This is a contributor’s blogpost …
If you are a business owner, you’ll know that you need a website. Whether you are a travel blogger, a baker, CEO, or marketing consultant, the basic principles of creating a good and successful website are universal, and here are just some of the ways you can keep yours ahead of the game.
Be creative with content
As the saying goes, content is king, and this doesn’t look like it is going to change any time soon. Be sure that the content you provide on your website is useful, unique, easy to share, and well written and you are on the road to website success. Remember that the best length for articles is around 500 words, as anything longer will force people to click away from your site. However, it’s not just about writing articles, but beautiful photography, engaging video, and infographics are all popular forms of content which do well on social media platforms.
Know the role you want your website to play
Your business should have a brand and marketing strategy that it follows, and it is important to work out where your website fits into this. Your website is only one small part of your online presence and marketing campaign and could perform any number of roles in boosting your name and recognition. Do you want your website to be an extension of a social media campaign you are running, or do you want it to be able to hold its own on the World Wide Web? If you want your website to attract new customers and be another source of revenue, you may need to ask your development team, “What is conversion rate optimisation?” and work on converting people who see your website into new customers.
Make your site user-friendly
You may have the most beautiful website in the world, but if users can’t navigate around it then it is rendered useless and won’t enable you to reach targets. Make sure that you have an easy to use navigation bar and that customers don’t have to look too hard to find what they need. It is also important that users like being on your page, so a website that is aesthetically pleasing is a must.
Think about SEO
SEO can be confusing for those of us who aren’t pros or religiously watch Whiteboard Friday every week. If you don’t have the in-house knowledge to ensure your site is optimised or for an external strategy, you can outsource this work to a professional digital marketing agency for reasonable prices and all budgets.
Get social
Social media is our main form of communication, and it runs the world we live in in 2017. Come up with a solid social media strategy which targets the right users and any potential customers through both paid ads and organically. Always share the content you create and publish onsite, and remember that companies who have a personality, have good customer service and are easy to get hold of over social media are always popular.
