Web Design Essentials for Small Business Owners

As a small business owner, you need to focus on your business. And unless that business happens to be web design, you will probably need to hire someone to do your website for you.
Your website is your online calling card and brochure. Put some thought and some funds into getting a decent quality website. You don't need an expensive high-tech website to start off with. What you do need is a professional looking design that tells your prospective clients that you are well-worth doing business with.
There are good budget web design services. But choose wisely.  When choosing your web designer, ask to see previous work and form your own impression. Keep in mind, that some of the things you see should not reflect directly on the designer. Some clients have a very specific vision in mind and the web designer may have accommodated their needs.
A good web designer should be able to guide you through the essentials of building up the site. But just in case, here are a few pointers of what you as business owner should keep in mind –
Site Structure 
Your site doesn't have to be loaded with information, but you still need to have a good site structure in place, to help your visitors find what they're looking for.  Planning your site structure is the first stage of setting up your website. You can and should do that even before you decide on a web designer. Think of what content you want displayed on your website and arrange it into logical units. Each unit will make either a page or a section of pages on your website.
Most business sites include the following elements –

  • Products/services page – this could be turned into a complete section depending on the number of items you wish to display.
  • "About Us" page - telling people about you and your business. You can keep that formal or informal, depending on the image you wish to project for your business.
  • Contact page - featuring every possible way of contacting you. Include your postal address, phone numbers, and email. A good thing to have is a contact form where people can leave you messages without using their email system.
  • Portfolio page or section – displaying examples of previous works you've done. This is relevant for some businesses only.
  • Pricing page – you may or may not wish to specify your actual rates on your website. This depends on the type of product or service you provide as well as your overall marketing strategy.
You may also consider having an articles section where you would offer your visitors information about your field of expertise. This is good for branding purposes and can also help you get better exposure on the search engines.
Site Navigation
Make it easy for your visitors to find the information they require. Your site needs to have a consistent navigation system that follows browsing conventions. Make sure you have clear links to all of your main pages and sections in your navigation menu. If your designer suggests graphic symbols, make sure they are accompanied by text as well.
Contact Details
In addition to a detailed contact page, make sure you have your phone numbers and other major communication routes laid out at the bottom, or top of every page. Make it easy for your potential customers to take that first step.
Your Front Page
Think of your front page as the cover of your online brochure. Make sure it's attractive and pleasing to the eye. Do use text, but don't overwhelm your visitors. Keep it simple.
You should also use your main page as road map. In addition to some text about your business, include pointers to other pages on your site. Suggest a route for them to follow during their visit.
That said, keep in mind that visitors may be entering your site through internal pages. Don't rely on your front page to give them information they can't find elsewhere on your site.
Content and Copy
It is up to you to provide the designer with the text for the site. Having the right text on your pages is paramount. If you are not sure about your writing skills, consider hiring a professional writer. Opt for a writer experienced in writing for the web. It is different from writing for other types of media. Someone like The Website Composer might be of assistance.
Design and looks
The graphical presentation of your website should be clean and simple. Fancy graphics may be pretty when displayed on your designer's laptop, but they may hinder the load times of your websites, especially for visitors using a slower connection. Look around and check other websites for inspiration. See what you like and what you don't. Take your cue from sites by leading companies in your field.
Whatever the layout and design, you have to make sure your web designer knows how to carry them out properly. That means clean, non-jaded, clear images that are also small on file-size. A good designer knows how to make the file smaller without losing too much of the image quality. Check other sites by the same designer and assess the loading speed on your computer. If you have access to a computer using a dial-up connection, check it out there as well.
Finally,
Find a reliable web designer you can work with. Find out in advance if the price includes several optional designs for you to choose from (many designers offer that) and how many revisions is the designer willing to offer you until you reach the final product. See if your designer can help you with getting your own domain name, finding the right hosting and make sure they are in charge of uploading the site to your domain name.
Put things down in a written contract. More than a legal document, this contract should help both sides lay out the basics of the project and make sure your website gets designed to your satisfaction and in your time-frame.