Top 10 Must-Have Website Features for Online Business Owners

As an online business owner, your website is more than just a digital business card; it’s the cornerstone of your online presence. It is important to have the right features on your website for your online business.

The right website features can help you: 

• attract clients
• build trust
• showcase your expertise
• create seamless transactions
• be found in Google searches

In a competitive market, incorporating these essential features into your website can make the difference between a visitor becoming a client or moving on to a competitor. 

Let’s explore the top 10 must-have website features that every online business owner should include on their website. 

Website Feature #1: A Clear and Concise Homepage 

Your homepage is often the first impression visitors will have of your brand, so it needs to be clear, concise, and engaging. 

Your website should immediately communicate: 

• Who you help - This should show up right at the top of your home page in your main header and subhead and even more importantly, above “the fold”. 
• What you offer - Don’t take too long to get to this point. Share how you can help your target audience with your service offerings or product suite within the first few sections of your home page. 
• How you help them + Why you are the right person to help - This is an opportunity to talk about your credentials and experience in order to validate your service offerings. 

Use compelling headlines, brief descriptions, and strong calls-to-action (CTAs) to guide visitors to explore more about your services, courses, or product suite. Make sure your design is clean, with a well-organized layout that is easy to navigate.

Website Feature #2: Lead Magnet or Free Opt-In to collect email addresses and grow your email list

The best way to keep your audience coming back for more is to remind them through email marketing. But how can you send someone an email without their email address? 

That is why a Lead Magnet (or Free Opt-In) is so important. Give your audience a quick win with an educational e-book, downloadable checklist, daily planner, comprehensive infographic, mini training, or something that they can opt-in to and receive in exchange for their email address. 

The goal is to get them on your list and into an email campaign to build “know, like, and trust” with you and eventually pitch your signature offer.

PRO TIP: Think about your signature paid offer and what you are providing and then work your way backwards. The best conversion potential is when your freebie aligns with your signature offer. If you are a health coach and your signature offer is a course to help people sleep better through regulating hormones, you wouldn’t give them a 5-step guide to decluttering your house. You would want to give them something about hormones or sleep to season them for what you will be offering down the road. This also assures that your lead is warm, not cold. 

Where does your opt-in go? 

The top 3 places to position your free opt-in on your home page are: 

• Right under your home page header
• As a pop-up window
• A CTA button in your navigation menu bar

You can also add it to:

• Contact, About, Landing pages
• Footer
• Blog Section
• Really anywhere and everywhere!

Website Feature #3: About Page with a Personal Touch 

Did you know that your About Page isn’t actually about YOU? People want to connect with a person, not just a brand and even more importantly, they want to feel like you KNOW them. When writing your about page, think about your target audience. Who are they, what are they looking for, what are their pain points? Then strategically position the answers within your copy.

Your about page is also an opportunity to build trust with your audience. Share your story, values, and qualifications in a way that relates to your target audience. 

Don’t forget to include:

• a professional photo of you - make sure it is consistent with your brand and feels authentic.
  PRO TIP: Photos with your hands in them subconsciously helps you seem more trustworthy.
• a personal narrative about your journey
• your mission - the about page is a great place to share your mission and further prove how you can support your website visitor

Don’t forget to highlight any relevant credentials or experience that reinforces your authority in your niche. 

Website Feature #4: Blog Section for Content Marketing

A blog is a powerful tool for content marketing. Regularly publishing valuable, relevant content not only helps establish you as an expert but also improves your website’s SEO, driving more organic traffic. 

Write about topics that address your audience’s pain points, provide solutions, and offer insights (like this blog post you are reading right now). This not only engages your audience but also encourages them to return to your site for more information, eventually converting them into clients. 

Your blog is also a great place to mention your service offerings and give people a “Next Steps” or call-to-action.

PRO TIP: This isn’t the field of dreams. If you build it, they won’t know to come unless you tell them. Don’t forget to mention and share your blog posts in emails and on social media. 

Website Feature #5: Services or Courses Page

Your Services, Product Suite, or Courses page is where you showcase what you offer. This page should be well-structured and easy to navigate, allowing visitors to quickly understand the benefits of your online service offerings. Use clear descriptions, pricing information, and include visual elements like images or videos to better inform your audience. 

