Effective web design will achieve this with local SEO, mobile-friendly design, clean navigation and localised content that builds trust.
In this guide, we look at the importance of web design for local business and how to get it right...
Why web design is a must-have for local business
When it comes to local businesses, web design is about more than creating a website that looks good. Your website must meet the needs of nearby customers, who will often make decisions quickly depending on the quality of the information they find and how easily they are to find it.
Think about it – if you need a local electrician, car mechanic or hairdresser, you want a website that tells you everything you need to know (such as location, opening hours and contact details) in a couple of clicks.
Therefore, if a badly designed website means this information if difficult to find, this could mean this potential customer becomes frustrated and looks elsewhere.
What’s more, your site must be designed in such a way that when customers search for products and services in your local area, your business appears top of the search results.
How web design can help your website deliver
Local SEO
Effective web design can impact how your site is ranked in search engines and increase your chances of appearing in local search results, making sure your business can be found online by customers who live nearby and who are searching for your services.
Search engines like Google will prioritise websites that deliver value and relevance, whilst also being authoritative and user-friendly, so designing your website accordingly will play a role in your local search rankings.
Web design will address this with:
- Clean navigation structure
- Fast loading times
- Content that targets location keyphrases such as ‘hairdressers in Durham’ or ‘hairdressers near me’
- Contact details and customer reviews prominently displayed.
Project spotlight: David Harvey Hair
Local content was key when we were building a new website for this Newcastle-based hairdresser.
To attract online clientele in and around the city, we created content to ensure the new website ranked prominently in local search results for 'hairdresser Newcastle'.
The result? Targeted website traffic was directed straight to our client's digital doorstep!
Mobile-friendly design
These days, most of us use mobile devices to search online, particularly when it comes to local services. What’s more, Google and other search engines now evaluate the mobile versions of websites to determine where they rank in search results.
As a result, your website must be designed so that it automatically adjusts its layout to fit any screen, whether it is on a mobile or a desktop. Known as mobile-friendly or responsive web design, this will ensure a seamless user experience that customers and search engines love.
Clear structure
For a local business, one of the most effective web design features is making it easy for customers to navigate your website and find the information they need.
This means:
Clear content hierarchy
Ensure your homepage features an overview of your products or services, which then clicks through to more detailed pages, where they can find details about pricing, availability, and testimonials.
Dedicated contact page
This must be easy to access from any part of the site.
Contact details in the header or footer
The means customers can reach you quickly, whichever page they land on from search results.
Project spotlight: Corbridge Larder
This much-loved local deli spotted an opportunity to make the leap online and sell its luxury hampers to customers further afield.
To help them achieve this, we provided a fresh new website design and digital marketing strategy, together with regular email marketing campaigns and social media content to help them find a wider market for their gorgeous artisan products.
Local content
Localised content is a great way to connect with potential customers and address their specific needs. Furthermore, mentioning specific locations will help your site rank for location-specific keywords.
Including a blog in your website design means you can incorporate localised content into your site, allowing you to target location-based keywords while positioning your business as a trusted local service.
Project spotlight: Glass & Mirror Solutions
Glass & Mirror Solutions has been supplying glass products and services for over 25 years and is as local as they come!
Having built up a solid reputation in the NorthEast, we were tasked with helping this Durham-based business increase its reach.
To do this, we used two-fold SEO strategy: 1) To improve their national visibility on search engines, we created optimised content 2) To improve their rankings in local, location-bases search results, we used local SEO techniques.
Build trust & confidence
There are many tools that can be incorporated into your web design that will reassure customers of your local business’ trustworthiness and credibility.
These features include:
Testimonials and reviews – such quotes from customers and star ratings from review platforms like Google and Trustpilot.
Real photos of your team, office and projects – this will add authenticity and a personal touch.
Security features – ensuring your site uses HTTPS will protect user data and signal to visitors (and search engines) that the site is safe.
Web design for your local business with Stick Marketing
Here at Stick, we know that an effective website is key to the success of any local business. It will help you connect with your community, demonstrate your expertise and attract new business.
Whether you are looking to build your first website, or improve an existing one, we will focus on we design principles that will benefit your local SEO, improve mobile responsiveness and build trust with customers.
Get in touch today to discuss what we can do for you.