With that in mind, I present to you the TOP 10 website features every small business needs to crush it online.

1. Mobile Responsiveness

Let’s face it—people are glued to their phones. More than 55% of all web traffic comes from mobile devices, so your site needs to look amazing and work seamlessly on any screen size. Mobile responsiveness ensures that your layout, images, and buttons adjust automatically to fit a phone, tablet, or desktop. Plus, Google prioritizes mobile-friendly sites in search rankings, so a responsive design doesn’t just help users—it helps you get found.

Pro Tip: Test your site on multiple devices. If something looks off, fix it. Your customers won’t wait for you to catch up.

2. Fast Loading Speeds

In today’s world of go, go, go – nobody wants to wait for a slow website especially not your customers or Google. If your site takes more than three seconds to load, visitors will bounce faster than a poorly hit golf ball. Speed affects user experience and your bottom line.

How to Fix It:

• Compress images (smaller file sizes = faster load times).
• Use a reliable hosting service.
• Minimize unnecessary plugins and scripts.

The Result: Faster load times keep visitors engaged and happy, while also boosting your SEO.

3. Secure Website (SSL Certificate)

Ever noticed the “Not Secure” warning on some websites? That’s what happens without SSL (Secure Sockets Layer). An SSL certificate encrypts your site, protecting sensitive information like credit card numbers and passwords. It also gives you that little padlock icon in the browser bar—instantly building trust.

Why It Matters:

• Protects customer data.
• Increases trustworthiness.
• Improves Google rankings (yes, Google cares about security too)

Side Note: In addition to your SSL certificate, you should also have a clearly written and available Privacy Policy available on your

4. Clear Navigation

Imagine walking into a store with no signs. Frustrating, right? That’s what a cluttered or confusing website feels like. Clear navigation ensures your visitors can find what they’re looking for without a scavenger hunt.

Best Practices:

• Keep menus simple (no more than 6-7 items).
• Use descriptive labels (e.g., “About Us” or “Shop Now”).
• Include a search bar for easy access.

Why It Works: The easier your site is to use, the longer people stay—and the more likely they are to convert.

5. Call-to-Action (CTA) Buttons

Don’t assume visitors will know what to do next. CTA buttons guide them, whether it’s “Buy Now,” “Contact Us,” or “Subscribe Today.” A strong CTA is clear, action-oriented, and visually distinct.

Tips for Effective CTAs:

• Use bright, contrasting colours.
• Keep the text short and actionable (“Book Now,” not “Click Here to Book Your Next Appointment”).
• Place them where visitors naturally look, like above the fold or at the end of a page.

Why it Works: Again it boils down to the ease of the site’s use – clear CTA are there to capture attention and direct people to specific, converting sections of your site.

6. Engaging Visual Content

Let’s be real—nobody wants to stare at a wall of text. High-quality visuals grab attention and keep visitors engaged. From sharp product photos to creative videos, your visuals tell your brand story and engage your viewers with the site’s content.

What Works:

• Use professional images (no stock photos that scream “generic”).
• Add videos for demos, testimonials, or behind-the-scenes looks.
• Keep graphics aligned with your brand colours and style.

Why it’s Important: Consistency is key. Branding your site with visual content consistent with your brand will go a long way in telling your customers “Your Story”

7. SEO-Friendly Design

If your site isn’t optimized for search engines, you’re invisible. SEO (Search Engine Optimization) helps your site rank higher on Google, making it easier for potential customers to find you.

SEO Basics for Design:

• Use keywords naturally in headings and page titles.
• Optimize images with alt text.
• Ensure fast loading speeds and mobile responsiveness.

Pro Tip: Use tools like Google Analytics to monitor your SEO performance and adjust as needed.

8. Social Media Integration

Your social media channels are goldmines for engagement, so why not link them directly to your site? Adding social media buttons and feeds helps visitors connect with you on multiple platforms.

Ideas for Integration:

• Add clickable social icons in your header or footer.
• Include a live Instagram feed showcasing your latest products or events.
• Use share buttons so visitors can spread your content with one click.

Pro Tip: Integration of the live feeds allows you to constantly update your website without making major changes to the design. A simple and effective way to keep customers up-to-date.

9. Testimonials and Reviews

Social proof is one of the most powerful tools in your arsenal. Positive testimonials and reviews show potential customers that you’re trustworthy and reliable.

How to Showcase Reviews:

• Highlight a few glowing testimonials on your homepage.
• Include a dedicated “Reviews” or “Customer Stories” page.