It is important to showcase this page in your navigation menu bar and on your homepage. We always include a “Where To Go Next” section on our clients homepage so that their visitors have more to explore. This is a great place to include a description of your services and a CTA button to take them to this page to dive deeper and learn more.

If you offer multiple services or courses, consider categorizing them for easier navigation and eventually build out individual pages for each offer for a better SEO strategy. 

Website Feature #6: Testimonials and Success Stories

Social proof is essential for building credibility. Including testimonials and success stories from past clients can greatly influence potential clients’ decisions. Real-life examples of how your coaching, courses, products or services have positively impacted others help build trust and show that you deliver results. Where possible, include photos or videos of clients and direct quotes to make the testimonials more authentic and relatable.

Website Feature #7: Easy-to-Use Contact Form 

A contact form is a straightforward way for potential clients to get in touch with you. It should be easy to find, simple to fill out, and should include fields for essential information like name, email, and a message box. Consider adding a dropdown menu for users to specify the reason for their inquiry, which can help you manage and respond to messages more efficiently. Ensure that the form is linked to your email or CRM system so that you don’t miss any inquiries and you can respond in a timely manner.

Website Feature #8: Integrated Payment Capabilities

As an online business owner, having integrated payment capabilities is crucial. It simplifies the purchasing process for your customers, making it easier for them to enroll in your courses or pay for your services. Popular options include PayPal, Stripe, and Square. Ensure that the payment process is seamless, secure, and offers multiple payment options to cater to a broader audience. 

If you are starting from scratch and looking for a web hosting platform, pay attention to their payment system options when shopping around. We love Kajabi, not only for its course creation capabilities but also for its seamless functionality and flexible payment options which include afterpay, Google pay and more.  

BONUS TIP: Do not forget about Secure Hosting and SSL Certificates

Security is paramount, especially when dealing with personal information and online transactions. Ensure your website is hosted on a secure, reliable server like GoDaddy or BlueHost and that it has an SSL certificate. An SSL certificate encrypts data transferred between your website and its users, protecting sensitive information and building trust. Moreover, search engines like Google favor secure websites, so having an SSL certificate can also boost your SEO efforts. A safe and secure hosting service should offer this certificate as an add-on when purchasing your domain.

Website Feature #9: Mobile Responsiveness

With a significant portion of web traffic coming from mobile devices, having a mobile-responsive website is non-negotiable. Your site should automatically adjust to different screen sizes, ensuring that it’s accessible and user-friendly on smartphones and tablets. A mobile-responsive design improves user experience, reduces bounce rates, and positively impacts your SEO rankings.

When building out your website, make sure you are checking your mobile design for:

• flow of content
• image visibility and placement
• text sizing and readability
• padding and margins
• animation, parallax, and other dynamic features
• general functionality of navigation and buttons

Website Feature #10: SEO-Friendly Design

Search engine optimization (SEO) is vital for driving organic traffic to your website. Your site should be designed with SEO in mind, including clean code, fast loading times for your website pages, and the use of meta tags, alt text, and keyword-rich content. An SEO-friendly website increases your visibility on search engines, helping potential clients find you more easily. Consider working with an SEO expert to optimize your site or use tools like Yoast SEO if you're using WordPress.

SEO practices to keep in mind while designing your website:

• only have one H1 on all pages
• make sure all of your pages have clear page titles and meta descriptions 
• keep your website loading speed low (make sure your images have a small file size and your page loads within 0-2 seconds)
• use clean and descriptive URL slugs (i.e. "www.website.com/seo-strategies")
• make sure all of your images have Alt Text attributed to them

Now It’s Time to Audit Your Site for These 10 Website Features

As an online business owner your website is a critical part of your business strategy. Regularly auditing your site to ensure it includes these must-have features can help you stay ahead of the competition, attract more clients, and deliver a seamless experience. If any of these features are missing, now is the perfect time to implement them and take your online presence to the next level.

If you have an existing website take our FREE website audit to see what you might be missing. After your review we will tell you exactly how to update your website for free!  

If you would like someone to build you a website for your business, inquire through our Done-For-You website services page.