It’s no longer optional to have a website for your business. 10 years ago, you may have managed to get away with staying off the web.
But today, your business success rests on being discoverable. And getting online is one of the best ways to guarantee this.
Your website should act as the storefront to your business, even if you don’t trade from a physical location. It needs to solve your customer’s problems and take them on a logical journey which ends in a conversion. Converting a customer might mean different things for different companies. For example, you might want people to make a purchase, you might want them to get in touch, or you might want them to sign up to your newsletter.
In this article, we will share some of the key elements your business website needs in order to be successful.
Mobile friendly
In July 2019, the world’s biggest search engine will be switching to mobile-first indexing. This is in response to the recent news that around 58.5% of all searches are conducted from a mobile device. If your website isn’t mobile-friendly, then you could be missing out on a huge portion of traffic. Switching to a mobile-first design will help you to think about the user journey in a different way.
Powerful content
You can’t just throw any old website together and expect it to do all of the heavy-lifting of selling to your customers. If you want to attract attention in a busy online environment, you need powerful content in your corner.
Content can be anything from blogs and whitepapers to videos and podcasts. It should solve a problem, answer a question or even entertain. If your website content isn’t doing any of these three things then it isn’t working hard enough. If you’re wondering how to create a successful website for your business, content should factor high up in your priorities.
Intuitive navigation
The best content in the world won’t save you if users can’t figure out how to get around your site. Think about the logical user journey and make sure that your website navigation reflects this. One of your main goals as a website owner should be to keep your user engaged for as long as possible. One piece of content should logically lead to another piece of content through internal linking. If they decide they are on the wrong track, they should be able to find what they are looking for in the menu. And when they have found everything they need, they should be able to contact you, make a purchase or even sign up to your newsletter with ease.
Easy to contact
You’d be surprised how many websites make it difficult to get in touch. You might be trying to fool web spammers by hiding your contact page, but if your real website visitors can’t find it either, then you’re going to have a problem. You should have a contact page with all of the relevant information. A contact form is a great way to gather the information you need to be able to respond. You should also have your address, phone number and social media accounts listed on your contact page.
Analytics tracking
If you don’t have analytics tracking installed, how will you ever know how successful your website is? Google Analytics is completely free and packed full of insight. It will tell you how many people land on your website, where they are based, what device they are using, which pages they click on and so much more.
Incorrect analytics installations can lead to companies drawing insight from all the wrong places, so make sure you have it set up correctly. You can test it by going to the “real time” tab in your Google Analytics dashboard while navigating your site. If you can’t see your own session, then something is amiss.
Impeccable branding
Branding is vital to a successful website. Customers have certain expectations about your company, and it’s important that you meet these with your branding. Branding is everything from your logo and the colours you use on your website to the fonts and even the tone of voice used in communication.
It’s basically an umbrella term for the way your website communicates with visitors. If you want to enjoy business success, your website needs to have a powerful brand that really resonates with your target audience.
