With website development at our fingertips on the Internet, it is important to remember that the “look” of a website is only one component of the development.

Yes, the look of your website is important, but your website is also a tool to grow your business and should be developed as such.

Almost anyone can build their own website with all of the free website creator technology available. Is it right for you? Are you able to enhance your website to the extent that is acts as a part of your marketing strategy and adds value to the other efforts you are putting forth to reach customers and generate leads for your business?

• TELL A USER RIGHT AWAY WHAT YOUR COMPANY DOES.
  From the very first page that a potential customer lands on, it is extremely important that they are able to tell immediately what it is your business can do for them and why they should choose you. It is said that once your page loads, users form an opinion in .05 seconds!

• MOBILE FRIENDLINESS MATTERS.
  Desktop searches are quickly losing ground to the computers in our hands. Mobile searches are high. It is a must for your website to be responsive. Almost half (48%) of users feel like companies don’t care about their business if their site doesn’t work well on their smartphones. Make sure your telephone links are clickable, too.

• MAKE SURE YOUR WEBSITE TAKES LESS THAN THREE SECONDS TO LOAD.
  

  The speed of your website is another factor that plays a huge part in today’s fast-paced search for answers. If your website is slow to load, you are losing valuable leads from internet searches. Your customers are impatient for answers to their challenges. If your website isn’t answering their distress call quick enough, they are hitting the back button and moving on within seconds. Your potential customers expect your website to load FAST! Test you site here: https://search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly

• YOUR WEBSITE FONT MUST BE READER-FRIENDLY.
  Consider ALL of your potential website visitors and their ability to interact with your website. Typical body text should be at least 14px and body copy should be in a Sans Serif font for compatibility and reader friendliness across all device types. Make sure that your website visitors can read all of your website’s text.

• YOUR WEBSITE SHOULD NOT HAVE LOTS OF LINKS THAT OPEN IN NEW BROWSER WINDOWS.
  When a visitor lands on your page, you want to keep them there. Links that open in new browser windows invite them to leave your website, cause navigation to become confusing and create a bad experience for them.

• YOU SHOULD RARELY HAVE SOCIAL MEDIA ICONS AT THE TOP OF YOUR WEBSITE.
  While your website should invite interaction and engagement, don’t encourage your customers to leave your site as soon as they arrive. Yes, you want them to connect with you on Social Media, but you should never have those icons at the top of your page. However, they are important! Do try to keep them on the side, bottom, or even in the middle.

• DON’T HIDE THINGS.
  Is it your desire to have a lead-churning website? Menus are great on mobile devices, but less so on desktop. Give your users text links to help them navigate and understand all of the options they have. Never hide these things on your website. Your website is your opportunity to build a relationship with your potential customers. Don’t lose opportunities to get your users further down your experience funnel-give them everything they need in plain sight.

• MAKE SURE YOUR WEBSITE HAS H1 HEADINGS AND H2 SUBHEADS.
  Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is extremely important on your website. There are more than 6,586,013,574 searches a day worldwide! How do search engines find your website with all the other websites there? One of the ways is headings and subheadings on your website. H1 Headings and H2 Subheadings allow you to rank higher in search engines, also enabling bots to read and decipher what a page on your website is about. If a bot is unable to do this, your page becomes lost somewhere in that great big search number, never to be seen or heard from again. Your website visitors will also skim your headlines and emphasized text to decide if they are interested in your page.

• MAKE YOUR WEBSITE SECURE ( https://)
  Data breaches are becoming more common. They seem to happen every other day. Your customers are looking to see if your website is secure by looking for that important little “s” at the end of HTTP. If they don’t see it, they most likely will not interact with your site. Internet users are savvy, and their security is important to them. Not having a secure site is like waving a red flag for both search engines and cautious website visitors. They will not likely be entering any personal information (email, phone number, name or address) if your site leaves them vulnerable to hackers. It will also potentially push your website further down in the search results and limit your visibility online.

Your responsive website is one of your greatest marketing tools! Presenting it to your clients and potential customers is an important part of growing your business online. The end goal of your user's experience on your website is to drive engagement and create leads for your business. Visit us at https://www.marketinganglewsi.com/responsive-mobile-website-design today to view our work and see the services we offer.

  Don't forget to make your contact information easy to find and simple to use. Don't frustrate users by making them search for your contact information, it may create a lost opportunity instead of a great lead.


 

 

Sources: searchengineland.com , globalsign.com , neilpatel.com , searchenginejournal.com

Marketing Angle has a proven track record in website development, with experience in multiple industries.

If you have concerns about developing a website that will act as your online sales rep, choose a partner with the skills and experience to deliver a website that acts as a tool and compliments your other marketing efforts.