getting to your site, what they’re doing once they’re there, and how long they stay can be your most effective tool for designing and modifying your site. Popular Analytics platforms like Google Analytics will give you rich insights into your website traffic and marketing effectiveness. You need to track how visitors react to your website and figure out what works and what does not.

2. Create Logical & Clear Navigation.

Whether you’re selling products or simply selling yourself, your website should make sense. Make it easy to navigate pages and get back home. Don’t make viewers search too hard for the information they need, or they might just go search elsewhere. Also consider how and where you’ll add to the site in the future. Once people are used to the layout, they have a good memory where everything is placed. If you change something it will most definitely irritate them, that’s why its very important to start out with a great design and keep it that way.

3. Make Your Site Legible.

Choose a font and a font size that is easy to read, and easily scalable. Remember we are living in the future now with billions of phones, tablets, and pmp devices that view the web daily. As self explanatory as that is, most people still forget to optimize their website for mobile devices.

4. Create Visual Balance.

Make your site pleasant to look at, but also informative. Don’t go over the top with too much copy, or your viewers won’t read it. Likewise, don’t go too heavy on the graphics or it may take too long to load. Try taking the minimalist approach if you will. Whatever you do, judge your website by thinking you do not own it.

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