Your Startup’s Website: A Complete Checklist

When you get your startup’s website right, it will do all the hard work for you.

It will generate new customers, clients and sales. It’s often the first impression your business makes. There’s a lot at stake when it comes to building your startup website.

As an entrepreneur, you’ve already got the vision to take your startup forward. You know how to generate profit, and you know your niche inside out.

You also know you need a kick-ass website, but you might not have the time to dedicate to it.  Especially when you’re busy running the day-to-day tasks of your business.

That’s why I’ve created this handy 9-point checklist. It’s everything your startup website needs to make a big impact and generate new customers, clients and sales.

Here we go:

1. Who are you and what do you do?

As a startup, your first task is introducing yourself to new customers or visitors to your site.

This is called your “value proposition.’ In a nutshell, it tells visitors who you are, what you do, and why they should trust you. As a new business, you’ve got to build trust and make a connection quickly.

 

Notice how the best startup websites utilize the whole upper part of their website to explain what they do. If you can condense your entire business into one picture and a few lines of text, you’ve made a great start.

 

2. Check your website speed

Website load speed might seem like a small detail, but you’ll be amazed at how much difference a few seconds make.

Consider this. 83% of all internet users expect your website to load in three seconds or less. If it takes longer than that, most will close your website and look elsewhere.

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Do you know how long your website takes to load?

If you think your site might be too slow, it might be time to check out a new, faster web host. Load speed starts your web server - your engine.

There are other small tweaks you can make to the website itself, like using lightweight images, installing caching plugins and trimming your web code.

3. Improve your web design

Visitors tend to make immediate judgements about your website - and your business - based on your web design. If you’ve thrown together a quick site from a template, the site can often seem amateur and unprofessional.

On the other hand, a well-designed website with a professional logo and high quality images can inspire trust in your visitors.

Even the colors you choose can have a big impact on how people respond to your website, and therefore your business.

4. Create a clear user-journey

Yes, your website needs a journey! “And what exactly is a user journey,” you might ask?

A user-journey is simply a trail laid out for your website visitors to follow. It’s like breadcrumbs, leading them from the start point to the end - which is ideally a sale or signup form.

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As a startup, your simple user journey would start by introducing visitors to your products (using a video, perhaps). It would gently nudge them towards your blog or your about page. It would then lead them to a signup form, and ultimately, a product sales page.

It’s all about nurturing them slowly on a pre-described journey.

5. Make sure it works on a mobile device

In 2017, it’s essential that your website functions correctly on a mobile device. More internet users access the web on a tablet or smartphone than on a PC or laptop. It’s no longer enough to function on desktops alone.

Most website builders now offer designs and themes that are ‘responsive.’ In other words, they automatically snap-to-fit no matter which device is used to access the site.

Test yours on as many devices as possible before launching.

6. An informative ‘about’ page

Today’s startup culture is heavily based around stories. Your visitors want to know why you started the company. What drives you? What annoys you? How will your business change the world?

An in-depth ‘about page’ gives visitors a chance to get to know the people behind the company. In the early days of your startup, getting your message across couldn’t be more important.

7. A contact page

This might seem like an obvious detail; you’d be surprised how many websites are launched without an adequate contact page.

If possible, I suggest avoiding the typical ‘contact form.’ Numerous blogs have shown that web users don’t actually trust them. Instead, give people a clear and obvious email address to contact.

Even better, direct them to a real person depending on their query. In other words, set up different contact emails for customer service, business enquiries and general information.

 

8. Plenty of content

Website content is great for keeping visitors on your website. Right where you want them! Getting them engaged, informing them, and entertaining them is all part of the nurturing experience.

If you can introduce them to free content, they’re much more likely to engage and connect with you.

Not only that, but content is great for helping your rank on Google. It also extends your reach when visitors share and interact with your content.

If you’re launching your startup, try to build a hub of wonderful content so your visitors can dive in and explore.

9. Make sure it’s secure and backed-up

Last of all, ensure there are no cracks in your security!

This is especially important if you’re selling products from your website. A simple way to ensure your transactions are safe is to purchase an SSL certificate.

As for backups, use a cloud backup system to keep all your data, customer information and website backed up. Most good web hosts will also run a daily or weekly backup automatically. Check to see if your host offers this service, and make sure it’s switched on.

Final Thoughts

It’s easy to forget about your website while you’re busy pushing your business forward. However, skip back to this checklist regularly and make sure you’re staying on track. Good luck!

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