Guest article provided by: wisemarketingpro.com
With digital traffic on the rise and websites launching each day, businesses must take a step back to rethink how they can best maximize their online presence. The COVID-19 pandemic has driven brands to rely on digital platforms for their business needs. The continuous shift in global consumer behavior, and growing populations turning to digital products and services has forced brands to rethink their strategies in terms of optimization and marketing strategy.
Setting up your website is not limited to its design but also includes search engine optimization (SEO), content strategy, cybersecurity, and a lot more. By following a few of these best practices, you can create a solid foundation that can lead your business to better success:
1. Create a well-defined call-to-action.
Call-to-actions (CTA) create urgency to drive site visitors to a specific action. These depend on what products or services your business offers. The key to a well-defined CTA is incorporating a concise copy with apt design aspects via forms, banners, or buttons. Make them eye-catching and easy for your market to utilize.
2. Set up simple & easy-to-use contact forms.
Having a contact form on your website enables you to have two-way communication with your consumers. It serves multiple purposes: getting feedback, business proposals, sales queries, and more. Not only does a contact form help your site visitors but it also allows you to manage communications in one funnel. Plus, it can also decrease bounce rates and influence your Google ranking.
3. Prioritize the design and layout of the homepage.
Your site’s landing page creates a first impression of your brand. Its visual components such as text legibility, compelling images, color palette, and functions all play a part in whether users give a favorable response to how your website is received. Pro-Tip: It should be mobile-friendly!
4. Make sure you have clear navigation on your website.
The site’s navigation structure can have a huge impact on leads, conversions, and sales. If visitors have a hard time maneuvering through your website and can’t figure out where to find what they need, they’ll leave – or “bounce”. Creating a clear, hierarchical navigation should give instant gratification to your visitors. Make sure that the most important pages should be accessible within three (3) clicks from the homepage.
5. Ensure that your website is mobile-friendly.
In 2020 the number of mobile users worldwide reached 6.95 billion; with forecasts implying to rise by this year. This means a big chunk of consumers use their mobile phones to be informed, get things done, and stay connected. With that, there is great significance placed on a website’s mobile responsiveness. Even Google rolled out a change to search engine algorithms to include this as a ranking factor. Investing time to make your website available and easy to use with whatever device it’s opened in is the best solution to optimize the user experience.
6. You must have an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate.
An SSL certificate lends to your website’s credibility. It also keeps internet connection secure; offering assurance to your audience that any data or information is safeguarded in between systems. It also provides authentication to your website and gives you a good advantage in SEO rankings.
7. Consistency is critical with design.
Pick a consistent design style, color, and visual elements that seamlessly integrate throughout your entire website. When deciding what direction to take, think about how design elements can reinforce your brand identity. In addition to this, the presence of a uniform design eases navigation and communication to your target demographic.
8. Take advantage of your website’s analytics.
Website analytics provide actual data and reports on your target demographic. With the information in hand, you can build effective business and marketing strategies to reach your brand’s Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s). Monitoring your site’s analytics will allow you to see what approaches have been working for you (or not). It can give you an idea of how to be more intentional with the content you’re putting out; making sure it matches what your audience is interested in now.
9) Different forms of visuals matter.
Creating a harmonious blend between content and visuals is vital to keeping your visitors interested. In fact, with more consumers veering towards visual references, it is important to integrate compelling media (whether photo or video) that can make a lasting impression. Not only do people appreciate good visual design but it also strengthens your brand’s credibility. If you’re an e-commerce, think of placing a section of images where customers are using your products or services. If you’re a news website, utilize the use of infographics to help readers absorb information at ease.
10. Set realistic goals.
Ask yourself:
- Why are you building a website?
- What are your intentions?
- What goals do you aim to accomplish?
- How do you measure success?
It’s important to know the answers to take your website in the right direction. A good method to consider is the SMART model where your organization creates goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely to focus on the results you want to see. Once you have that set, you can plan a strategy accordingly.
11. Have a digital strategy to support your website.
Build a digital plan to support digital transformation and brand growth. This means putting efforts into building your email marketing strategy, strengthening your social media presence, and other online campaigns to drive traffic to your website. Remember to be seamless and consistent across all digital platforms as each component plays a part in terms of how audiences are receptive to what you put out online.
12. Don’t forget about SEO strategy.
Search engine optimization plays an enormous role in making sure your website has greater visibility is easily accessible amidst the millions (even billions) of websites available and gets noticed organically without paid advertisement. Incorporate on-page SEO practices like: Meta descriptions, title tags, alt tags, and keyword density. It would also be helpful to do internal linking and backlinks. There are so many small things that can improve your overall site SEO, be sure to seek out resources to help build a lasting SEO strategy.
13. Lastly, be innovative.
Each day is a call for innovation. Trends are evolving as we speak… thus your website should too. Don’t get stuck with a slow and outdated website. Monitor what has been working in the digital sphere and within your industry. Set a time to focus on refurbishing your website. Whether it’s a facelift in your site’s interface or updating the information on it, keep your site fresh. Read up on different inspirations… then make it your own. Your site visitors will appreciate this!
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Every conversion or action you want site visitors to take can lead to revenue-generating opportunities. Your website is your business’s front of the house. With these pointers in mind, you can level-up your website game and give your site visitors a unique and appealing experience that can lead to further business growth.
Picture from unpslash.com