A website can be a powerful marketing tool, but it requires short and long-term investment if it is to engage target customers and generate leads. A professionally designed website filled with up-to-date content and well-chosen features is a cost-effective way to dramatically extend your organisation’s reach. Here are a few tips to ensure your website continues to work hard for your business.
Get the design right for your business type:
Good design and content is the bedrock of any successful website. Easy to navigate pages containing relevant information will make your website search engine friendly and encourage visitors to browse. If visitors cannot find what they are looking for or your e-commerce systems are slow, users will click away from the site. An effective website will follow typical web conventions with recognisable page names, highly visible contact details and consistent visuals that accurately represent your brand.
Make your site visible:
Search engine optimisation is a key way to ensure enough target customers find your site. Submit your web address to major search engines and directories and use common keywords and phrases in your content. Free tools such as Google AdWord’s keyword planner can help you research which keywords are most relevant to your products or services.
Use analytics software:
Once your site is up and running, use analytics software to see how your website is performing. Where is traffic coming from? Which pages are most popular? Which keywords/phrases are being searched for? Use this information to further optimise and improve the content of your site. Could you tweak your use of keywords to generate more leads or apply components of popular pages to underperforming ones?
Add regular updates:
New content will help build your customer base and entice past visitors back to your website. Update your site with details of new products and offers and employ user-generated content to keep your site fresh. Blogs, podcasts and discussion forums that will be useful and interesting to your target customers will likely attract more hits. Free downloads such as a magazine or ebook are great ways to capture customer data.
If you would like advice on how your website might provide greater return on investment and better serve your business, please call Bob Design and Marketing on 0117 973 9326 or email info@meetbob.co.uk