Last month we dealt with five of the ten critical must-haves for any website, whether it’s for a small or large business, or even a personal site. We discussed the importance of:
Having a sensible web address
Having a secure site
Having a website that accurately describes you and your company
Have one that is easy to navigate
Have a site that is easy to locate
There are many companies out there who claim to build good websites. Most of them are strong in one or two areas, but weak in others. They also tend to throw every possible bell and whistle into the website, leaving you, the customer, over budget and clueless about how to make simple updates. The later option may look good, but be a confusing, fluffed up, expensive frustration to you. This month let’s finish the list with items 6 - 10. If you missed the first five, click here.
More and more people are reading reviews before purchasing products. Having current and honest reviews from real customers will boost your success. People love to hear real stories from real people who have benefited from your site and from products purchased from your company.
Think of every user that finds your website as a potential customer in search of information that you are responsible for providing. Some may want to browse around while others are ready to buy, call, or sign up. Either way, we need to be ready for all types of interactions that you may encounter. Companies like ours (VisionAmp) can help you determine the 3 - 4 main calls-to-action, set goals, and measure the performance of the next 120 days.
Call-to-action examples:
Let the visitors know what YOU want them to know, doing so in a clear, specific manner.
Most people will check out your website before stepping foot in your physical door (if you have one). Regardless of their level of education, most people are becoming quite the expert on what a good website looks like, as well as how it performs/delivers. This is their first impression of you and the company. Give them what they are looking for, and even give them a reason to come back. The best way to accomplish this is to provide daily/weekly content that is fresh, current, and informative. Being consistent with social media, as well as possible blog posts will be helpful. Don’t let anything become stale on your site!
Your website design is one of the most important pieces of the puzzle in terms of your business’s overall online health. We have found that users will leave your website in the first 6 - 8 seconds if they don't find you credible, and if there is not a clear direction or call-to-action to what they are looking for. VisionAmp has spent countless hours analyzing how users interact with websites and we apply this experience to every site we build.
Here are some of our most recent designs at VisionAmp:
Knowing that the attention span for the online reader is extremely short, you want them to always feel like they are on the right page. Consider breaking things down into short bullet points and short paragraphs. Highlight important words or phrases that reinforce your brand. The content should be the focus - and not all of the possible bells and whistles.
One of the best tools available to anyone is the free Google Analytics Tool. This allows you to collect tons of data regarding how people interact with your website, such as:
Number of visits
Pages visited
Time on site
Time on specific pages
What other sites led them to yours
If this is all new to you, you can be overwhelmed with all the data, resulting in not knowing what to do with it. But as with anything that is important, learning how to understand analytics and then being able to implement necessary changes is essential to success and growth. We provide you access to various analytics when your site goes live, but also explain and show you what these numbers mean. This is part of our important conversion management process.
At VisionAmp we are extremely passionate about making your website work for you. That is why we are relentless in the pursuit of a well optimized, converting website. VisionAmp believes that your website should be the center of your marketing efforts, and with that comes some accountability. Your website should be a salesperson that is working 24/7 for your business.
Since 2007, VisionAmp’s award-winning company has helped hundreds of businesses grow and acquire more customers by building websites that work! We take great pride in being transparent, affordable and ridiculously good at what we do. Contact us at info@visionamp.com for more information.
-Written by David Jackson, VisionAmp Content Specialist
