How to Make a Website that Works?
Are you going to start your own business? Then you need a website to provide more and more customers for you. But there is one thing you have to keep in mind. A website to ensure your online presence is not enough anymore, – an efficient website has to work, bringing you both clients and profit.
So, what do you need to make your website work? Let’s find it out!
First, FORGET that a poorly designed, impractical, invisible for search engines and hard to navigate website can possibly have anything to do with your business. If you want to be successful, then aim at efficient design, high performance and practicality of your website.
1) Design IS important
Good design is the first thing visitors to your website will see. Make sure it looks professional and modern. Otherwise, your potential customers might think that you are a small, fly-by-night company, no matter how successful it really is. That’s why to make an impression of a stable and reliable company, find a web designer who knows what he is doing.
2) Once again… CONTENT
The main aim of a website is to provide visitors the information they need. To do this you have to research your target audience – talk to the clients, talk to the personnel to find out how purchasing decisions are made and what sort of information people are looking for. The content should be customer oriented: write about people’s concerns and offer solutions of these problems. Use products specifications and manuals, professional tips and tutorials to make the customers return to your website. No need to say that the content should be regularly updated. You can also make PDF available for a free download or convert PDF to web pages to make it easy-to-use for customers. If it is convenient, they will return to your website again and again. If your website offers products, use photos and videos to demonstrate them in action.
Finally, the home page of your website should state what business you are in, who you are, what services and products you have to offer AND what makes you better than your competitors. Once the visitors are at your home page, they should have no doubts that your company is worth paying attention to.
3) Navigation
Smart navigation is a must for a serious company, especially, if your website offers an extensive product line. It is vital to let your customers ‘switch’ easily from one product/service specification to another. You can also offer to download a complete catalog of products.
4) SEO
Search engine optimization is aimed at search engines in the first place. Thanks to the optimized content these machines will be able to find your website faster and rank it higher in search results. Don’t forget about the SEO of images too. Note! Avoid using to much flash animation as well as text embedded into pictures, since search engines cannot read it.
5) Call them to act!
Remember, that not all people are ready to buy immediately. Include ‘calls to action’ like ‘Call now to order’, ‘Download our product catalog’ or ‘Click here for a free quote’. You should also offer contact forms and ‘free estimate’ forms to give your customers the reasons to come back to your site.
6) Social Media Integration
More and more businesses are using social media platforms to promote their products and services, building an interested online community. Make sure your website includes “share” buttons (at least for Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+ and Twitter) so that visitors can easily share your content. Start a blog to write about the news in your industry, products and upcoming events. Provide a forum for your customers to interact both with you and other clients.
Follow these tip and you will get a bright, attractive, informative, easy to navigate, and easy to find website.
If you need help in doing it contact us!
