Do you have a website that needs a makeover? Or perhaps you are in the market for having a website but are unsure if it is the right choice for your business. These are common questions that often cross our minds. Here are 10 secrets to website success:
1. Memorable Visual Design
Websites should have current styles and trends implemented. If your site looks out of date and lacks pleasing design principles, it can negatively affect the user’s impression of your company. If you really want your site to say, we are a, “savvy, and professional business” then sprucing up you site design is a step in the right direction.
2. Brand Power
Ultimately your brand should be distinct and ever present on your site. Also take into consideration that if you are reshaping the overall structure of your company, then maybe it’s time to completely rebrand yourself. Your old brand may represent your old work and a new brand is just what you might need.
3. Responsiveness and Mobile Friendly
It is almost impossible in today’s world to get by without using a mobile device. It is still mind boggling that we have sites that are not mobile friendly. If your site is not responsive and mobile friendly, then you are losing out on a large audience.
4. Code
Behind the scenes, code plays a core part in having an effective website. Have you ever checked to see if your site is optimized for all browsers? Is your site using valid code and coding techniques? Standards change annually, and when your site is overwhelmed with outdated code it could slow down performance.
5. CTA(call-to-action)
A call-to-action is typically a link that encourages users to become customers, we call this conversion. Ideally you want your site to have returning customers. A lot of sites currently take full advantage of effective CTA drives. Promotions such as sign up bonuses, coupons, and member discounts are a few examples. The possibilities are endless. Not only should your site have CTAs, but they should be highlighted clearly, easy to understand, exist on the correct landing pages, and ultimately be interesting enough to encourage completion of the action.
6. User Retention
All this work being put into your site can be all for naught if your user retention is poor. On average a user visits your site within 4 – 5 seconds. If you fail to capture their attention, then they bounce. The goal is to keep users on your site longer and keep them engaged. If you have a high, “bounce rate” then something is off with your site. Perhaps site navigation is confusing, or the design and tone is just out of touch, or your site’s SEO is off the mark and attracting the wrong type of traffic. There are tools to mitigate these outcomes, but perhaps a redesign is the medicine needed.
7. SEO
If you want to get noticed by Google, then you must have content. Not only do you need content, you need good content. With this content you can add tags that are relevant to your site. When you do this search engines, such as Google, crawl your site and readjust your ranking, which can drive more traffic to your site. Consider having a site blog, or weekly news posts on your site. This can be an easy and powerful tool to take advantage of SEO.
8. Security
This one is always important. Every year hackers create new ways to exploit weaknesses on sites, and every year the latest in security technology is developed to combat this. Older sites are even more susceptible to hacks, because they are not up to date with security technology.
9. Speed
If your site is taking too long to load, it can scare away users. Are your site files bloated, or are image sizes poorly optimized? These are just a few reasons your site can be performing slowly. Want to see if your page is acting slow check out pingdom.com to get some insights on how your pages perform.
10. Stay Competitive
Different factors come into play for different website goals, but for your brand to stay competitive in today’s world you need to be implementing the latest trends and technology. A good metric for this is to look at your competitor’s site and compare them to your own. What are they doing wrong or right, and vice versa? If you want to look like a professional business who is in touch with the time, then don’t be the last to upgrade.
Next steps?
Hopefully this article has encouraged you to consider an update of your current site. Surge Communications has friendly and helpful staff who are eager to answer questions and help you find the right setup for your needs. Don’t be left behind, because your site is out of date.
