One of the most important marketing tools for your business is a quality website. From design, functionality to optimization, a “good’ website isn’t enough to break through and convert users into engaged customers that keep coming back for more.
So, what makes a GREAT website?
- Well designed and functional
Your website is a direct reflection of your brand which is why it is so important it is professional, visually appealing and functional. Many businesses are taking web design back to basics with minimalistic design and layout. The use of quality photography and graphics, uncluttered layouts and white space is a simple approach to making your website appealing. Equally as important to website design is functionality, every page on your website should be fast, responsive and usable. If your website is not doing what it is intended to, you will set a bad example of your business and lose customers.
- Easy to navigate
Don’t make your customers work to find the information they are seeking. Use simple language in your navigation menu and make it logical. Use consistent layouts and visual cues for functionality across the site. Your website should appeal to customers browsing as well as customers looking for something specific. Help users accomplish why they visited your website with a practical search bar and keep them engaged by suggesting related content. Most importantly, ensure there are no dead links or pages on your website!
- Optimized
As of 2019, 41 per cent of time spent on websites was from mobile users and this number continues to grow. That is why it is important your website works on any platform! When your website is properly optimized, it will improve the experience for users and also improve your SEO ranking.
- Fresh content
Ensure you keep your website fresh with new content. Customers have a short attention span, eight seconds is all you have to grab their attention. If they are returning customers it’s important you are constantly appealing to the purpose of them visiting your website. Blogs and social media content are an easy way to keep your website fresh and encourage returning users.
- SEO enhanced
It’s not enough now to build a nice looking website that is simple to use, it needs to earn traffic. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is made up of multiple different elements, and knowing what they are and how they work is key to understanding why SEO is so important. In short, SEO is significant because it makes your website more visible, and that means more traffic and more opportunities to convert prospects into customers. Here are just some ways you can ensure your website is optimized:
- Use page titles, meta tags and alt tags on all images
- Optimize content on your site to align with search words people actually use
- Keep your HTML code clutter free
- Make it as easy as possible for people to share your content, social media can drive volumes of traffic.
This is a very high-level overview of just some of the steps you can take to ensure your website is optimized, there is a lot more you can be doing with the support of our website developers. Need advice, assistance, help planning, designing and everything else that results in having a GREAT website, just speak to your Hurley’s Media Sales Representative today. Email [email protected].
