9 Website Features That Actually Make Money for Small Businesses
You started a business because you’re good at something. Maybe you bake the best sourdough in Dublin, or perhaps you fix plumbing disasters that make grown men cry. But here’s the hard truth: being good at what you do isn’t enough if nobody can find you.
A website acts as your 24/7 salesperson. It doesn’t sleep, it doesn’t take holidays, and it doesn’t ask for a pay rise. But if that salesperson is standing in a dark corner, mumbling, and wearing a scruffy suit, it’s not going to close many deals.
A website acts as your 24/7 salesperson. It doesn’t sleep, it doesn’t take holidays, and it doesn’t ask for a pay rise. But if that salesperson is standing in a dark corner, mumbling, and wearing a scruffy suit, it’s not going to close many deals.
Many entrepreneurs try to DIY their first site to save cash. I get it. Bootstrapping is part of the game. But a cheap, poorly built site often costs you more in lost revenue than a professional one costs to build. At Nua Web Design, we’ve spent over 25 years fixing “bargain” websites that didn’t work. We build sites that don’t just look pretty—they make money. Whether you hire us or someone else, make sure your site has these nine non-negotiable features.
1. User-Friendly Design
Have you ever walked into a shop where the aisles were cluttered, the lights were dim, and you couldn’t find the checkout? You probably turned around and walked straight back out. Your website works the same way. If a potential customer lands on your page and can’t
figure out what you do or where to click within three seconds, they are gone.
figure out what you do or where to click within three seconds, they are gone.
Intuitive Navigation
Your menu needs to make sense. Don’t get creative with the names. If it’s a page about your team, call it “About Us,” not “The Tribe” or “Our Soul.” Users expect standard conventions. Put your logo in the top left (linked to the homepage) and your contact button in the top right.
We focus on clean layouts that guide the eye. We want the visitor to flow down the page naturally, absorbing information without having to hunt for it.
Accessibility Across Devices
Responsive design means your site automatically adjusts to fit the screen it’s being viewed on. It needs to look just as good on a massive desktop monitor as it does on a tiny smartphone screen. If your user has to pinch and zoom to read your text, you have failed. Accessibility also covers things like readable font sizes and high contrast between text and background.
Don’t put light grey text on a white background. It looks sleek to designers, but it’s a nightmare for anyone with less-than-perfect vision.
2. Mobile Responsiveness
This deserves its own section because it is that critical. Google now uses “mobile-first indexing.” This is a fancy way of saying that Google looks at the mobile version of your site to decide where you should rank in search results. If your desktop site is perfect but your mobile site is a mess, Google will punish you.
The Mobile Market
Hand holding mobile phones isolated
Think about how you search for local businesses. You’re probably on your phone, maybe in a car (hopefully in the passenger seat), or sitting on the sofa. If a site takes ten seconds to load on 4G, you hit the back button. At Nua, we build mobile-first. We test every button to make sure it’s “thumb-friendly.” We compress images so they load instantly on mobile data networks. We strip out unnecessary animations that drain battery and slow down scrolling. If your site isn’t optimised for mobile, you are effectively hanging a “Closed” sign on your
digital door for half your potential customers.
digital door for half your potential customers.
3. Clear Call-to-Actions (CTAs)
A Call-to-Action (CTA) is simply an instruction to your visitor telling them what to do next. It sounds obvious, but you’d be shocked at how many small business websites lack this. They have paragraphs of text about their history and values, but no clear button saying
“Buy Now” or “Get a Quote.”
“Buy Now” or “Get a Quote.”
Guiding User Behaviour
Don’t assume people know what you want them to do. You have to tell them. If you want them to call you, put a big button that says “Call Us Now.” If you want them to book an appointment, put a “Book Online” button in the centre of the screen.
Strategic Placement
We place CTAs strategically throughout the design. You need one “above the fold” (the part of the screen visible before scrolling). You need one after you explain your services. You need one at the bottom of the page. We also use contrasting colours. If your site is mostly blue, make the CTA button orange. It needs to pop. It needs to look clickable.
Common examples we use include:
• Contact Us Today
• Shop the Sale
• Get Your Free Quote
• Book Your Table
• Book Your Table
4. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
You can have the most beautiful website in Ireland, but if it’s on page 10 of Google, it’s worthless. SEO is the process of telling search engines what your site is about so they can show it to the right people.
Visibility is Everything
SEO isn’t magic; it’s technical. It involves using the right keywords (like “Web Design Ireland” or “Plumber in Cork”) in your headings and text. But it goes deeper than that.
Technical SEO Features
Every site needs:
• Meta Tags: These are the snippets of text that show up in Google search results. They need to be written to encourage clicks.
• Fast Loading Speed: Google hates slow sites. We optimise code and images to keep speed high.
• Clean URLs: Your page address should be yoursite.com/services, not yoursite.com/p=123.
• Sitemaps: A file that gives Google a roadmap of your site.
Every site needs:
• Meta Tags: These are the snippets of text that show up in Google search results. They need to be written to encourage clicks.
• Fast Loading Speed: Google hates slow sites. We optimise code and images to keep speed high.
• Clean URLs: Your page address should be yoursite.com/services, not yoursite.com/p=123.
• Sitemaps: A file that gives Google a roadmap of your site.
At Nua, we don’t just build the site and hope for the best. We bake SEO into the foundation. We research what your customers are actually typing into search bars and structure your site to answer those queries.
5. Secure and Reliable Hosting
Hosting is the plot of land your website house sits on. If the land is swampy (unreliable server), your house will sink.
