What Local Customers Wish to See More of on Your Company Website
Local customers want certain information when deciding who to do business with. If someone is looking for a local company, certain information — like store hours and location — is vital. It’s much more important than if people wanted to work with an e-commerce business that serves the entire country or has no physical locations.
It can be frustrating to hunt for this information if it’s not easy to find. in some cases, it may even encourage them to look to your competitors instead.
Here is the essential information local customers wish they could see on your company website.
Your Products and Prices
What does your business do, exactly?
Customers may have a good idea of what your company does or sells — lawn care services, art supplies or HVAC repair, for example. However, they may not know if your business can solve their specific problem — and if so, how much it will cost them.
A list of the services you offer will help customers know if your company can help. If you sell products, an online storefront, catalog or menu will also be useful.
If you have a wide range of products and services, breaking down your major categories and listing them in your header can streamline navigation.
Where Your Business Operates
While hours and address information is important for brick-and-mortar retailers, it can be less relevant if you offer a service that requires you to go where your customers are.
However, the area you serve may not be clear-cut or could be difficult to communicate in some cases. One business that clearly shows off this information is Quality Overhead Door, a garage door company in Toledo, Ohio.
The site uses two different elements to show where the business operates. First, there is a large graphic of Michigan and Ohio on the right side of the screen, suggesting that these states are in the company’s service area. Then, on the left side of the page, there’s a text box that says the company services the Toledo area.
From these elements, customers in and around Toledo can be almost 100% sure the company can help them. People outside that area — but still in Michigan or Ohio — will know they may need to contact the company to see if they are in service range.
Contact Info
Even with a well-designed website outfitted with answers to common questions, customers will probably still have queries. They may also prefer to place orders and schedule appointments over the phone, rather than online or through email.
Even repeat customers may need to find this information again when making a new purchase. Easy-to-access contact info is important for any business website, but local companies especially need this in a highly visible location if they want to retain customers.
Typically, businesses will place their contact information in a few different spots. Most companies will put it at the bottom of their site, along with hours and locations.
Metro Atlanta Lawncare includes contact information in two places. The phone number is included in a call-to-action at the end of the page’s contact. It can also be found at the bottom of the page, along with social media pages and contact email.
The site header also includes a link to a contact page with the same information and a form.
Hours and Address
If you’re planning to visit a store in person, you need to know where it is and when it opens. Suppose this information isn’t easily available on your website. In that case, customers will be forced to either use alternative sources — like your Google listing — that may be inaccurate or out-of-date, or try to guess where your business is.
This information is especially important for restaurants and other companies where coming to one of the locations is necessary.
Simple works best for hours and address information. Baldo’s, an ice cream and coffee shop in Dallas, keeps it extremely basic. It uses black text, a white background and the essentials — address, contact information and hours.
Ideally, this information should be available in a few different places. At the least, however, you’ll want to include a clearly labeled section on location hours and address.
An “About Us” Section
Extra sections can provide additional information about what your business does, the values your company stands for and the kind of experience you provide.
An “about us” page or group of pages can help round out the services you offer and provide customers with a little bit of extra confidence in your business.
Lee’s Air, a plumbing and HVAC repair company in Fresno, California, provides quick links to three different pages under an “about us” section in the site header. The pages offer some additional information for customers, like the company’s team, specials and promos, and membership options.
This section is also another great place for critical business information — like hours, location, areas served and contact info.
Providing Key Information for Your Local Customers
Certain information and site features are key for retaining local customers and building brand recognition. Basic business information — what you do, where you do it and how much it costs — is some of the most important.
Other pages can help round out your site. An “about us” section and detailed product break-downs can help communicate a little extra info about your company and offer the trust potential customers are looking for.
