Olney, MD -- (SBWire) -- 06/07/2013 --vSplash did a recent study that showed a number of shortcomings in local small business website design.

- 26.4% of Small business websites could not be found in online searches.
- 49.4% lacked a phone number on the home page
- 93.75 lacked a FB and/or twitter sharing icon
- 94.5% are not mobile optimized

The most inexcusable of all is not having a phone number on the home page?  Most small businesses are not prepared for the digital marketing age.

Below is a list of elements that should be included for the small business website owner. Following these steps can give you an edge over your competition.

1. Business Contact Information should be visible on the home page.

A business's contact information should clearly be visible on the home page at the top as well as in the footer of the website.  Don't bury your number in the Contact Us page. Also, it's good practice to have an email address and your physical address as well as your store/office hours on the home page.

2. Have A Direct Response Marketing Website

Don't develop a website yourself. They will do nothing but hurt your image.  Most amateurs if not all know nothing about website design elements. Its more than just putting up some business information about your services. Most self designed websites turn out really cheap looking and unprofessional.

Most websites don't communicate the benefits of your business and services.  Many sites are focused on how great their service is or what is referred to ego driven content.  A direct response website is a website that communicates your benefits of your business, engages your visitors and is persuasive in getting them to act once on the site.  It's also about having the proper color elements and calls to action.

Having a fancy website that has flash or a bunch of pretty graphics isn't good for you either. It can slow down your page load time which can frustrate users and have them abandon your site.  It also is not SEO friendly at all.

3. Is Your Website Mobile Friendly?

Did you know that over 50% of all local searches are performed on mobile devices and that number is only growing.  Statistics show that these mobile searchers are prime consumers ready to make a purchase.

Look at your website on a smart phone and ask yourself. Is it easy to navigate? Do you have a one click call button? Do you accessible directions link?

4. Use Analytics

A recent study by vSplash showed that 75% of small business websites don't have any tracking tools.  Analytic tools such as Google analytics gives you great data such as who's visiting your website, how they're getting there, what search terms, how long they're staying.

5. Website Optimization For Local Searches

Create a local friendly website by researching what the best search terms are for your business. Use tools such as Google keyword too to help you build a list of search terms.

Here's some tips for local SEO:

- Name your pages of your website with these local search terms. Make sure each web page has a different title and description tag.

- Have your web page URL's include the proper keyword in them.

- Do anchor text interlinking with your keywords.

- Optimize all your pictures, images and videos with proper tags for local searches.

6. Have A Blog

It's a great idea to update your website with fresh content so the search engines crawl it.  One way to do this is by adding a blog to your website. Write once a week if you can or outsource it to someone.  Good content can be shared with social media and can drive additional traffic to your site.

7. Live Chat

Having a live chat on your website is a nice way to start engaging your visitors. Engagement leads to sales. Statistics show live chat features increase your sales. Contact forms are important to have but it doesn't compare to live chat.  You need both.

About MMS Marketing
MMS Marketing is an Inbound Marketing Firm specializing in direct marketing website (re)design, targeted traffic generation, lead capture, lead nurturing and sales. MMS Marketing combines it direct response marketing background with the online world to give a powerful combination.

Media Contact
Mark Morrison
mdwebdesignandseo@gmail.com
17708 Queen Elizabeth Drive
Olney, MD 20832
http://mdwebdesignandseo.com