What Your Business Website Needs to Succeed

A great business website is one that will be engaged with, one that will be enjoyed, and most importantly one that will work to improve your business.

A business website is the equivalent of a flagship store. A great, beautiful business website is one that will be engaged with, one that will be enjoyed, and most importantly one that will work to improve your business, its reputation and sales. Every website has this potential, but with so much competition out there it can feel daunting to stand out.

The good news is that you don’t need to be the most memorable website, but you do need to offer a positive experience every time someone visits your URL. To help you get started, use this guide to ensure that your website has what it needs to succeed.

A Custom Design

A custom design that has been crafted specifically for your business is unparalleled. It means that you can offer a unique, flawless experience from page 1 to checkout, signup, or booking. There are so many different languages, frameworks, and tools out there that can help craft the perfect site for you, and if you don’t know where to get started an all-in-one agency is a great option. They can help you go over your website needs and then recommend which services or tools are the best fit. Your site might suit a Laravel framework, for example, especially if you are opening an e-commerce website. Rather than wonder what to look for in a Laravel developer you can instead rely on the agency itself. Agencies like Scrumlaunch vet and test their developers regularly to ensure that their team are some of the best around for the job.



Multimedia Content

Multimedia content allows every visitor to engage with the medium that they enjoy the most. Some want to find the information they want quickly and are scanning the text for the answer they want. Some want an in-depth video to help them understand how to use your product. Others may love a quiz that connects them with the right product in your lineup. By offering multiple ways to engage with your brand on your website you can capture the attention of a wider range of customers who may have looked elsewhere if they didn’t feel like you were a great fit.

Tip: Ensure that all content is optimized for SEO and is as accessible as possible (subtitles, alt text, and so on).

On-Page Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization is a great way to ensure that the site itself is fast, flawless, and has great content. The better news is that improving your site’s on-page SEO works to increase your search engine ranking and improves the readability and overall experience for your visitors.

Value

You want repeat customers. To encourage that repeat custom you will need to bring those customers back to your website again and again. A great way to do this is to offer them something valuable. This could be industry news, it could be fun guides, it could be new collection updates or sales. Find out how you can add value in different ways throughout the year so that you can bring in previous customers and encourage referrals, repeat purchases, another booking and more. You want an engaged, loyal customer base, so offer them what they would find valuable.



5 Key features you need to have on your website

Having a website for your business is a must in this digital day and age, but simply having a website is not enough.

Having a website for your business is a must in this digital day and age, but it’s important to note that simply having a website is not enough to propel your company forward in a competitive industry. No, you need to have an amazing website. You need a site that brings form and function together and embodies your brand and its unique identity, while at the same time providing a stellar user experience to your potential and existing customers.

Having a functional website that’s also visually appealing and boasts a contemporary design will not only make your brand more memorable, but it will also help you rank higher in the SERPs, and will help with brand visibility in general. With all of that in mind, let’s go over the five key features that you need to have on your website.

A branded website experience

A brand is not really a website feature per se, but it’s still one of the most important elements of your digital presence as a whole. In a saturated online world, your customers need a way to differentiate between businesses that operate within the same niche, and they need to figure out which brands are the most trustworthy. This is why you need to brand your website and weave your unique identity into the design and the narrative.

Marketing your brand to your online audience will elevate your standing in the industry, build brand authority, and help you improve all of your website metrics. In turn, this will help you take lead generation as well as customer retention forward.

SEO-friendly content

Speaking of brand visibility and authority, another key element of a winning website is, of course, search engine optimization. If your goal is to drive organic traffic to your website and get quality leads, then it’s important that you optimize your website and its content for all relevant search engines, such as Google or Bing.

To achieve this, you will have to research the relevant keywords and integrate them into your site’s copy, articles, and blogs, product descriptions, as well as images and video descriptions. That said, be sure to avoid keyword stuffing and other common SEO pitfalls if you are to stay on Google’s good side and actually reach the top spot in the SERPs.

Tools and features that build social proof

One of the most powerful marketing and brand-building tools in your arsenal is social proof because nowadays customers are taking their sweet time researching numerous brands until they find the perfect one that’s deserving of their trust, loyalty, and money. Needless to say, you need to build social proof on your website by integrating a reliable social proof tool along with a set of website features that will empower visitors to trust you, buy from you, and disseminate your brand on social media.

