6 tips to take your website from drab to fab
Websites are often a customer’s first impression of your business, and first impressions count! They are a crucial point of contact between companies and their clients. If your website conveys the right message about you and your brand, it’ll help you stand out online. If not, it can have a negative impact on everything, from customer loyalty to conversion rates. Websites should be seen as an essential part of your business’s digital presence - not just something that sits in the corner collecting dust. Here are 6 tips to take your website from drab to fab!
Good design is the first step to a great website
Whether you’re building a new site or revamping an old one, the design element will be crucial to the overall success of your website. Design isn’t just about aesthetics—although that’s an important part of it. It also includes the user experience and the overall functionality of your site. A poorly designed website leaves visitors feeling frustrated and may even drive them away. Navigation should be simple and intuitive and lead visitors to where they want to go—in as few clicks as possible. The design should be consistent with the brand, using your company’s colours and fonts. A well-designed website is much more likely to keep visitors around. It’s easier to find what they’re looking for, and they’re more likely to stay on the site long enough to complete a purchase.
Bonus tip: create a style guide for your business to save time in the design process.
Plan your content before you build
Before you start sketching out wireframes and creating mockups, it’s a good idea to sit down and create an outline of the content you’d like to feature on your site. This will help you organise your thoughts and determine how the content should be displayed. It’s also important to think about your target audience when you’re planning your content. What are their pain points? What questions do they have about your product or service? What problems do you solve? Your site should be packed with useful information that helps your customers make an informed purchase decision.
Bonus tip: In 2022, mobile phones account for about 60% of global internet traffic. Make sure your site is compatible with smartphones, tablets and other devices. .
Help users find what they’re looking for
Your potential customers have a problem, and they are looking for a solution. They are searching for a product or service that will help them meet a need. A user’s experience with your site starts the second they type your URL into their browser. You have only a few seconds to grab their attention, keep them on the site and lead them to where they need to go. Ensure your most important information is visible on the homepage. You want to make it as simple as possible for your visitors to find their solution.
Bonus tip: include on your homepage: your company name, services/product, location and contact details.
Optimise your website with SEO
Search engine optimization is an essential part of any digital marketing. If you don’t optimize your website for search engines, visitors won’t find it when they search with a specific keyword. If no one can find your site, they won’t be able to learn about the products or services that you offer as a business. With a strong SEO strategy, you can increase your online visibility and get more visitors to click on your link. This can help you bring in more leads, sales, and revenue for your business.
Bonus tip: you should also SEO-optimise your photos by correctly naming the files.
Add visuals and video where possible
Adding visuals and video to your website helps to break up the text and make your website stand out. They give visitors a better idea of your brand and the services/products you provide. This doesn’t mean you need a full-blown professional photoshoot if this is out of your budget - just ensure that the photos are clean, aesthetically pleasing and cohesive. You can even repurpose images from your social media accounts.
Bonus tip: images can slow down your website speed, so ensure you compress your images before uploading.
Keep your website up-to-date
Fresh content is the key to success for any website. If your content is current, you will build engagement and trust with your audience. The last thing you want is for potential customers to click on your website only to find a promotion from Christmas last year. Frequently update the writing on your website so that information is always relevant and correct, and post regular blog posts. Updating your website also helps build domain authority. Put very simply, the higher your domain authority, the higher you will rank in searches.
Bonus tip: aim to rewrite/freshen up content older than a year.