October 30, 2014.
Getting a website up and running is no small feat, but it is integral to the success of your business, especially if you’re going to sell primarily online. Follow these tips for creating a website that’ll attract views and create customers.
1. Responsive websites will adjust to whatever device the viewer is using. If you can’t reach your audience across every device – their laptop, mobile, iPad, etc. – you’ll miss out on a lot of traffic. The numbers are growing when it comes to how many people use handheld devices to browse the Internet.
2. Make sure that you can update your website easily without calling in the IT department. When there are changes to policy or when you’re ready to post a new blog post, you need to get the text up there right away. The last thing you’ll want to do is wait around until someone else has time for your website.
3. The homepage is like your website’s title – it has to keep the viewer’s attention so they’ll want to explore more. Graphics, slideshows, clear calls-to-action, obvious navigation – these are all components of a successful homepage.Â
4. Every website, no matter what the topic, should have a blog. Your blog is a great tool for cross-media marketing – you can link out to your social media platforms and the link can be shared on your various profiles. Plus, regularly updating your blog keeps your website fresh, which improves its rank in search results.
5. Integrate your social media on your website with follow buttons, share buttons, post feeds and other tools.
6. Include an e-mail signup pop-up on your homepage or blog. The more people who sign up for your newsletter, the more recurring customers you’ll have. Despite all of the great advances in social media, e-mail marketing is still one of the premier ways to sell.
7. Create auto-responders to keep in touch with your audience. When someone fills out a form, purchases one of your products or takes any number of actions, you can have a note sent automatically to their e-mail address.
8. Make sure the website platform you use can expand as your business grows. Not every host will be able to evolve and you want one that can be easily updated instead of becoming outdated.
Want to make your website even better? There’s a way – find out here.