Since the Internet has become the tool of choice for prospects when researching information and making purchase decisions, having a well designed website is crucial to the success of your business. With so many marketing dollars being used to get businesses found online, once a prospect finds your site you’ll want to give a great first impression.  An easy to use and resourceful website will encourage prospects to continue to visit and share your website with colleagues.  While this is not an all-inclusive list, we’ve provided some of the most important aspects to consider when building your dynamic website.

Menu

Your website menu should be short and concise.  Keeping your menu placement standard and using links versus drop downs not only allows simplicity for your visitors but also enhances search engine tracking. The easier it is for your visitors to find information the more likely it is that they will convert into leads. 

Calls To Action

Every page on your site should have some kind of call to action.  This can come in the form of a button or link that drives them to provide their information for a value offer.  Your website can contain great information and content, but without a call to action there is no way to convert that visitor into a lead.

Contact Information

Contact information should be prevalently displayed on your home page.  If a visitor is interested in reaching out to you, you want to make it as easy as possible for them to do so.  Depending on how your business operates, including a directions widget to help prospects find your business can also be extremely helpful.

About Us

A well put together About Us page provides a visitor with valuable insights on your company’s history and experience.  This helps to build credibility for your company and will give confidence to a prospect considering your products or services.

Images

When including images on your website, it’s important that you use relevant, professionally designed pieces of work.  Images catch the eye of your visitors and having subpar pictures can shine a negative light on your company.

Mobile

With more than 50% of people using mobile devices as their primary browsing tool, it is now essential that your website is optimized for these devices.  A site that is not optimized can be difficult to navigate on mobile devices causing errors that can close your web pages and lose visitors.

Branding

You’ll want the branding on your site to be consistent with that of your brick and mortar location and other company resources.  This helps to build an identity for your company and a familiar feel for your visitors.

Social Media

Social media has become an essential part of marketing and branding.  Your website pages should include social following and sharing icons.  This makes it easier for visitors to follow you on each of the social channels and also share your content to their page with the click of a button.

Resources

Having a resources page where visitors can easily access white papers, Ebooks and links to industry relevant resources can turn your website into a hub for your prospects.  The more frequently people use your website for information, the higher your search engine rankings will be, increasing the chance that potential customers will find you when searching for a solution.

Products And Services

Your home page is the ideal place to showcase your products and services.  Highlight your most popular items and what differentiates you from your competition.  Be sure not to be overly promotional and clutter your home page.

Page Load Speed

Anything over 3 seconds is far too long for a website page to load.  Not only does this hurt SEO, it will discourage people from visiting your site frequently.  If your page load speed is too slow, people may close your page before they even get a chance to view your content.

Content

Without question, quality content is the most important part of your website.  This can come in the form of your company blog, product descriptions and premium content offers such as Ebooks, white papers and case studies.  This is the information that will draw in visitors and establish you as a thought leader in your industry.  Additionally, each new blog post creates a new indexed page for your site which helps your search rankings and increases the likelihood your website will be found.

Website design is an integral part of any marketing strategy.  Small improvements can go a long way.  For more information on this and how your company can improve its digital marketing strategy, click below to schedule your Free Inbound Marketing Assessment.