Pro Tip: You can use widgets and plugins to display real-time reviews from Google or Yelp.

10. Contact Information and Chat Options

Don’t make customers search for how to contact you. Display your phone number, email, and address prominently. Want to go the extra mile? Add a live chat feature or chatbot to answer questions instantly.

Why It Matters:

• Builds trust by showing you’re accessible.
• Increases conversions by resolving concerns in real time.
• Creates a seamless experience for your visitors.

Final Thoughts

Your website is your 24/7 salesperson, and it needs to deliver the goods. By focusing on these 10 must-have features, you’ll create a site that not only looks great but also works hard to attract, engage, and convert visitors. Ready to level up your online game? Start tweaking your site today—your customers (and your business) will thank you!

The post Top 10 Must-Haves for Small Business Websites appeared first on Arktos Graphics and Design.

The Easy Answer

Most information out there suggests that a website should be redesigned, or at the very least tweaked every 2-4 years – but a lot of it would depend on your online goals. That is the easy answer. As people’s attention spans get shorter and shorter the importance of keeping a fresh and eye-catching website grows more and more. Technology in the web design world changes quickly. Leaving your website stagnant for a period of time opens the door for your competitors to take advantage of these new technologies and capture your customers…but we will get into that later in this article.

Changes to Your Business

The chances that your business stays the same through the years are fairly low, so a good time to consider updating the look and functionality of your website would be any time you make changes to your business. If you have made some changes to the products or services you offer, not only is it necessary to add these to your site – but it provides a perfect time to audit your UX/UD and make some more dramatic changes.

Maybe you have brought on a new employee or two. Fresh eyes and opinions can offer a great window into the eyes of your customers. Ask new employees what they think of your online presence, they might give you some great insight on how to improve its design. At the end of the day, your website should give your customers an accurate picture of your business and not just an overview – so anytime you make changes to what you offer or how you operate – your website design should be analyzed and modified to ensure it does that.

Was it time for a new brand? Updating your brand is extremely important as well and your website is a huge part of that. If you have updated your brand – you need to update your website. Just do it. Don’t wait. Your current customers already know you, but new customers will be encountering your business for the 1st time. Ensure your best foot is forward with a website that matches your new identity.

Outdated Technology

I graduated from web design school in 2010, and many things I learned in terms of the technology used back then have become obsolete over that time. Although the general principles of good design are the same, the technology has dramatically improved – and will continue to do so. HTML, CSS and Flash have been replaced by HTML5, Content Management Systems, Javascript and PHP. If your website uses any outdated technology, the odds are that your website does not function the way it used to, which can negatively affect your customers’ experience with it.

The biggest technology change is the dominance of mobile-friendly design. For most websites, over 65% of users access the website from some form of mobile device. With that in mind, having a mobile-friendly design is essential. A few days ago (early May 2022), I was going through a list of businesses for a client of mine and their social media maintenance. I was astounded by the number of companies that still did not have mobile-friendly websites. Check out your website on a mobile device, and if it is not optimized for viewing there – contact a web designer IMMEDIATELY!! 

Checklist for Website Redesign

So now you have decided that a redesign of your website is needed, what type of things do you need to have in place? I have created a small checklist or list of questions that you should have answered prior to getting the process started. Any web designer worth their salt should/will ask you these questions prior to the start of the project – so it would be best to have the answers ready to go to help the process move along quicker.

A. PERFORM AN AUDIT OF YOUR CURRENT SITE and ask yourself the following questions. 

1. Is your website currently optimized for mobile devices?
2. Have your goals changed since you last launched your site or since its last redesign?
3. Do you have a branding guide? If yes, is the website consistent with that branding guide? If not, you will want to create one to provide direction for your web designer.
4. Does your website function properly? Do all areas display correctly and contribute to the visual interest and direction of the site?
5. Is the current website set up for easy updating and creating more content to draw in your audience?
6. What is the user experience like? Is it easy to navigate and quickly find information quickly for your customers?
7. How are your metrics? Using Google Analytics or any other website traffic tracking software you have in place – look at the user flow and experience. You should be able to tell where the majority of the problems lie within the design. If you look at your metrics and don’t understand them – let your designer know, they will be able to point out areas that require attention and should have some good ideas on how to make improvements.
8. Is your SEO (search engine optimization) doing everything it can to capture your audience? Are the keywords correct and applicable to your business? This will help when you review the website’s content and direct you to where you need to improve and make adjustments.

