Every single business needs a website in this day and age. Some companies may feel as though they can thrive without that online, digital presence; they’re wrong. They might be able to get so far, but in order to really strike it lucky, a website is necessary. We’re in a digital age; nearly every single person is hooked up to the internet, and they’re surfing the web multiple times an hour! Whether that’s a good thing or bad thing is up for debate, but the fact is that it’s happening right now.
Shutterstock Licensed Photo – By sdecoret
Businesses need to be able to reach every possible individual in that target audience. They also would like to reach people outside of the target, obviously, and a website will only expand that reach. Think about it: if you’re trying to get as much out of your business as possible, and you’re trying to attract as many eyes as possible, then surely a website is going to do that for you.
A website doesn’t take too much effort or skill to start up, fortunately. It used to be, but now we’re surrounded by computer whizzes who do pretty much everything for us. It’s just a case of choosing a particular style, customizing a few things, getting hosted, and starting the journey. Now, if you’ve ever been on a website, you’ll know that the biggest companies often have the most attractive and most enjoyable sites. They’ve got this side of things covered.
How do they do it, though? How did they make the site seemingly flawless? Well, they would have worked at it for a while – trial and error would’ve been helpful, but they would have also taken a few other steps. Here are a few ideas for you right now if you’re looking to perfect a site of your own creation:
Draw Up A Plan First
Before doing anything practical on your computer or tablet, you’re going to want to draw up a simple draft. A pen and paper should do the trick! Write up a plan of how you want things to go. You should also literally draw what you want the site to look like – the design, the pages you’ll have, and the type of content you’ll have should all be included. Once you have that sorted, you’ll have a solid foundation to work with.
Make It Easily Navigable
There’s not much worse than entering a website and not really knowing where to go from there. You log onto the site because you want to know more information – you can’t do that if you’re stuck on the homepage. Make the menus and pages easy to find.
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Don’t Overdo It
When you have a blank canvas to play around with initially, it can be tempting to constantly add lots and lots of content – don’t do that. People don’t like being bombarded with information and images when they enter something. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a supermarket or a website – give them space to breathe and collect themselves.
Make Sure Everything Is On There!
As we mentioned before, the audience will be looking for more information – make sure it’s all there for them. You don’t want people to be left unsatisfied when all they wanted to do was find the answer to a basic question. Provide an about page or a FAQ (frequently asked questions) page so that they can get exactly what they’re after.
Hire A Web Designer
If you’re coming into any difficulties in terms of how to attack this particular area of business, then you could always solicit the help of somebody that knows what they’re doing. Web designers work for all kinds of businesses and individuals with all kinds of angles; they’ll know exactly what to do with your site. It might cost a little, but it would be worth it – especially if you’ve hit a brick wall yourself.
Have Links To Social Media
If you have social media accounts for your business/project (which you absolutely should do), then you’re going to want to display easily visible links for them. Social media is also a massive player in the online game, so you’ll need to have that connection between everything.
Have Interesting Extras
Not everything on your website needs to be strictly related to what you’re doing. You can add pretty much whatever you like – unless it’s offensive or illegal! When somebody sees something interesting, they click on it. For example, online shopping company Wido have blogs and other articles discussing all kinds of helpful topics. Interesting extras are a good idea as they keep people on the site – the more traffic you generate, the healthier your site will be.
Maximize The SEO Aspects
SEO stands for search engine optimization. It’s basically what it says on the tin. One of the main goals with your website is to become visible on search engines. When a potential lead types a particular word into Google, you have to make sure that you’re there for them. It seems like such a small detail, but it’s so much bigger than that. You boost your SEO rating by creating relevant content, using the right keywords, and other techniques such as link building.
Don’t Be Too Professional And Robotic
You’ll obviously need to have that professionalism and that mature aura, but being too uptight can put people off a little. When you write about the content, perhaps you should be a little laid back and relatable. Most people won’t really enjoy being spoken to by something that sounds like it’s trying too hard.
Keep At It
The final idea, but by no means the least impactful. Work hard at it. There’s no substitute for hard work – as the cliché goes. Luck will only get you so far – again, another cliché, but one that is absolutely true. Keep at it regularly. Post fresh content whenever you can – fresh stuff contributes to search engine optimization, but it also makes people more at ease with the website. Imagine entering a website and seeing that it hasn’t been updated in months. Not exactly the most well-run site, huh?
