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Where can I find inspiration for my web design as a small business owner?

Updated: Dec 22, 2023


Web design

These days, every company needs a website. However, how do you create a website? And how can you design a website for your small business the best way possible? The solutions are here!


Ever wonder why web designers are hired by small business owners? because they depend on websites to run their businesses.


Previously, one had to step outside and locate the closest interesting location, be it a bakery, cafe, store, or something else. These days, most people look up what interests them online before deciding to visit a physical store.


Clients' ability to find small businesses is greatly aided by search engine optimization (SEO). But your search engine rankings are also affected by the design of your website.


We'll go over the qualities of a strong web design in this piece, along with some small business website examples. Finally, we will compare various options for small business owners seeking website design services.


What makes a good website? 


Small business owners hire website designers for a good reason: it's likely that they have very little experience with web design themselves.


It's also helpful to know what makes a website effective, even though you don't have to be an expert in web design.


Thus, how should a small business' website be designed? These are some important factors that you should consider.


Mobile-responsiveness

Mobile friendly

Nearly 60% of global internet traffic originates from mobile devices. Thus, make sure your clients can easily access all the information they require about your company and have a flawless mobile experience.


Partake's website is incredibly well-designed, and its mobile display is flawless. This is particularly crucial for seasonal promotions because unoptimized mobile displays quickly become cluttered.


Clear CTAs

Call to action button

If your business is brick and mortar, a call to action button should direct customers to the Contact page where they can view your shop's address. If your business is online, the CTA button should direct them to the products page during the checkout process.


A fantastic example of a small business website with two CTA buttons is Good Vibes. You can quickly advance customers who are already familiar with your product down the sales funnel by using a shop now button. The purpose of the second button, About, is to pique the interest of potential customers by offering more details.


Simple navigation


While small business brands place a lot of importance on website design, functionality always comes first. Make interacting with your website simple and intuitive for users.


A fantastic illustration of a small business website is Bennet Tea. Its home page possesses. Also, there is a navigation bar with just three sections: Contact, About Us, and Tea Shop.


Keep in mind that a good user experience is all about making things simple, so make it as easy as possible for potential customers to find what they're looking for.


Legible fonts


A web font that is easy for readers to read is essential if you want them to read your content. For headings, you can use slightly more ornamental typography; for body text, legible sans-serif fonts are preferred.


Livso uses a variety of fonts, as you can see, but every part is easily readable—the promotion banner, heading, body text, and even the text on the product packaging.


Testimonials

Testimonials

Developing a devoted customer base is one of a small business's toughest obstacles. Thus, a local business website design must foster a strong feeling of community and trust.


This handyman website example features a sweet and straightforward testimonials section. Typically, small businesses lack the resources of a large digital marketing team and high-end video production to produce eye-catching customer testimonials.


But a sincere statement from one of your clients, along with an excellent photo if appropriate, can be more than sufficient.


A user-friendly online store


Not every small business experiments with e-commerce. If you do, though, there are a few easy guidelines you need to stick to to make sure your e-commerce site functions properly:


  • Offer a basic checkout process (avoid requiring the creation of an account).

  • Provide a variety of payment methods.

  • Give your products page lots of white space.

  • Make the search and filter options easy to use.

  • Make all shipping and extra expenses clear.


How to make a small business website?

These small business website examples should provide you with a lot of ideas. However, how can you make your own website? The steps to take are as follows.

Select a domain name and cover the hosting cost.


Typically, a website is a component of a larger marketing plan. Therefore, if you've already decided on a brand name, you should check to see if a suitable domain is already taken.


Visit this link to look at free domains:


You can always try a different extension (e.g. use.co instead of.com) if your preferred domain is unavailable.


Locate a web developer

Web Developer

You will need to find a platform that handles this for you if you don't want to work with a web developer. Keep in mind that a lot of well-known website builders also provide integrated hosting options.


There are many free website builders available, but in order to use advanced features like social media integration, e-commerce, and custom domains, you typically need to purchase one of the paid plans.


Design the site

Design the site

The options for hiring a professional designer to create your website will be discussed in the last section. Here are some things to consider if you decide to DIY, though.


Platforms like Wix, Shopify, Instapage, Squarespace, and others—the majority of which facilitate WordPress websites—are well-liked for a good reason: you can obtain a sizable collection of design templates and numerous integrations for a nominal fee.


You won't, however, likely have the most unique website because many businesses use website builders. However, a website builder is ideal for your needs and budget if functionality is your main priority as a small business.


Launch and maintain your site

web design

Websites that are static are becoming obsolete. You must update your website frequently if you wish to maintain it at the top of SERPs.


Blogging is the most common and economical method of maintaining an SEO-friendly website. Regular audits are also recommended in order to look for errors and broken links. Google Analytics, Ahrefs, Moz, SEMrush, and Moz are a few tools that can assist with that.


Where to get a small business website design?


One major question remains after learning how to create a website for a small business: can you do it yourself?


Both yes and no are the answers. Using a website builder is always an option, and you can create something fairly decent, depending on your budget and design abilities (more on that later).


However, keep in mind that, sometimes, a cheap website design for small business brands isn't worth it in the long run.


It should go without saying that website design takes a lot of time. Furthermore, there's always a chance of having a subpar website and needing to redesign it quickly.


Here are four options for small businesses looking to hire a professional website designer.

In-house web designer


It's unlikely that you will need to constantly update and modify your website or alter the services as your business expands if you are not a startup.


It follows that employing an in-house web designer for a small business would be a waste of money because you would only need them for one project, after which they would have little work to do.


According to data from Glassdoor, the average annual compensation for a web designer in the United States is over $56,000. There's no need to break the bank this much because, in all honesty, you would only need a website designer for a month or two for your small business website.


Web design agency


Depending on the complexity of your design, a web design agency can scale up or down to meet your needs.


The services offered by web design agencies typically go far beyond simple design and include SEO copywriting, responsive design, e-commerce features, unique themes and styles, domain names, content management systems, and more.


For the US market, hiring a web design agency can cost anywhere from $3,000 to $100,000 on average. You can anticipate receiving only the website's design and arrangement for the lowest cost.


For a small business, it won't be an inexpensive website, but greater professionalism and a wider range of services are to be expected.


Freelance website designer


Freelancer outsourcing is a flexible and reasonably priced option for nearly any kind of one-time project. On websites like Upwork and Fiverr, you can find freelancers of any kind, from web designers to narrators.


You can work with freelancers to handle the entire process of creating a website, or just the design part of it. You can work with them to discuss the specifics, time management, and scope of the project.


However, using freelancers carries some risk when it comes to delivery schedules, quality control, and the potential for a lot of back and forth without clear communication.


In essence, you can quickly get a high-quality, reasonably priced website design for a small business if you can manage an external freelancer. But, it's best to choose an option that also covers scope of work and output management if you're not quite sure what you need.


Unlimited design services


A limitless platform for graphic design in place of a web design firm or agency? Although it may sound strange, this is a very practical and economical choice.


As we've already established, freelancers can create websites at reasonable prices. However, hiring a freelancer to build a website still typically costs several thousand dollars.


For as little as a few hundred dollars, you can obtain expert web design with unlimited graphic design services! The best part is that additional services like social media design, landing pages, ads, and even motion graphics that can boost your online presence are also included in the flat monthly fee!


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