Keep it simple. Don’t force visitors to guess where information is located on the site or make the font hard to decipher. Keep the design clean and uncluttered, pick an easy-to-read font, make the tabs visible and use straightforward language rather than being formal or sales-y.

1. Identify your audience. Make it clear on your site who you serve best. If you want to be seen as a brand partner and an extension of your clients’ marketing team, emphasize it with your tagline, imagery, blog posts, testimonials and case studies. This may help weed out those who just want a quick order at the lowest price and have no interest in establishing a long-term relationship with you. This is also your opportunity to show how you offer more value than a massive e-commerce site like Amazon.

2. Focus on education. Visitors want answers to their problems when they visit your site. Make sure they’re the driving force of your site rather than your sales pitch. Have blog posts, how-tos, white papers, research studies and webinars, and keep them in an easy-to-locate Resources tab. The content should enhance your expertise, not undermine it; make sure it’s clear, professional and edited, and make sure the content is regularly updated.

80% of buyers look at a company’s website to see if they would reach out to them. — (Hinge Research Institute)

3. Design for mobile. More likely than not, your prospects are searching for products using their smartphones. If your site isn’t mobile-optimized, they won’t be staying long to look around. Be certain your site is fully functional and easy-to-navigate on mobile devices, including phones and tablets. Consider offering e-commerce capabilities as well.

4. Remember SEO. Your site will only be found in a Google search if it’s designed with search engine optimization (SEO) in mind. Make sure keywords that will be used to search for your company appear consistently on your site, then test them and make sure you’re ranking well in search engine results. Track which keywords do the best and have them serve as a guide as you move forward. Also consider hiring an SEO expert who can help you use keywords efficiently, which will help you make it to the first page of Google search results.

5. Offer contact info. An awesome website won’t make much difference if visitors want to find out more but can’t locate your contact information. Make sure the visitors who are interested in contacting you can do so quickly. Create a tab for just that purpose, with your main phone number, email and physical address if you welcome walk-ins. To compete effectively, respond quickly once the emails and calls come in, and be sure that a team member is ready to welcome anyone who drops by for a visit.