In 2015, you may be taking your first steps towards getting your business online or be ready to upgrade your website so it works faster and smarter for your business.
2014 was certainly a shape shifter in digital marketing but if you’re in business in the UK, make this the year that you embrace online opportunities and really make your website work for you and your company.
Rob Finnie, regional director of www.nettl.com, the new high street web design studio explains the top ten things to consider when navigating your way to an online presence in 2015:
- Go responsive
This is priority number one for any new web project. 2015 will see more visits to websites via mobile and tablet devices than via desktops as ‘m-commerce’ hits its stride. Your site needs to adapt, scale and reflow to suit the device it’s being viewed on – or you may turn your clients and customers off.
- Get it live
Don’t delay your launch while you deliberate over the content or the budget. Sure, it’s important for the site to say the right things, but you can refine and change what it says once it’s live. Getting some content in and getting it live so search engines can start trusting you, is a benefit. If you don’t want to pay for it all at once, don’t. Most website developers will be happy to work to a ‘staged’ approach. Determine what is a ‘must have’ now and then plan what you think stages two or three might be. Good websites are never finished. They are always growing and changing.
- Check out the competition
Benchmarking yourself against your competition saves you time and cost. Check out how you measure up before building your own site. And don’t be blinded by beauty; a good website has a perfect balance of content, function, navigation and good looks.
- Plan your customer journey – keep it simple
Keep prospects interested. Where do they want to go? What information do they need to take the next step? Plan their route through your website and lead them there. Only include relevant text, facts and imagery.
- Include calls to action
If you’re creating a website to gather leads or interact with potential customers, make sure you’re clear on what you want your prospects to do. Calls to action help you monitor your conversion ratio. If you want them to contact you, show them how.
- Get your site found online (SEO)
Content is king; ensure your site has relevant content which includes your key words. There are many tools to guide you through the ‘on-site’ requirements to help your site rank well. Do it yourself, or get your agency to do it for you. Keep content concise.
- Blog, and keep blogging
Not only does it make Google happy, but it’s also a way to connect with your audience, state your views and keep prospects up to date on your activities and services. Link in your social media – the more connected you are the wider your reach.
- Don’t assume instant traction
Your site is live; it looks great, the message is clear – but that doesn’t mean people are going to find it. The design, build and launch are just the beginning. Plan how you are going to market your new site both online and offline. Get the message out via direct mail and leaflets as well as SEO.
- Ask for feedback
Canvas opinion of how your site works. Is the site portraying the right message? Is it guiding prospects to take action with you? If it isn’t, change it. Test it. Monitor the analytics and make regular tweaks and changes to improve the customer experience.
- Think ahead and maintain
Ensure that your site is built on strong foundations so it can grow with your business. You don’t want to have to start again and pay again just to add that feature you like. Don’t sit back and think ‘job done’. The best websites evolve and are updated regularly. Plan your next steps.
www.nettl.com is offering £100,000 of web development grants to 200 SMEs to help them get online in 2015.www.nettl.com, the new high street web design studio, is supporting small businesses with a free one-hour consultation for up to 200 UK small businesses in including a £500 grant for a Nettl:Commerce online web shop before the end of January 2015. Contact your local Nettl studio in Birmingham, Manchester, Dublin and Manchester or for more details.
Image: Web design via Shutterstock
