A business website is often overlooked or forgotten about. Most businesses forget to update them and the website is put on the back burner. It’s very important that your website be updated regularly and reflect your business’s current state and brand image. Here are 5 Elements your site needs – and if it doesn’t meet these 5 elements it may be time to renew your website and bring it up-to-speed.
- Strong Brand– Having a consistent brand can set you apart from your competitors. Sending the same message to your clients will increase memorability and make sure your company is always your company. Your website is like an extension of your business. Think of it as your virtual office. When a visitor ‘stops by’ will they know they are at your business or does your website look like an outdated version of your business? Look at your site and make sure your colors, fonts, and imagery match the message you want to send.
- Content– Like we said above, this is your virtual office. Is your potential customer going to find the information they need while visiting your site? Furthermore, is the content relevant? The customer is looking for information and the information needs to answer the question “How does this apply to me?” Having the content up front is great but having them move deeper into your site is better. Strike a balance that gives them enough information but keeps them moving.
- Navigation– Your site’s navigation (also known as a nav bar) is usually at the top of your site. This is how your customers will navigate through your site and it should be simple and easy to use. It’s tempting to place all your pages in the top level of the navigation bar but this causes issues of a content overload and mobile responsive nightmares. It’s a good idea to group like-topic pages in drop downs to help the user identify where they want to go and then dive deeper.
- Call to Action– Call to Actions (also known as CTAs) are the buttons or links that grab attention and moves the customer deeper into the site. An example of this would be the button under the home page’s About section urging the customer to “Learn More.” Not having these in crucial locations can leave the customer stranded and ditch your site. Remember – it’s all about keeping them moving.
- Mobile Responsive– Not having a mobile responsive site is a website-killer. This is important because 55% of web traffic is from mobile devices and tablets. Google now ranks websites based on whether they are mobile responsive or not [LINK TO MOBILE FIRST POST].
So, how does your website stack up against the 5 elements needed? Does your website need improvement? Acting now instead of waiting can help boost your site visits and increase customer conversions. This might be a big undertaking for most businesses but we are here to help. We are one of the area’s leading marketing and digital design firms and are experts on these subjects. Contact us today to see how we can help grow your website into the powerful resource is should be for your business.