What are the various roles a website can play in a local business? This is the question this paper and website will look into through background studies, data collection, and drawing conclusions.
This paper examines the role of websites in aiding business growth, particularly among local stores. Websites play a crucial role in effective online presence because they establish effective communication. And, their significance continues to increase due to the demand for easily accessible information, especially during the pandemic. However, there are many factors in making a user-friendly site and various businesses have different needs, which deters smaller stores from fully utilizing websites to its maximum effect. This paper tackles the issue by exploring the current uses and complaints around websites through six personal interviews with Bay Area stores. Interview questions were qualitative by nature to allow for maximum interpretation. Data was then analyzed on a case-by-case basis to find specific website elements that are either present or helpful to achieve business goals. Final recommendations for site improvements were then made, and they are separated first by individual stores and then by growth stage. Local businesses can then use the concise recommendations to increase knowledge of factors they should consider in their sites, and potentially implement them.
The literary review takes a look at existing research in the field of website creation in order to orient readeres of the situation and to provide a base for further studies. The general topics of the articlese reviewed are shown below, as well as summaries for each part.
| Category | Topic | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | General Information on Websites | When working on short time or a small budget for a website, ease of use can be sacrificed while effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction can not. |
| 2 | Past Studies & Results | Students generally like sites that are informative, attractive, have good author info, and have direct routes to the answers they are looking for. |
| 3 | E-Commerce Specific Websites | An E-Commerce website must support the organization’s culture, brands, and processes. Positive experiences are necessary to promote sales and can be done through self-efficacy, playfulness, and usefulness. |
| 4 | Website Building Options | Businesses can either use website builders like Wordpress to create a quick and cheap site. They can also hire a professional developer for a better site at a higher cost. |