How to Build a Small Business Mobile Website that Actually Works for You

As of two years ago this January, the increase in smartphone web traffic had increased by 68 percent in the U.S. with declines in both tablet and desktop traffic.

So obviously if you’re a small business you understand the importance of a small business mobile website that does exactly what you need it to.

But where do you start?

Priority one is the setup. It’s important to define your site’s purpose. There is a series of questions you must answer to be sure you’re on the right path.

• What’s the small business mobile website’s role?
• What are you hoping to achieve?
• Are you trying to establish credibility?
• Are you already known as a company?
• Does what you’re offering need to be better explained?
• Is your goal to convert leads on the site?
• Are you selling a product, a service or both?

Once you’ve established answers to these questions (and probably more) you’re ready to go to phase two. 

Who is your audience? These are the people you want to attract. Understanding what they want from your service or product is vital. It’s also important to understand how much they already know about your company – is this a fresh concept that needs to be explained? Or a familiar idea that requires little explanation?

To reach your audience and capture their attention you need concise, clear writing. Cut to the chase with your message and don’t be too wordy.

Starting out it’s best not to put everything into your website. Stick with the things that matter most. Focus on the home page structure and flow. Blogs and such can come later. 

What’s your ‘look’? You will need an appropriate theme or design style that’s relevant to what you’re all about without overkill. Depending upon your product or service, subtlety can often be effective.

The imagery you select for your small business mobile website, whether photography, illustration or a combination of things, must match up to the look and feel you want to convey as your brand. If a picture is worth a thousand words, this is the place to apply relevance to that adage. Be selective and objective. Remember, you’re making a major statement about your business and what you have to offer.

Your small business mobile website can be as impressive, creative, functional, responsive, competitive and customer-centric as much as you want it to be. It’s simply a matter of devoting the time and attention to getting it right the first time around.