There are probably as many different types of websites as there are people. Which is why there is also no conclusion for how a website should look like.

But what type of features should a good website contain?

Well, there are some basic rules which you should know about if you want to make sure that your equestrian clients and customers get the optimal user experience when they visit you’re your equine business’ website.

Here are 6 things your equestrian website should include.

 1.  A clear menu structure 

When you decide to create a website, it’ s ususally because you have a lot of information and communication about your services and products that you want to show off. Whether it's a web shop with a lot of great product categories or a portfolio that describes and shows your various services, you can easily be tempted to want it all.

However, when it comes to the menu structure of a website, the art is to limit yourself!

The menu is the central point from which your potential customers start their navigation around your equestrian website. If the menu structure is too overwhelming, in the worst case there is a risk that people will give up in advance and click on to a competitor.

The golden rule is therefore: Include a maximum of seven items in your main menu and preferably fewer.

I usually like to land on 5 or 6, as it looks nice and "airy".

 If you have difficulty cooking your content down to 5-7 menu items, you can consider using the footer. You can read more about this later in this blog post.

2.     A user-friendly design that matches your brand

Your equestrian website is an important part of the foundation on which your sales are built. Therefore, it is also important to optimise the design of your equine business’ website so that it helps your sales rather than damaging it.

You can do this by creating a nice and user-friendly design that supports your brand:

·      Make sure you have two different fonts for resp. headings and body text

·      Limit the amount of text

·      Divide your text into smaller chunks and feel free to use bullet points

·      Have a clear logo - preferably in the menu bar

·      Use your brand's color palette to create life and mood on the page

·      Create an interactive experience by using (an appropriate amount) of moving elements. For example, things can be enlarged or move a little when the mouse is held over.

 

3.  Clear call to actions

When a potential customer visits your website, you will typically want them to perform some form of action.

You may want them to buy a product, book an appointment or contact you to get a quote. These things will be your primary goal.

Therefore, make it easy for them to find what they need, by making clear call to actions eg:

• A clear button in the menu bar

• Several buttons on the front - eg next to text or images that explain the product or the service.

• A contact form at the bottom of the page

• A chatbot where people can make direct contact

If your customers are not yet quite ready to make the final decision, your secondary goal may be to get them to stay in touch with your brand. You can do this, for example, by:

·      Encourage them to sign up for your newsletter via a pop-up and / or a form in the footer

·      Encourage them to follow you on social media via icons around the page

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·      Send feedback

·      Side panels

 

5.  Cookie messages and other statutory information

When you ask yourself "what should a good website contain?" it may not be just privacy policies and cookie messages that pop up in one's mind.

Still, it almost goes without saying that your website must of course have the various statutory information and obtain the necessary permissions.

The typical things you need to be aware of are:

The good old "We use cookies" message

Terms of trade (eg your rules for delivery, return, complaint, etc.)

Privacy Policy (information on how to handle people's data)

Permission to send marketing material eg by signup to newsletter.

Often you can find templates for these things online, which you then customize with your own information.

 

6. Tracking

A prerequisite for you to be able to optimise your website and user experience on an ongoing basis is: knowledge!

Knowledge in the form of data about your users and their behaviour on your site.

Therefore, it is always a good idea to install tracking on your site from the start.

There are several different solutions to this, but the most common is Google Analytics. However, it can be difficult to find your way around the data if you do not get thoroughly acquainted with Analytics.

Therefore, there may also be an idea in installing other forms of tracking, such as Jetpack or Monsterinsights. Most alternatives may not be as comprehensive (or good) as Analytics, but in return they can be easier to decode if you do not have a marketing education in your backpack.