Are you thinking of revamping your old website, or maybe creating something completely new? If your website brings back memories of Y2K, you might want to level up your web presence but hesitate to hit “go” because you don’t really know what a modern website needs. The good news is, building a website doesn’t have to feel so complicated. For most websites, you need to focus on just a few main aspects to ensure you’re making the most of your digital presence. So, what 5 things do you need to do when creating a website for your business?
#1 Make a good first impression.
Take a look at the two websites below. The first has outdated visuals and tells you nothing about who the company is or what they offer. The other has a modern look and delivers clear and concise information in her hero header.
Here are a few “must haves” in order to make a good first impression with your website:
- Up-to-Date appealing design
- Consistent brand aesthetics
- A clear message and brand story
- Obvious and direct calls-to-action
#2 Be mobile friendly and accessible.
Few things are more frustrating online than trying to load a website on your phone only to discover it’s not mobile friendly. People will bail from your site…and fast. Our attention span has sunk to goldfish levels, especially on our phones, so it’s crucial to grab them with speed and functionality on mobile.
Mobile accounts for around half of all web traffic. So if your website doesn’t look good and function well on mobile, you are losing half of your potential online customers.
Let’s do a simple test. Pull up your website on your smartphone. (Go ahead, we’ll wait.) Put yourself in the mindset of one of your potential customers, and try to quickly find information. If the experience wasn’t pleasant, imagine how your prospects feel.
#3 Have data collection and reporting.
Your website is the best way to understand your market and see how people engage with your content. You might be spending hours updating certain pages on your website, but if it only gains a few views each month, is it really worth it? It’s important for you to know how your website is performing so that you can tailor content and focus your energy on the places that are getting the most attention.
Not only is important for your website to collect data, it’s imperative that you have a collection strategy and regular reporting. You may have all of the stats in the world available to you, but if you don’t know how to interpret them, they aren’t doing much good.
#4 Utilize Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and digital advertising to drive traffic.
It’s not enough to simply have a website presence these days. Your website may be live and might have stellar content, but we aren’t living in an “if you build it, they will come” environment on the internet anymore. That’s why it’s important to utilize SEO and digital advertising.
Understanding what keywords and search phrases your customers use when searching for your company is an essential first step. Then, you need to make sure that you have those words or phrases embedded into your content (but NO keyword stuffing!).
With digital advertising, spend time focusing on where your audience is hanging out, whether that be Google, LinkedIn, or Facebook, and get hyper targeted with your audience, offer, and keyword focus.
#5 Have top notch security and routine maintenance
Not surprisingly, Google now penalizes websites that are not secure and gives preference to secure ones, which is a good thing! You might not ever even know if your website has been hacked, as most hacks run in the background to collect data. Regular maintenance is required to keep your website safe, which it’s important if you want to stay on Google’s good side and keep your content and business secure.
We’ve created a quick reference guide to help you make sure your website is ready for visitors. Grab our “&Marketing Website Go Live Checklist” below.
Not sure if your website is up to snuff? Fill out the form below to receive a complementary audit.
