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5 Top Tips for Your Business Website

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As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies and even small businesses have accelerated their digital initiatives to include an online presence and stay relevant to their customers. The opening move for a business to make a great first impression online is through a powerfully designed website, says Andrew Bourne, Business Development Manager, Africa at Zoho Corporation.

If you are a business owner who is just getting started on your official website, or you are currently updating your site and would like a refresher on general best practices, here are five tips for you to keep in mind:

1. Make your copy prospect-oriented and benefit-driven

When prospects visit your site, they want to know one thing – how your solution or product adds value to their personal lives or their line of work. That said, an objective listing of basic features, however well-written, might not do the trick. Features are only material facts about your product; they are not prospect-oriented information.

Relaying business/individual benefits along with product features transforms your copy into meaningful inputs for prospects. Say you are creating a website for an event management software. One of the product features is that there are 100+ built-in event layout templates. An event manager visiting the site will be intrigued by the feature when your copy also informs him/her that the digital templates expedite floor plan decisions by cutting back 40% of time spent on manual layout designing, not to mention quicker collaboration through contextual email integrations. It’s always the value outcomes that catch the prospect’s eye.

2. Offer social proof wherever you can

Social proof is the psychological phenomenon in which people look to the collective opinion of people to determine the best way to act in a given situation. As a business owner, the most powerful form of social proof you can display for the prospects are customer testimonials—video or written, customer success stories send a strong message to visitors. There are also awards, media mentions, positive analyst reviews, and endorsements.

Try positioning testimonials at friction points, i.e. places where a prospect is likely to encounter resistance to conversion – some of these include the pricing page, checkout page, or by any of your Call to Action (CTA) buttons.

3. Make your visitors’ journey clear and their next steps easy

When you have a prospect’s attention, the next crucial step to retain it through clear call-to-action (CTA) buttons. Take your homepage, for example. The point is to offer calls to action for visitors who arrive on the page with different levels of commitment and different levels of readiness to purchase. Your homepage can offer more than the main menu to get users started, like a free downloadable report to cater to them in the awareness stage, a “Learn More about Our Business” CTA for the consideration stage, and a “Browse our Services” or “Request a Quote” CTA for the decision stage. Your homepage has to also couple dynamic CTAs with subtle design to ensure your prospects feel enlightened at every stage and not stifled by the options.

4. Make sure users can reach you on the other side

Remember to keep your official contact information on the header or footer of every page on your site, and/or offer features such as live chat. Today, live online chats are important for the Gen-Z customers who demand mobile-first and instant communication methods. Moreover, regardless of the speed at which business technology advances, people are still drawn to doing business with people, not with interfaces, and the last thing you want is to lose a prospective customer because they had a question and didn’t know where to turn.

5. Go visual…and multimedia

Multimedia content can enhance your copy by offering your visitors a deeper impression of who you are as a business and engaging with them at an artistic level.

● Concepts (like where you fit in your industry) might be more easily explained through an infographic

● Instructions (like how to use a product or how to return/exchange a product) can be simply illustrated through screenshots

● Processes (like how your product is made, or how to assemble your product) might be better demonstrated through videos

● Portfolio (like videos or images of your finished product/service and of customers using them) will help prospects get an aesthetic sense of your offering.

A business website is a perpetual work-in-progress in terms of SEO and user experience. In an ocean of information out there, an intelligent SEO strategy is the beacon of relevance that helps prospects discover your site. Once they land on your website, an insightful user experience is the anchor that holds their attention until they reach the end of the purchase funnel. A religious best practice-approach is imperative to get both these aspects right over time and turn your website into one of the most powerful marketing tools for your business.


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Ugo Onwuaso is an ICT enthusiast. He believes technology should be used for general good. He holds a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree from the Lagos state University. Dear Reader, Your support matters. But we believe that technology makes life more exciting and helps improve the lives of people around Nigeria and indeed the world. That is why, we have devoted our energy to independent reportage of technology and finance and how they affect lives. Our incisive and analytical view of how technology news affects the daily life help individuals and organizations make up their minds. Quality journalism costs money. Today, we're asking that you support us to do more. Kindly support our effort to deliver technology and finance journalism to everyone in the world. Donate as little as N1,000. Bank transfers can be made to: UBA Plc 1017156876 Communication Week Media Ltd

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NCAA Orders Airlines to Enforce $10,000 Currency Declaration Rule

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The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority has ordered all international airlines flying into Nigeria to enforce the $10,000 currency declaration rule.

The authority said the rule is required for passengers to declare cash or negotiable instruments above the limit, as part of efforts to strengthen anti-money laundering compliance.

According to the NCAA, the directive, referenced as NCAA/CPD/ABV/298, dated 24 April 2025 seeks to address gaps in the enforcement of existing currency declaration obligations for inbound passengers.

This was announced in a statement issued by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, via his official X account on Tuesday.

“International carriers must take two key actions, which include “Make inflight or pre-landing announcements informing passengers of their legal obligation to declare any currency or Bearer Negotiable Instruments exceeding $10,000 USD or its equivalent upon arrival in Nigeria.

“Distribute currency declaration forms onboard for passengers to complete before landing. The NCAA has received reports indicating that some airlines are yet to comply with this directive”, the statement read.

