Features a business website should have in 2025
December 1, 2024
Imagine you’re about to open your own business—exciting, right?
Maybe it’s a clothing store, a café, or even a tech startup.
Whatever the case, in today’s digital world, one of the first things you’ll need is a website.
But here’s the thing: not just any website will do.
Your website has to be more than just pretty pictures and a catchy slogan.
It needs to work for you, bringing in customers and making sure they stay.
So, what are the key features your business website should have?
Well, let’s dive into the story of Tom, a small business owner, and how he learned what makes a website truly effective.
This isn’t just any story; it’s based on years of real-world experience, and by the end, you’ll have a clear idea of what your own business website needs.
Tom’s Big Idea and the Launch of His First Website
Tom had always loved baking, and after years of making cakes for friends and family, he decided to open a bakery.
He was thrilled!
He had the perfect location, the tastiest recipes, and even a loyal customer base from his neighborhood.
But he quickly realized that having just a physical location wasn’t enough.
“Tom, you need a website,” his friend Sarah told him one day. “People are searching for everything online. If you’re not online, you basically don’t exist.”
Tom wasn’t convinced at first.
After all, he thought, why would anyone look for cakes on the internet when they could just walk into his bakery?
But after noticing that his competition was getting a lot of online attention, he decided it was time to make a move.
Tom created his first website.
It was simple: a couple of photos, his address, and a contact form.
He thought that was enough, but soon realized that his website wasn’t bringing in new customers.
It was time for a change.
The Discovery of Essential Features
Tom began researching what makes a website successful, and he discovered some key features that every business website needs to have.
1. Mobile-Friendly Design
One day, Tom noticed something important: most of the people who walked into his bakery had smartphones in their hands.
They were texting, browsing Instagram, or using Google Maps to find nearby stores.
That’s when it hit him—his website wasn’t designed for mobile users.
Tom learned that over half of all internet traffic comes from mobile devices.
If his website didn’t look good or work well on a smartphone, he was missing out on a huge number of potential customers.
So, he made sure his website had a responsive design, meaning it adjusted to fit any screen size.
Now, whether someone was on their phone, tablet, or laptop, they could easily navigate his site.
2. Fast Loading Speed
One of Tom’s customers, Lisa, mentioned that she tried visiting his website, but it took too long to load. She got frustrated and gave up.
That’s when Tom learned about website speed.
People are impatient online.
If your website doesn’t load in under three seconds, most visitors will leave.
Slow websites don’t just annoy people; they also rank lower in search results.
Tom invested in faster hosting and optimized his images, making sure his site loaded quickly.
3. Clear Navigation
Tom’s website was starting to look better, but customers were still struggling to find what they needed.
The menu was confusing, and important information was hidden under too many clicks.
So, Tom simplified the navigation.
He organized the menu so that customers could easily find his bakery’s hours, location, and a list of products.
The easier it is to move around a website, the more likely people will stay and explore.
Building Trust with Customers
Tom’s bakery was getting more traffic now, but there was still a problem.
He wasn’t gaining as many new customers as he hoped.
Sarah pointed out that while his cakes were delicious, new customers didn’t know that.
How could they trust him without trying the cakes first?
That’s when Tom added client testimonials and reviews to his website.
He started by asking some of his loyal customers to write a few words about their experience.
He also encouraged happy customers to leave reviews on Google and Facebook, which he featured prominently on his site.
Suddenly, people were more confident about placing orders.
Seeing that others had great experiences made new visitors trust Tom’s bakery more.
4. Strong Call-to-Action
Even though Tom had more visitors, many still browsed and left without making a purchase or placing an order.
He realized he wasn’t guiding them on what to do next.
That’s when Tom learned about the importance of a call-to-action (CTA).
A CTA is a prompt that encourages visitors to take action, whether that’s buying a cake, signing up for a newsletter, or booking a consultation.
Tom added clear CTAs like “Order Now” and “Visit Us Today” on key parts of his website.
These simple buttons helped guide customers toward making a decision.
SEO – The Magic Behind Visibility
One day, Tom asked himself, “How do I get more people to find my website?”
Sarah introduced him to the world of Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
It was a bit of a mystery at first, but Tom soon realized that SEO is like the secret recipe to success online.
SEO involves tweaking your website so that search engines like Google can easily find and rank it.
Tom learned a few key SEO tricks:
5. Using Keywords
People often search for things like “best bakery near me” or “custom birthday cakes.”
Tom needed to make sure those words were on his website.
These keywords helped Google understand what his site was about and show it to people looking for exactly what he offered.
6. Meta Descriptions and Titles
Meta descriptions are those short snippets you see under a website link in Google’s search results.
Tom started using descriptive meta titles and meta descriptions to explain what each page of his site was about.
This helped attract more clicks.
7. Blogging for SEO
Tom started a blog where he shared baking tips, cake recipes, and fun stories about his bakery.
Not only did this engage his audience, but it also improved his SEO.
The Power of Visuals and Speed
Tom noticed that people loved looking at pictures of his cakes, so he invested in high-quality photos for his website.
He learned that outstanding visuals can make or break a site.
But he had to be careful—if the images were too big, they could slow down the website.
8. Optimized Images
Tom used tools to compress his images without losing quality.
This kept his website fast while still showing off his delicious cakes.
The Importance of Security
One day, Tom’s friend Mark, who was a web developer, told him about SSL certificates.
Tom didn’t understand at first, but then Mark explained: “When customers visit your website, they need to know their information is safe, especially if they’re making online orders.”
Tom realized he needed to protect his customers’ personal data.
So, he got an SSL certificate, which made his website secure.
This little padlock icon in the browser bar gave customers peace of mind when they were browsing his site.
Contact Forms and Social Media Integration
Now, Tom’s website had everything: it looked good, it was fast, and it was easy to use.
But one thing was missing—he wasn’t connecting with his customers enough.
9. Contact Forms
Tom added a contact form so customers could easily ask questions or place special orders.
He also made sure his phone number and email address were easy to find.
10. Social Media Integration
Tom’s customers loved following his bakery on Instagram and Facebook.
He added social media buttons to his website, making it easy for visitors to follow him and stay updated on new products.
This helped him build a stronger connection with his audience.
Constantly Evolving
Tom’s bakery website was now a powerful tool for his business, but he learned one more lesson: a website is never finished.
The internet and customer needs change all the time, so his website needed to evolve too.
Tom set up analytics tools like Google Analytics to track how people were using his site.
He looked at which pages were popular and where people dropped off, and he made improvements based on this data.
He also kept updating his content to stay relevant and keep his website fresh.
Tom’s journey taught him that a successful business website is much more than just a digital storefront.
It’s a living, breathing part of his business that needs constant care and attention.
And now, you can apply these same lessons to your own business website.
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