EVERY business needs a great website. Websites are powerful digital resources and the backbone of the internet. Think of your website as a 24/7 salesman. When you consider that customers use the internet at all hours of the day, it should be considered your most powerful asset. Current and potential customers use websites to research, shop, explore and validate a business. The best websites are responsive, engaging, and user-friendly. Having a strong website presence will boost your business’s credibility and help build a loyal customer base in addition to aiding in your search engine optimization (SEO) results.
Google is the most significant engine of the internet, and it is ever-changing. Have you checked to see if your website is up-to-date, relevant, compliant, and optimized, lately? If not, you probably should and below are some specific points to pay attention to.
Update Your Content Regularly
Have you ever visited a business’s website only to find that the information you read is outdated or no longer applies? Have you updated any of the content on your website since it went live? Assuming it’s not brand new, not updating your website regularly can lower your Google score. Google scores are used to determine what businesses to present to users searching for services or products your company offers and weighs how relevant a site is to a user. If you aren’t regularly feeding Google new content, it will be a knock against your score. So set a reminder, and update that site! It could be as simple as loading new pictures, adding new products or even updating bio sections or adding a blog.
Use Attractive Calls To Action
Ask yourself: what’s the top action you want your website visitors to take?
Every website is a tool that educates and validates what your business does, but its primary purpose is to get you more business. Whether you are looking to direct website visitors to your e-commerce page, sign up for newsletters, or submit contact information, having a clear “call to action” will work wonders in directing visitors toward your ultimate goals for them.
Use Authentic Images
Does your website rely heavily on stock imagery? Users are getting better at judging how authentic websites are. When stock photography is used, it can decrease trust and make your business appear generic. Stock photography can be high quality, but it usually fails to create an authentic connection between the user and the brand. Only images of your business, staff, and products can do that and guess what? Google can tell the difference, too! Remember that scoring we mentioned earlier? Place your authentic images strategically in your website to help tell the story of your business.
Keep Website Pages Consistent
Consistency is key! When designing or updating a website, make sure everything from font choices and sizes, coloring, spacing, design elements, photo choices, you name it, match your brand and story. This attention to detail makes your website design coherent regardless of what page they are on.
Optimize Page Speeds
Is there anything more frustrating than having to wait an obnoxious amount of time for a page to load? When visitors don’t get what they want as fast as they want, they usually leave. To improve your page speed, compress all images before placing them on your website.
Be Responsive & Mobile Friendly
Websites can no longer be designed with only laptop and desktop users in mind. Websites must be mobile-friendly and easy to navigate regardless of which device visitors use to access them and you should know that Google penalizes sites that aren’t optimized for mobile devices and varying screen sizes. So, make sure your website is responsive.
Having a strong website presence is the backbone of any business’s digital marketing efforts and works with all your other marketing initiatives – from social media to written materials. Think yours needs some help? Reach out today and we’d be happy to talk through your website needs.