The NCAA said these requirements are consistent with international best practices and are vital to preventing the illegal movement of large sums of money across borders.

The Authority warned that full cooperation from international airlines is essential, saying, “Please note that the cooperation of all international airlines operating in Nigeria is critical to supporting the country’s efforts to align with global financial standards.”

Accordingly, the authority emphasised that full implementation of this directive, particularly as it concerns inbound passenger declarations, is of utmost importance.

“Compliance will be closely monitored, and non-compliant airlines will face appropriate sanctions,” it added.


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Appeal Court Nullifies Registration of ‘KPMG Professional Services’

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The court of appeal in Lagos has asked the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to revoke the certificate of registration of “KPMG Professional Services”.

Appeal Court Nullifies Registration of ‘KPMG Professional Services'

In a unanimous decision delivered on Thursday, the appellant court granted the reliefs sought by KPMG Nigeria against CAC and KPMG Professional Services.

The judgment was read by Abdullahi Mahmud Bayero, the judge.

The two other judges are Abimbola Obaseki-Adejumo and A.M. Talba.

In 2002, KPMG Professional Services was registered as a company with CAC despite the existence of KPMG Nigeria, comprising its audit, tax, and consulting arms.

The KPMG Nigeria has long been registered in Nigeria before 2002.

KPMG Audit was registered in 1969, KPMG Tax Consultants in 1990, and KPMG Consulting in 1969.

Displeased with the registration of KPMG Professional Services, KPMG Nigeria approached the federal high court.

The consulting firm had argued that the name “KPMG Professional Services” was deceptively similar to its long-established identity.

In 2005, the lower court dismissed KPMG Nigeria’s case, citing an alleged merger between KPMG Nigeria and Akintola Williams Deloitte as reason the company could no longer assert rights to the name.

The lower upheld the second respondent’s (KPMG Professional Services) counterclaim and ordered that KPMG Nigeria’s name be struck off the CAC register.

The lower court had premised its decision on newspaper articles stating that KPMG Nigeria reportedly merged with Akintola Williams Deloitte.

Delivering the judgment, Bayero ruled that the lower court erred by relying on newspaper articles to ascertain that KPMG Nigeria allegedly merged with another company.

The judge said the documents showing the alleged merger were not presented before the lower court, and the form of the alleged merger could not have been known.

“In any event, the only branch of KPMG, if any, that entered into a merger with Akintola Williams as stated in the newspaper articles 18, is KPMG Audit,” the judge ruled.

“The other spheres were totally unaffected. It would therefore be wrong to state that the merger (which has not been shown to this Court) of KPMG Audit with Akintola Williams means all the other areas of business, including KPMG Consulting and KPMG Tax Consultants, also ceased to exist.

“Even if the Appellants (KPMG Nigeria) had ceased to do business as the Court seemed to have held, the 2nd Respondents (KPMG Professional Services) should not have been carrying on business until the Appellant’s certificate of registration is withdrawn or set aside.

“They cannot use the name until the Appellant’s certification of registration is withdrawn or set aside. They cannot use the name until the name is removed from the 1st Respondent’s (CAC) Register of Names.

“The 1st Respondents can only assign the name to the 2nd Respondents after first taking it away from the Appellants.”

The court ruled that CAC erred by registering KPMG Professional Services despite the existence of a business name, which is already registered.

The judge reversed the earlier ruling of the lower court and reaffirmed the primacy of statutory protection for existing business names under Nigerian corporate law.

 

 

 


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Air Peace Launches Abuja–London Heathrow, Gatwick flights October 26

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Air Peace has announced the launch of direct flights from Abuja to London Heathrow and Gatwick airports, with operations scheduled to begin on October 26, 2025.

The airline said in a statement on Sunday that round-trip fares for the Abuja–London service will start from N1m, making it the first Nigerian carrier to offer direct connections from the capital to both of London’s major international airports. This was contained in a press release issued on Sunday by the airline’s spokesperson, Efe Osifo-Whiskey.

“Direct international flight services from Abuja to both London Heathrow and London Gatwick Airports, effective October 26, 2025.

“Air Peace becomes the first Nigerian carrier to offer direct services from Abuja to both of London’s major international airports, further solidifying its role as a leader in regional and intercontinental aviation.

“Travellers originating from any of Air Peace’s domestic destinations across Nigeria can now book through fares via Abuja to either Heathrow or Gatwick using a single ticket, eliminating the need for multiple bookings or baggage re-checks,” the statement read.

Similarly, the new route opens convenient access for inbound passengers from the UK to cities across Nigeria.

“Travellers from London can access multiple destinations across Nigeria using a single Air Peace ticket through Abuja every morning. These destinations are Lagos, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Benin, Warri, Owerri, Kano, Yola, Gombe and Asaba, for now. Other destinations will be added later,” Osifo-Whiskey stated.

Air Peace is also offering what it describes as unprecedented value in pricing and service.

Osifo-Whiskey said, “It provides a distinct competitive advantage, enabling passengers to travel between Nigeria and the United Kingdom with greater ease, efficiency, and value, due to the possibility of choosing multiple cities entry and exit points.

“Has the cheapest fares ever, starting from only 1 Million Naira round trip. Huge baggage allowance.”

The Abuja–London launch comes months after the airline began Lagos–London Heathrow flights, which started earlier in 2024.


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