Most business owners know they need to have a website. However, it isn't enough to just have a website. According to research, about 38% of people will stop interacting with a website that is badly designed. These seven secrets will help you ensure your website is a great one.

1. Optimize Your Site for Search Engines

Search engine optimization is a design technique that makes it more likely that people will find your website when searching for relevant keywords. If you aren't sure which keywords to use for page titles, you can identify them for free by using the Google keyword tool planner or Ubersuggest.

To rank well, your site should load quickly, be mobile friendly, have lots of optimized content, be secure, and be frequently updated with fresh content.

2. Track Your Progress With Analytics

Google Analytics is a free and simple-to-use tool for tracking and analyzing traffic to your website.

Analytics tells you not only how many people are visiting your site, but which pages they look at, how long they spend on each page, what they click, where they are coming from and other valuable insights that can help you convert visitors into customers.

3. Make Sure Your Page Loads Quickly

The longer your site takes to load, the more likely visitors are to leave without looking at anything. You can decrease loading times by using a better host, decreasing the file size of images, eliminating unnecessary plugins and code, using a mobile optimized theme, fixing broken links and site errors, and taking advantage of browser caching.

4. Create Customer-Focused Content

The best SEO in the world won't do you any good if the content on your site isn't interesting to your visitors. Everything you put on your site should provide some value to your customers.

Think about what kinds of questions they may be asking, and make sure your site contains the answers to those questions. Make your content both valuable and engaging.

5. Create a Great User Experience

Your website needs to both look good and be functional. If visitors can't figure out how to navigate the site, they probably won't stick around for very long.

The design of your site should also encourage customers to click through to your products and services. If you aren't sure how to create a well-designed user experience, consider hiring a professional web designer from Branding Expert to help.

6. Include a Search Function

Some visitors show up to your site ready to browse. Others are looking for specific information. Including a search function can help ensure that those visitors don't leave in frustration because they can't find what they are looking for.

Search functions are also essential for product pages so that customers who are shopping for a specific product can easily find it.

7. Keep Your Style Consistent

New web designers sometimes fall victim to the temptation to throw every neat feature they run across on their website. This can cause your website to look unprofessional.

Choose one style and stick with it. The colors, images, fonts, and other features you use should all fit with this style.

Creating a killer website isn't an easy task. Whether you’re hiring a professional web designer or using free tools, these seven secrets can give you a leg up on making your small business website a successful one.