Creating a Successful Website

February 10, 2011

We often get asked what our top website tips are and it’s always hard to give a short answer. Here are a few of our favorite tips that will not only help you dominate the online world but also convert your website leads into real dollars.

1. Establish a purpose. Ask yourself: “Why would anyone go to my site?”

If your purpose is to sell a product, then show off your product. Photos, videos, virtual tours and other media can help show your customer a variety of angles and options. However, beware of going overboard, nothing can send a website visitor away quicker than being bombarded by too much media at once. Keep media concise and easy to navigate and save sound files for videos only.

If your purpose is to establish your brand, then make sure your site carries your message from start to finish. Your design should enhance your logo and message so your customer leaves the site with a strong impression of what your company is about. Stay away from fad designs and gimmicky text, they only detract from your brand.

2. Establish a call to action. Buy something? Contact you? Refer their friends?

If the next step for a user is to contact you, then make it easy for them to find that contact form that not only works but also is easily accessible and effortless to use. Don’t require too much information from your customer, people are reluctant to give up more than they are comfortable with. Focus on what you need to follow up and what specific questions your customer has. Then, follow up! Respond as quickly as possible to any questions you can answer. If you need more time to gather your response, at least contact your customer personally to let them know their questions have been received. Do not rely on impersonal auto-responders to queue your customers for you.

If you  are looking to expand your referral business, give your customers easy access to social networking tools to refer their friends to you. Customers are becoming more reliant on these and they are an easy way to spread your name, service, and product.

3. Update, update, update.

Nobody, including Google, Bing and Yahoo, wants stale content. That award you won in 2006 was great, but customers really care about what you are doing right now. With the economy changing businesses so quickly, it’s important that your customers feel confident that your business is alive and thriving. Blogs are a great way to keep company events in the forefront and can be used to push content to a variety of other media. However, beware of Stale Blog Syndrome, which can have an adverse effect on your site. Delegate writing new web content and create a calendar for new post target dates. Make posting in your blog and refreshing your web content part of your daily routine. Just 10 minutes a day can pay off big on your website.

Would you hire yourself based on your own website? Or would you hire your competitor? If you’re not sure, you need to give us a shout.