Security is Non-Negotiable
Have you ever seen that little padlock icon next to a website address? That means the site has an SSL certificate. It encrypts data between the user and the site. Google warns users if a site doesn’t have SSL, marking it as “Not Secure.” That is the fastest way to scare off a customer. If you are taking payments or collecting email addresses, security is mandatory. We manage security updates to prevent hacking. Websites are software, and like your phone, they need regular updates to patch security holes.
Performance and Uptime
Cheap hosting often means your site goes down when traffic spikes. It also means slow load times. We provide hosting solutions that keep your site live and fast. Downtime costs money. If your site is down for an hour during your busiest period, how much revenue do
you lose? Probably more than the cost of decent hosting.
Our Secure Server Network
At Nua Web Design, we utilise our own dedicated and secure server network to host your website. This approach ensures complete control over the hosting environment, allowing us to deliver maximum performance, reliability, and security. Unlike generic shared hosting,
our servers are optimised specifically for the needs of our clients, ensuring faster load times and improved stability even during periods of high traffic. By managing our own infrastructure, we can implement cutting-edge security measures to protect your data and
your website from potential threats. With our dedicated server network, you can rest assured that your website remains safe, robust, and always accessible.
our servers are optimised specifically for the needs of our clients, ensuring faster load times and improved stability even during periods of high traffic. By managing our own infrastructure, we can implement cutting-edge security measures to protect your data and
your website from potential threats. With our dedicated server network, you can rest assured that your website remains safe, robust, and always accessible.
6. Content Management System (CMS)
Unless you love writing code (and if you do, come work for us), you need a Content Management System. This is software that allows you to edit your website without knowing HTML or CSS.
Why We Use WordPress
We use WordPress for the majority of our small business builds. It powers over 40% of the web for a reason. It’s flexible, robust, and easy to use.
Easy Updates
With a CMS, you can update your own text, add new photos, and publish blog posts. You shouldn’t have to pay a developer every time you want to change a price or add a new staff member.
We provide training once your site is online. We show you exactly how to log in and make changes. It puts you in control of your own business assets. You own the site, you control the content.
7. Contact Information and Social Proof
Trust is the currency of the internet. When someone finds a new business online, their first thought is: “Is this legitimate?”
Prominent Contact Details
Don’t hide your phone number. Put it in the header. Put it in the footer. Make it clickable so mobile users can dial straight away.
Includes your physical address if you have a shop or office. A local address builds massive trust with local customers. It proves you are real and not just a faceless entity on the internet.
Social Proof
You can say you’re the best, but it means more when someone else says it.
• Testimonials: specific quotes from happy clients. “Great service” is okay. “Nua helped us increase sales by 50% in three months” is better.
• Case Studies: Show your work. If you are a landscaper, show before and after photos. If you are a web designer, show the sites you’ve built.
• Reviews: Embed Google or Trustpilot reviews directly onto your site. We integrate these elements into the design so they support your sales pitch, rather than being tucked away on a separate page nobody looks at.
• Testimonials: specific quotes from happy clients. “Great service” is okay. “Nua helped us increase sales by 50% in three months” is better.
• Case Studies: Show your work. If you are a landscaper, show before and after photos. If you are a web designer, show the sites you’ve built.
• Reviews: Embed Google or Trustpilot reviews directly onto your site. We integrate these elements into the design so they support your sales pitch, rather than being tucked away on a separate page nobody looks at.
8. E-Commerce Capabilities
If you sell products, you need to sell them online. The high street has changed. Your shop needs to be open 24/7.
The Basics of Selling Online
You need a shopping cart that works smoothly. You need a payment gateway (like Stripe or PayPal) that processes money securely. You need a system that calculates shipping costs automatically.
Nua’s E-Commerce Solutions
We build custom online stores. We use platforms like WooCommerce or Shopify depending on your needs. We set up the backend so you can manage inventory easily. You get a password-protected admin system where you can upload products, set prices, and run sales.
If your checkout process is complicated, people will abandon their carts. We streamline the process to make it as easy as possible for people to give you their money.
If your checkout process is complicated, people will abandon their carts. We streamline the process to make it as easy as possible for people to give you their money.
9. Analytics and Tracking
You can’t improve what you don’t measure. A website without analytics is like driving a car with a blindfold on. You might be moving, but you don’t know where you’re going or how fast.
Monitoring Traffic
We install tools like Google Analytics on every site we build. This tells you:
• How many people visit your site.
• Where they came from (Google, Facebook, a link in an email).
• Which pages they looked at.
• How many people visit your site.
• Where they came from (Google, Facebook, a link in an email).
• Which pages they looked at.
• How long they stayed.
Interpreting the Data
This data is gold. If you see that 90% of your visitors leave after looking at your pricing page, you know your prices might be too high or not explained well. If you see that most of your traffic comes from mobile, you know to focus your efforts there. We help you set this up so you can see the ROI of your website investment.
Stop Losing Customers to Your Competitors
Your website is often the first interaction a potential customer has with your brand. If it’s slow, ugly, or hard to use, they will go to your competitor. It is that simple. Investing in a professional website isn’t an expense; it’s an asset. It works for you every
single day.
single day.
At Nua Web Design, we don’t just care about making things look nice. We care about your bottom line. We are a 100% Irish company, based in Dublin, and we understand the local market. We offer packages for every budget, from affordable starter sites to complex e-
commerce platforms.
Don’t let another customer click away. Call us in Dublin now on 01 442 8817 or check out our website to see how we can help your small business grow.
