Tech leaders are also tech enthusiasts, and they love it when a digital product is done well. This includes business websites—which, depending on the features and tools provided to users, can range from highly effective informational, marketing and sales tools to near-wasted digital space.
The right blend of design elements and helpful services can make a company’s website one of its best ambassadors and sales reps. As both business leaders and tech gurus, the members of Forbes Technology Council recognize a well-designed, user-friendly website when they see one. Below, 17 of them share the tools and features they love to see on business websites, and why.
1. AI-Powered Live Chat
I appreciate it when a business website features AI-powered live chat or chatbot functionality. This feature enhances the site’s effectiveness by providing instant, 24/7 customer support; answering queries; and assisting with product selection. It elevates the user experience, fosters customer engagement and, ultimately, drives conversions and business growth. – Amitkumar Shrivastava, Fujitsu
2. The Results You Deliver
Businesses often focus on what their products or services do, while neglecting to tell me what results they will deliver. I love it when a website tells me up front how the business can help me or my company. Will its services help me generate revenue or reduce churn or costs? These are things I will need to understand and be able to articulate to my own team to justify bringing a new tool or company on board. – Patti Mikula, Hackworks Inc.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
3. A Well-Developed Search Function
Incorporate a search bar. Even great websites like LinkedIn and Twitter don’t have their search features fully developed. Whether you serve consumers or sell B2B software, well-developed search logic allows a high-intent user to skip the task of filtering through material and just get to what they need. A poorly configured search function leaves the false impression of missing features or information. – John Kuhn, Integral
4. An Ungated Sandbox
More and more businesses offer free, ungated sandboxes (or playgrounds) so that website visitors can get a real feel for what using their products is like. This is transformative, as it’s a significant change in how visitors interact with and come to understand the value of an offering. No more solely relying on big words and copywriting—companies are putting the product front and center to do the work. – Maya Mandel, Helios
5. Mobile Responsiveness
It is vital for a successful business website to be mobile-responsive. The site’s layout, content and functionality should perfectly adjust to the screen size of any device, including smartphones and tablets, for optimal viewing and interaction. Besides, search engines prioritize mobile-friendly websites in their search rankings, contributing to increased website traffic and customer acquisition. – Alexei Dulub, PixelPlex
6. Human Avatars
Integrating realistic human avatars can significantly enhance user engagement and effectiveness. These avatars provide personalized and human-like interactions, improving communication and creating emotional connections with users. They increase engagement, differentiate a brand and foster loyalty by enhancing a website’s user experience, leading to a more substantial online presence. – Cristian Randieri, Intellisystem Technologies
7. News And Updates
Within the space industry, I love seeing a “news and updates” section. This feature keeps visitors informed about the latest developments, mission updates and technological advancements in the space sector. It also keeps visitors engaged and attracts industry professionals, investors and enthusiasts who are eager to stay informed about the latest space industry trends and breakthroughs. – Shelli Brunswick, Space Foundation
8. Personalization
Personalization is something I, as a tech enthusiast, love to see on a company website. A company website’s level of personalization informs the user experience, recommendations and content. High personalization increases interaction, boosts conversions, increases client retention, distributes pertinent content and offers insightful information based on user data. – Neelima Mangal, Spectrum North
9. Augmented And/Or Virtual Reality
I’m always drawn to business websites utilizing AR and/or VR features. These immersive experiences can provide product demonstrations or virtual tours, enhancing user engagement and understanding. They offer unique ways to interact with a brand, creating memorable experiences that differentiate a business from its competition. – Marc Fischer, Dogtown Media LLC
10. Dark Mode
Dark mode is more than a design trend—it’s a feature that prioritizes user comfort and experience, particularly for late-night browsing sessions. Dark mode reduces eye strain and conserves battery life for OLED screens, and it’s a customization feature that gives users a sense of control. It sends the message that we care about your experience, down to the details. – Andres Zunino, ZirconTech
11. Contemporary, Sleek Design
The design of a website matters a lot. The best modern websites use a contemporary, sleek design that has all of the necessary bells and whistles but is still simple and easy to understand. The website’s design elements should be interactive and interesting but shouldn’t distract or make the website hard to use. You want people to feel like the website took a lot of work (even if it didn’t). – Jordan Yallen, MetaTope
12. Voice Search
Incorporating voice search capabilities allows users to interact with a website using voice commands. It improves accessibility, enhances convenience and aligns with the growing popularity of voice-enabled devices. – Emmanuel Ramos, OZ Digital Consulting
13. Short Videos
Everyone wants to save time. People don’t want to spend time navigating your website pages and reading all of the text content. Short (less than 3 minutes) videos about the company and its products and services are always helpful. In this age of TikTok and Reels, short videos are trendy, serve the purpose and win clients. – Adeel Sarwar, CareCloud
14. Community Forums
Tech enthusiasts often value business websites that offer regularly updated resources and engaging community forums. These sites foster engagement and networking among like-minded technocrats and make a website an authoritative and engaging business platform within its industry. Furthermore, a responsive, user-friendly and visually appealing design adds value to the overall user experience. – Dharmesh Acharya, Radixweb
15. Live Sales Notifications
I like it when online stores use live sales notifications to show how other customers are currently engaging with the site. As a shopper, this makes me feel like the company is trusted and respected; otherwise, it likely wouldn’t have a steady stream of customers. From a business and marketing perspective, sales notifications make sense and are one of the best ways to build social proof. – Thomas Griffin, OptinMonster
16. A Landing Page ‘Elevator Pitch’
A business website needs to convey the company’s mission and solutions in the form of an “elevator pitch” on the landing page. Along with that, quick links to the company’s various services (hopefully intuitive and enabling self-service) will guide the visitor or buyer. – Mark Schlesinger, Broadridge Financial Solutions
17. Judicious Use Of Flash
A business website can benefit from the creative and practical use of flash—but it shouldn’t be so “flashy” that it doesn’t create an engaging experience or is just fluff. While it’s not a good idea to judge a book by its cover, I confidently judge a business by its website. Captivating use of flash—done in a way that brings a website to life and conveys its purpose—will lower the bounce rate and increase engagement. – AJ Abdallat, Beyond Limits
Read the full article here
