5 Essential Features Every Business Website Needs

If your business’s website is missing these features, it’s time for an update.

In today’s digitally-driven world, your website is arguably your business’s most important marketing tool. A well-designed website can help you attract new customers, land deals, and so much more… but only if it has certain features. 

With that in mind, keep reading to see how your website stacks up. Does your company’s most valuable business-building tool include these essential business website features?

1. A website URL that’s easy to remember

When it comes to the URL of your website, simple is best. You want an address that people can remember (make it easy to spell, too).

Whenever possible, try to snag a .com or .org domain extension. This gives your domain a nice boost in the search engines because those extensions are seen as more credible.

However, don’t stress too much if your preferred .com or .org domain isn’t available. There are tons of new domain extensions to choose from, and one of these unique extensions could be a great fit for your business.

2. Contact information in plenty of places

This one might seem simple, but you’d be surprised by how many companies miss the mark.

Here are some ideas you can use to make sure visitors can contact you quickly and easily:

• Create a dedicated Contact page with all of the company’s contact information and include the link on your website’s navigation bar.
• Consider including a phone number or email address at the top of each page.
• People often scroll down to the bottom of a page to look for a contact page or form, so make that information easily accessible in your site's footer.
• Include clickable calls-to-action (CTAs) throughout your website. Link them to a contact form to make it easy for people to get in touch.

You can see examples of this principle in action right here on the Codepoet website. We have a dedicated Contact page, plus bright, bold CTA buttons that link to our contact form. When someone wants to learn more about working with us, they know exactly what to do.

3. Customer Endorsements and Detailed Case Studies: Illustrating Your Business Excellence

The power of social proof can’t be overstated, because potential customers need to trust you before handing over their hard-earned money.

So, give the people what they want by including one (or all) of the following features on your company’s website:

• Testimonials from satisfied customers
• Case studies that show off your track record of success
• A portfolio of work that showcases everything you’re capable of doing

4. A secure SSL certificate (especially if you’re selling online)

SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer, and it’s a crucial piece of technology that many website owners neglect. SSL certificates encrypt communications between your website’s server and the visitor’s browser. As a result, any information that’s transmitted between the two is protected.

If you’re taking credit card payments or collecting other personal information from visitors, you absolutely need an SSL certificate.

However, SSL encryption also has additional benefits for small business owners. For starters, it helps build trust and gives you a search engine rankings boost. 

5. An easy way to make website updates

If you want the ability to update your website as needed, you need a solid content management system (CMS). 

Your website’s visitors won’t see this behind-the-scenes part of your site, but a user-friendly CMS makes it so much easier to update and add content to your site. Popular CMS systems include WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, Magento, Wix, Squarespace, and WooCommerce.

Every CMS has its pros and cons, so choosing the right CMS for your business website is rarely straightforward. At Codepoet, we’ve worked with all of the platforms listed above (and more), so don’t hesitate to get in touch if you want to chat about the best option for your needs.