· Xien Singh
What a small business website should actually do
Five jobs a small business website should do, and a quick way to check whether yours does them.
A website isn't a brochure. For a small business it's a member of staff who works all night, and it should be measured like one. Here are the five jobs it should do.
1. Be found by the right people
Someone in your area searches for what you do. Your site should say, in plain words on the page, what you do and where. Search engines read words, not pictures of words.
2. Answer the first three questions
Most visitors want to know what you offer, whether you serve them, and how to get hold of you. If those answers aren't visible on a phone without scrolling, people leave.
3. Take the booking
Every booking that needs a phone call is a booking that might not happen. Let people choose a time and confirm it themselves.
4. Take the money
A deposit taken online is a no-show that doesn't happen. Card and instant-EFT payments through Payfast settle into your own account.
5. Be quick on a cheap phone
Most South Africans browse on mid-range phones on mobile data. A page that takes ten seconds to load has already lost them.
The quick check
Open your site on your phone, on mobile data, and try to book something. Time it. If it takes more than a minute or needs a phone call, your website has a job vacancy.