Tip #446 - The Minimum Required Website
Dear Tip of the Weeker,
Bob's newest blog post up and and this week he's blogging about... his CAR if you can believe it! Go check it out.
This week's Tip is inspired by the intersection of two events: a post on our Facebook Page by one of our fans and an experience we had researching graphic designers.
Our Facebook fan is a jewelry designer and vendor to many retail stores. She posted a comment about how shocked she was at the number of her retail clients and prospects who do not have a website.
In our search for a new graphic designer we got a glowing recommendation from a friend, but when we tried to check out the designer she recommended... You guessed it. No website.
TIP • TIP • TIP • TIP • TIP • TIP • TIP • TIP • TIP • TIP • TIP • TIP
Every successful store, every successful business, must have a website.
That's right must. As in "not optional". It's as basic to your business as a sign on your storefront.
When I ask retailers why they don't have a website I usually get an answer like "I'm working on it." or "I'm looking for a site designer." or "I'm halfway through but I can't find the time to finish it." or "I just don't know where to start."
I get it. A website can seem like an overwhelming task.
But your website doesn't have to be big, or fancy, or expensive. It just has to exist.
Here are the 3 website pages we consider the MINIMUM for retail store owners:
'Home' page
Very simply, this is the page that tells visitors basic information about your store. It should include at a minimum 1) your logo, 2) your store name in text, 3) your basic contact information, and 4) a short paragraph about what your store is. A photograph of your store would also be good.
Of course, there are lots more things you could do with your home page, but don't get bogged down by that. Do the 4-5 things listed above.
'Our Merchandise' page
On this page simply talk about what merchandise you carry. You might organize this page by department (mountain bikes, road bikes, accessories, gear and clothing) or by vendor if that's more important to your customers (Patagonia, Mountain Hardware, North Face, Kelty, Keen).
Write a couple of sentences about each. Of course, just like on your home page, some pictures that represent your products are good, but not required. Especially if taking the photos is going to keep you from launching your site!
You can name this page something other than 'Our Merchandise'. you might call it 'BIKES' or 'What you'll find at ' or 'For Your Pampered Pets'. But the idea is to explain specifically what kind of merchandise you carry.
'About Us' page
This page should tell a little bit about the history of your store and should have, at a minimum, 1) your name, 2) your picture and a 3) short bio about you. It's even better if you can do that for all your permanent staff. This page should also have directions to your store.
Three additional MINIMUM website requirements:
Your basic store Information on EVERY page.
Yep, every single page and preferably in the top header (or at least viewable on the screen before any scrolling down) This should include, in order of importance:
- your phone number
- your store hours
- your complete address including state and zip code
- your email address
In the most perfect world, this information should be repeated in the bottom footer of every page, too. The number one reason people are visiting your site is to get your phone number or your hours. Make them easy to find.
A readable font type, color, and size.
Select a font that is very easy to read on the web, like Arial or Verdana. This email is Arial. Select very dark type on very light backgrounds. This email is black on white. Make sure the font size is big enough to read easily on a computer screen. What's OK on a printed page may be too small on your website. This email is 14pt. type.
A good domain name (also called URL).
The best domain name for your site is the name of your store. So if your store name is Michigan Memories you'd want your domain name to be www.michiganmemories.com.
If your store name is already taken, try adding your city or your industry to your name. So if your store name is Mayflower (already taken by the giant moving company) try www.mayflower-evansville.com. Or www.mayflowergifts.com.
There you have it... a simple domain, 3 pages with just a little bit of readable text, a few pictures, and your logo.
You can do it.
Of course there are lots of other wonderful things you could and should add to your site. We have a whole kit about it in the Retail Mastery System.
But this is the minimum you MUST have.
