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By Debbie Gregory.

When it comes to having online visibility, nothing is more valuable than your company’s website. Having a strong, professional destination gives customers the impression that you mean business, and the motivation to want to engage more with your business.

Because most small businesses don’t have the resources to launch a full-scale marketing campaign, your website is where many consumers will decide whether or not they want to engage with you. They’re likely to dismiss you entirely should they believe your website doesn’t reflect the kind of experience your business should offer. Keeping that in mind, if you have a bad website, it’s better to have no website at all. Yes, having no website equals missed opportunities, but a bad website can actually be worse since it literally can make your business look bad.

The first area of major importance is your homepage. This is where you tell your visitors exactly what you do with a clear, easy-to-find value proposition.  The homepage navigation should be easy to use, and the page should include links to your social media and your contact information. Additionally, you should have high-quality images that are original. You don’t want visitors to see the same image on a thousand other websites. If you have a blog, this is the heart of your content strategy. Encourage people to view and subscribe to it by highlighting it on your homepage.

Next you want your about us page to explain your values, tell your story, and introduce the people behind your business. Good stories humanize your brand, providing context and meaning for your product, so skip the stiff intro and tell your story in your own words.

Conversions, revenue, business and profit- they all depend on calls to action. Whatever action it is meant to compel, your calls to action text need to say what you mean and mean what you say. Be clear and direct, and make sure the button performs as advertised. Use action words such as Order, Subscribe, Buy, Get, Learn, Discover, etc. Calls to action should appear throughout the website, not just on the homepage.

The last tip is to be mobile-friendly. Since more and more people are turning to their smart phones to browse the internet, a responsive site is a must.

A great website is one that lots of people visit and who hopefully convert – whether that’s a sale, a lead, or interacting with an element on the page.

Veteran and Military Business Owners Association, VAMBOA,