B. DEFINE A STRATEGY AND SET GOALS FOR THE SITE.

1. What story are you trying to tell on your website?
2. What journey through the site are you hoping your visitors take? What will that accomplish both for them and for you?
3. What problems or challenges do your customers solve or overcome?
4. What related keywords do your customers use most often? Doing some simple keyword research will help you with your website content creation to ensure your target audience finds your site with improved SEO.

C. GATHER ASSETS (PHOTOS, INFORMATION, LINKS, etc.)

The final step is to ensure you have all your assets in one place. This will drastically improve your web designer/developer’s ability to create an amazing website for you and your business. High-resolution, clear images of products, equipment, personnel and services, infographics, product PDFs and videos all will contribute to the designer’s ability to meet all the goals you have set for your new site.

Summary

So to summarize, a website is a bit like a living organism. It needs to change, evolve and grow over time. Similar to your business, its products and services, and operations, your website needs to portray your business at its absolute best. In today’s day and age, your website is most likely going to be one of the first interactions your customers have with your business. You need to put in some time and effort to ensure this interaction is the best that it can be.

The post When is it time to redesign your website? appeared first on Arktos Graphics and Design.

The Good

Do-it-yourself website builders do offer a variety of positive things for potential individuals or businesses looking at getting a website up and going. So let’s look into what they do offer.

1. Lower in cost – the obvious benefit to a DIY website, is always going to be the cost. You are not hiring a professional web design which can run you between $500 and $10,000 depending on the size of the site. Several web hosting companies (such as GoDaddy, Doteasy or Host Gator) offer their website builder as part of your web hosting package. Their ability to package products together allows them to target people shopping for a good deal.
2. “Easy to Utilize” – the drag-and-drop editors are easy to use, so to speak. If you are relatively tech-savvy and know your way around a computer, you won’t have too much issue with finding your way through the creation of your website. I will cover some items a little later that you should be aware of before assuming it is straightforward.
3. Perfect for Specific Types of Sites – If you looking to display informative content, encouraging customers to visit your physical location, then a free website builder will probably work for you. So before starting any website project setting so definite goals or objectives for the site will go a long way.

So there are definitely positives to these website builders, but even if your website would easily be done with these types of products there are a few roadblocks that might come up during the process and I want to examine those now.

Graphics with Responsive Designs

Since the early 2000s, a website’s responsiveness (mobile-friendly) has become of the utmost of importance. Over 50% of website traffic is done from a mobile device. When it comes to the website builders, this is not the problem. Their templates and platforms are responsive “out-of-the-box”. Where the problem lies with this is in the creation of graphics and images used for your site. If the images are not uploaded (drag) at the right dimensions distortion or pixelation will occur – making them unclear and unattractive. There are also many different file types that these graphics can be (JPEG, TIFF, PNG, PDF). Depending on where they are being displayed on your site, understanding which type of graphic to use will be imperative in achieving the desired look. Most, if not all, website designers have the skills and tools to create stunning graphics for their designs. Their knowledge of code allows them to correctly size all graphics for optimal visual impact.

Search Engine Optimization

Search Engine Optimization is one of the most important items in website design, because if people can’t find your site, what good is it? DIY website builders do have very basic SEO built into their platforms, but depending on the goals for the site, this most likely won’t be enough. SEO or Search Engine Optimization is a technique used by professional web designers to make your website receive higher rankings from search engines. This includes: properly naming images and files, properly naming each page, setting appropriate keywords and so much more.

Customization and Coding

There are millions, if not billions of websites in the world currently, so how are you going to make yours stand out? DIY website builders are designed to be as easy as possible – which doesn’t lend itself to much customization. They usually have limitations that restrict graphics and text and can even go as far as limiting colour schemes. When you hire a professional web designer you know that your site will suit your business – with very few limitations. A professional web designer has the knowledge in PHP, databases, HTML, CSS and much more to open you to a world of possibilities with your site. They have spent years educating themselves on best practices, industry trends and technology to ensure each project is unique, effective and done with your business goals in mind.

Industry Trends

The Internet and website design changes daily, as we saw with the mobile-friendly switch. New technologies, new coding techniques, and new ways to draw traffic to your site are created every day. If a professional web designer wishes to be successful, they must stay abreast of these trends. Armed with that knowledge, they will implement these tools in creating your website and allow you to stay in “the digital race”.

Regardless of what road you decide to take when it comes to building a website, the most important thing is to have clear goals and expectations for the site. Without those your website will fail – regardless of how “pretty” it looks.

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