Improving your website

With nearly 2 billion websites existing in 2020, the online space is becoming increasingly more competitive by the second. Internet users have more content than they could ever consume, more websites than they could ever visit, and more businesses to choose from than ever before. The good news is that if you’re in that pool of businesses with websites, then you have a chance of catching the eye of internet users that may be scouring the web searching for the exact good or service that you provide. The other news? When it comes to being online, You can’t just rest on the quality of business, your online presence has to be better than your competitors. 

On average, when someone clicks on your website, you have around 5 seconds to convince them that you not only have what they’re looking for, but you are the best option there is. A properly designed and constructed website is an incredibly important investment to make for your business. Here are some things you can start on to improve your website — and get more customers — today.  

1. Optimize for Mobile Viewing

Ever clicked on a link on your iPhone only to be met with a website that is poorly designed to fit your mobile screen? We’ve been there, and we can bet you have too. Optimizing your website for mobile viewing may be the difference between gaining a new customer or losing one forever. It’s estimated that 72.6% of internet users will access the internet exclusively through their mobile devices by 2025. With more and more people making consumer choices through their online experiences, this data is worth taking into consideration. 

2. Incorporate Content Marketing

The word “blog” may lead you to picture lifestyle websites with recipes and shopping tips. While these types of blogs are heavily prevalent on the internet, they are serving a purpose for website owners: they are part of an SEO strategy to get more eyes on their websites. Search engines rank websites based on relevant content associated with user searches. The more organic content that your site has on a certain subject matter, the more likely it is that your site will populate for a search engine user as an option to answer their question. Content marketing is often time consuming, but can seriously boost your SEO rankings and grant your website more visitors. 

3. Include Social Share Buttons

If you do have a content marketing strategy in place, the next step is to create an opportunity for readers to share your content. Social share buttons placed on your blog pages allow your site visitors to share your content directly to their own social media pages. This not only cultivates the chance of more people seeing your content, but you’re also getting the added benefit of unpaid endorsement. The magic of word of mouth cannot be understated. Implementing social share buttons make it that much easier for you. 

4. Include Original Photography and Videography

Stock photos are great and there is definitely a time or a place for them. But when you have 5 seconds to make an impression on someone, you want to give them the most authentic experience possible. Original photography is the quickest way to communicate who you are in a hurry. Hiring a professional photographer is often an investment, but can be the difference in a good or a great website. Once you have a solid library of photos, you’ll be able to use them for many marketing purposes like social media, brochures, and digital ads. 

5. Optimize Your Navigation

So you have a ton of service offerings—that’s great! Your navigation menu is not the place to list every single one of them. It’s overwhelming for the user and tends to look messy. When it comes to your menu options, simpler is better. Remember that you’re against the clock here, so if visitors cannot easily find what they’re looking for, they will start searching for another site to suit their needs. When designing your site, consider your navigation hierarchy, design responsiveness, and whether or not a sticky navigation will work best for your users. 

Your website is not a build it and forget it type of thing. Maintaining your online presence means constantly testing, updating, and improving your website throughout the life of your business. If you’re in the process of updating your site, these 5 points are a great place to start!

 

 – written by Caitlin Rostampour