- Name:
- Jane Staples
- Company:
- Retreat Therapy
- Company profile:
- Retreat Therapy is a growing holistic therapy and massage business in Mapperley, Nottingham, offering alternative therapies to clients throughout the city.
With a well-equipped treatment centre and fully qualified staff, the company delivers a professional service to individuals. The service is designed to be relaxing and enjoyable, helping clients to live a healthier lifestyle.
- Position:
- Founder and owner
- Founded:
- November 2008
Designing a customer-friendly website
Overview
I was made redundant from my customer services job and used the
money to go self-employed. I realised that I had to have a website
if I wanted to promote my business and attract customers.
The challenge
I don't have a shop front so I had to have a site that would
appeal to and inform customers and would be easy for them to find
on the internet.
The solution
After taking advice, I soon realised that the design of my site
was of paramount importance so customers not only liked what they
saw but could easily navigate their way around it.
I used shades of green to make the pages look attractive and
vibrant but also chime with the life-enhancing, natural treatments
on offer. I kept the layout of the site and pages simple and used
clear language to explain what I was offering. I included an
FAQ section that gives succinct, accurate information about the
therapies I offer and what they cost.
I regularly update the site with new details about my business so I
also have a designated news section that covers the latest special
offers and events. With this in mind, I decided I needed unlimited
web space so that I can add content whenever I want to.
I also recommend choosing a domain name - or web address - relevant
to your business and include your business name where possible to
help customers find you. I gave my site the URL of http://www.retreattherapy.co.uk and took advice
on what my best keywords were to enhance search engine optimisation
so my pages could be easily found by Google.
Finally, I believe an e-commerce site should be as accessible to
customers as a shop is, so there are full contact details and a
facility where they can email comments and queries to me
directly.
I'm still learning about the art of running a website but to help
me I have signed up to a BT Business web-hosting package which
gives ongoing support. 40% of my customers now come through the
site and the number is rising so I am more than happy with the way
things are going.
Key lesson
Running a website is not a temporary pastime. You must keep
working on it, posting new and informative content and making sure
you are using the right keywords.
Top tip
Make yourself accessible. Have a "Contact us" page with
up-to-date details, your address, a phone number - preferably not a
mobile - and post any relevant qualifications you may have.
Find out more about Retreat
Therapy