How To Improve Your Website In 7 Steps
When someone clicks on your website’s home page, what they immediately see influences 90 percent of their decisions – should they leave or stay on your website? Here is how to improve your website so they stick around and convert into a customer.
If you want to promote a business in today’s world, the best way to have an engaging and relevant website that’s easily found online. There is not a day that goes by when I do not hear someone say, “Google it!”
Creating a website can be a great and inexpensive way to reach new clients, generate leads, and improve conversion rates for your product or service. When it comes to designing a website, your focus should be on providing value for your visitors. This will encourage people to come back and eager to learn more about what you have to offer.
Here are seven tips on how to improve your website so you can increase traffic and improve conversion rates.
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Your logo
When it comes to website design, the old adage is true: you only get one chance to make a first impression. Your website is the first thing about your business that your web visitors will encounter so improving your website appearance is paramount. It is the online door to your business. Your official logo is the first indicator visitors usually look at to judge the quality of a site and the professionalism of the business.
For starters, try to avoid using free themes and logos, as this can make your website look and feel generic. If you can’t afford the services of a professional graphic artist to create original designs then consider outsourced sites, where creative professionals offer their services as a low-cost “gig.”
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Relevant Content
In order to attract and keep visitors on your site, you need to provide fresh, relevant content. Your web pages need to engage the reader, not offer them a hard sell.
Pages that are filled with sales language like “Buy Now,” “Why we are the best,” “We are number one,” versus “Educational tips,” “blogs,” “video,” “Testimonials from your customers,” “A story or video on what an experience is like for your customer,” has far greater value.
Provide useful content that lets them know they’re in the right place. Position yourself as an expert in your field with quality, well-written articles, content, and video. Keep your pages as free of distractions as possible, or place anything outside the scope of the content your producing, like a Call To Action, in strategic spots. What do you want your website to do once I’m on it?
READ RELATED: Your Beginner’s Guide to SEO
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Images and Clip Art
When using images and clip art on your site, make sure you use only royalty-free artwork or work you own the rights to. Be wary of sites that offer free stock photos. Many of them allow uploading of stolen images that the “author” has no rights to. Always make sure you get permission from the true owner of an image before using it anywhere on your site. A Shutterstock account is a great asset to any business.
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Videos
Video marketing is one of the hottest trends for internet businesses. It grabs your visitor’s attention and offers a more direct message than words. A professionally made video adds an extra layer of professionalism and credibility to your product or service. Videos that use whiteboard animation are especially effective in engaging their audience. Best of all – you do not have to be in the video to have a video!
Whether you are promoting a product or service, offering customer testimonials, or just want to show your passion for your topic of choice, videos engage and entertain your visitors. Here is an example of a “whiteboard video” I’ve created for a client:
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Use Social Media
Today, shareable content is what visitors seek. Make it easy for your visitors to share your stories, blogs, and links to products or services with others by including social media sharing buttons on your website. This draws even more visitors to your website from platforms like Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, and more.
Social networking is also an excellent way to market your business and improve your website traffic. Remember, when using social media, the intent is to engage and entertain, not sell. People who like your social media profiles will click through to your website out of sheer curiosity. And if your site provides something of value, they’ll check it out further and could become a loyal brand follower, or share your content and become a brand ambassador!
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Online Web Presence
Help improve your website’s ranking in Google and other search engines by formatting your content properly. Long blocks of complex information can drive your visitors away. Break up your content by adding sub-headers, numbered lists, and bullet points. This will make the content easier to scan by readers and search engines alike and improve your ranking. Of course, this all begins with selecting a well-researched keyword. Use keyword tools to select keywords for your site that don’t have too much competition, but enough people searching for the term to make your website visible. Make sure you have someone on your team that understands the fundamentals of what drives your site to the top pages of search engines.
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Encourage Your Visitors to Come Back
The best way to encourage visitors to come back is to offer them something. An e-newsletter, contests, freebies, logo merchandise, and more can vastly improve your website engagement, and the list of ideas is endless and only bound by your creativity. I love using Constant Contact to build my e-mail distribution list as well as stay in touch with my followers.
Online marketing isn’t comprised of just one task, but many put together. By following the above tips, you should start to see more visitors to your site and an improvement in search engine rankings.
