A good web design is crucial for local businesses. No local business can afford to have a web design that does not work. The best test for successful design is whether the website can pay for itself. A good web design is crucial in providing a good first impression on the customers. The web should be like an employee who provides services on behalf of the company to the customers. The services include: increasing clients and sales, increasing customer retention and reducing staff workload. As Harmony T. Major, founder of Excellent Presence puts it ‘Good Web Design is not Decoration.’ A good web design must incorporate the following features so as to be successful.

Mobile experience

It should provide a user friendly experience for mobile browsers. It is a fact that most local searches are done using mobile devices. If your website is not mobile friendly then you will no doubt lose a lot of potential customers. A Google survey of 1088 smartphone users found out that 67 percent of people are more likely to buy when a website is mobile friendly. It further stated that 61 percent will abandon the website returning to search results if they find that the website is not mobile friendly.

Careful use of vanity numbers

Another feature that your website must have is the careful use of vanity numbers. Vanity numbers are those numbers offered to help customers remember your number and get in touch with your local business. It would best for the website to list the numbers numerically. The number should also be clickable so as to save the customer from the trouble of remembering the number when they switch to the dial pad.

Clear path to information

Perhaps one of the most crucial feature is a direct clear path to the information new web visitors want. It is very important that the local business provides what the customers want without taking them through so much process. For example a restaurant should have daily specials and menus put online, not as PDFs as this might be hard for many to access. It is advisable for a local business to hire a skilled web design company to find out what your audience expects when they visit your website.

Give impatient visitors instant answers

The website should also provide thorough, instant answers for impatient website visitors. This can help save a lot of time for the company in providing support for customers and even training the team. One should make sure that you address the top questions clients and prospects write with, directly on the website. Statistics has it that 96 percent of customers say absolutely nothing when they have a problem with a product. 91 percent of them simply leave and never return. Thus it is crucial for your website to provide a self-serve source as it can provide a huge boost in customer satisfaction.