Be sure to use a tool that will display notifications to new visitors whenever someone buys something from your site, and integrate product reviews, ratings, testimonials, and user-generated content in general that will help push potential customers through the sales funnel.

CTAs and contact information

Of course, you can’t expect to convert potential customers if they can’t reach you, or if your website is so confusing that they have no idea where to find your contact information, or how to place an order. You need to simplify the buyer’s journey as much as possible, and you can do that by strategically placing CTA buttons on every page, and making your contact information easy to find.

Now, keep in mind that not every CTA should work towards making a sale, because you want your potential customers to also sign up for your newsletter, share your content, or download your free products. With that in mind, be sure to craft CTAs with a clear value proposition that will tell the customer exactly what they’re getting.

Search and live chat functions

Finally, be sure to make yourself available to your customers at all times by integrating a live chat function into your site, and make their experience as seamless as possible by adding a search function. While these two features might not seem like they are connected at first, they actually complement each other in a big way.

The search function will help visitors find what they’re looking for before deciding to get in touch, while the live chat feature will help them answer any last questions they might have before making a purchase. Together, the search function and the live chat will help you drive sales and boost UX on your website.

Wrapping up

In the competitive business world, having a website simply doesn’t cut it anymore – you need to have a website that is completely optimized for the modern customer, as well as the search engines. Be sure to integrate these features and solutions in order to grow your business in 2020 and beyond.

About the author: Mia Taylor

Mia Taylor is a 33-year-old blogger who writes about beauty, fashion, and travel. She had always been passionate about fashion and over time she had developed a style of her own.  Mia loves to mix and match and get inspire girls with her advice about outfit and accessories.  She loves telling a story about her travels, providing beauty tips with readers.

Twitter  Facebook

Setting up your business website: The essentials

Setting up your business website can feel daunting – there’s a lot that needs to be done

Setting up your business website can feel daunting – there’s a lot that needs to be done, and it can be confusing figuring out where to start and what you need to make sure it’s complete and accessible for your customers. Only setting up website is not enough, you also need Fully Managed WordPress Hosting to get the desired results. If you’re looking for some guidance, read on to find out the essentials you need to know to be able to create your website.

Setting Up

If you’re looking for somewhere to start, knowing what’s involved with setting up a website before you get into the design and creation of it is essential. You need to make sure you choose a domain name that fits your business and registers it. You’ll also need to find a web hosting provider, and select a website builder too if you’re a little new. It’s much easier to use a website builder if you’re unfamiliar with websites and setting one up, as it makes it easy for you to choose the look and layout without worrying about functionality. If you’re looking for a bit of inspiration, check out these 6 websites every aspiring entrepreneur should bookmark.



Think About the Look

If your website is a mess, there’s no chance you’ll be able to draw in any customers or profit, and your business will slowly break down – in fact, Adobe found that 38% of consumers will stop engaging altogether if they find the content unattractive in its layout or imagery – numbers you can’t afford to lose. It’s also important to remember your website isn’t just about how it looks – think about the function and the services you need to provide. You need a homepage, a way for customers to access products and services, as well as an “About Us” page, a blog and a page with contact details. These are the minimum you need – if this all seems a little overwhelming, consider hiring a designer to quicken the process and ensure you end up with a quality website quickly.

Design for the Customer

It’s easy for many people to design a website for themselves, but when designing your website, it’s important to base it off who’ll be using it. Make the website action-oriented, so that it’s easy for you to lead customers to pages you want them to interact with e.g. product pages, ways for them to sign up to a newsletter, or ways to find your social media. Set up an SMTP server for transactional emails – through this page from Sendinblue, you can interact with your customers immediately, as well as receive real-time feedback on their progress and success (e.g. how many clicks). This way, if your audience interacts with your site (e.g. signing up to a newsletter), they can get instant responses and interaction from you, and so they can feel connected and part of your business. They also allow you to personalize and design your emails to suit you, meaning you can be certain you’ll be maintaining a reliable, quality service.

With these three tips, you’ll be well on your way to setting up the perfect website for your business.