Building a website for a local business is different to building a website for a national or a global level business. Not only the geographical area is restricted, the clientele is also very focused and localized. It is important to design and build a site that is customized to this target audience. The specifics of what motivates such a focused group are easy to understand. But we see that ECOMMERCE WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT COMPANIES do not bother to advice their local business clients on how important it is to target their site to their specific target group.
Here are some very simple and easy to implement pointers for a local business website:
Domain: Choose a domain name that is specefic to your local area. It should have the name of the city, state etc., and also end with the country extension rather than a .com. For example arizonatruckrepairs.com, torontochiropractor.ca etc
Highlight Phone no. and address: Since your target audience would call you or most likely visit your premises its a good idea to highlight the phone no., address of your business and business hours at the top of your site.
Keep your content focused: Local sites need to have content that clearly focuses on their being in that area. Like a Chiropractor could highlight how in the local area they are different to other Chiropractors (maybe their techniques are different, their facilities are better and no one has those kind of facilities in that area) etc.
Use real pictures: Instead of having a stock photo of an office or people behind the business, local businesses should use real images of themselves, their staff and premises (if they have one). Having pictures of the outside of the office and interiors creates more chances of local residents visiting the business as they can come to know how the place looks before they visit it.
Quote Form: The quote or inquiry form like on any other site should be prominently placed on the home and other pages of the website. Some customers may feel comfortable to be contacted back rather than having to contact themselves.