If you hesitate in showing your website to somebody, then you can be sure it’s not up to scratch. That means you have to take immediate action to make it better. Unfortunately, building a successful website isn’t easy.
It might take a bit of time and money to improve the thing. But, if you do improve it, you should be able to start reaping the benefits almost immediately.
This goes for all kinds of businesses.
For example, if you sell small-ticket items like a meal or a bus ticket, ease of use should translate into speed of purchase. This is because when people consider these kinds of small purchases, they want to get the best. They take a whole lot of factors – many of which are not necessarily related to the quality of your service – like ease of use, visual appeal, hearsay, and trustworthiness. They work these factors into their decision to buy or not.
In essence, the better your website functions, the more likely they will purchase.
For big-ticket items, they might not process your website as fleetingly. In fact, most people will focus quite intently on their purchase. That, however, doesn’t change the importance of your site. After all, people want to be convinced that when they buy something from your site, they will get what they paid for. If you look unprofessional in any way, for example, they will not be convinced.
But what can you do to make your page more professional and a more effective business tool?
Focus on the right information
A lot of people building their websites focus on telling their audience entirely the wrong thing. For example, they’re so preoccupied with showing people how cool they are that they don’t even tell them where they’re located or what kind of products they offer.
This is down to something called the curse of knowledge. This is the idea that we can’t “un-know” what we already know. We always assume that because we know something, everybody else does, too. It’s a very tenacious problem and it means taking serious steps to find out what you know that your audience doesn’t.
The easiest way is to simply ask any (potential) customers what they would like to find on your site. If you ask a bunch of people, neatly write their answers down. You should be able to get a list of things that they expect to find on your website.
Even better, based on how often people mention things, you’ll have an idea of how accessible the information should be. If only one or two people asked for a piece of information, then it’s probably okay to put it further down or in a nested page. If a lot of people inquire about the information, then you should put it up front.
Also, make it easy to access! Your phone numbers should be clickable and clicking the address should take you straight to Google Maps.
High-quality copy and images
If you’re not a professional writer or don’t have an affinity for the written word, then you need to consider bringing in somebody to help you. Yes, they’ll cost you some money but you’ll make this back in no time at all. The same goes for images.
This is because there are a lot of things about writing and images that the amateur simply does not know. For that reason, just like I would not get a high school student to design my webpage, I wouldn’t let an amateur write my essay or my copy.
See Also: 10 Tools To Improve Your Business Writing Skills and Grow In Your Career
Collect their email addresses
As most people who will come to your site will probably not buy your product, you’ll want to get the next best thing – their email address. Most people check their email several times a day. As you’ll be able to reach out to them again and again, that means you’ve got a captive audience for your products.
And that matters. As you get more exposed to people, the more they are likely to dig your product.
The place to collect people’s emails is above the fold. That’s basically on the first screen of your site. Also, offer them some useful information.
Many websites have those popup screens that offer some kind of text or tool. Yes, they’re annoying but people fall for them.
Extend your reach
Email isn’t the only place you’ll want to focus to stay on your potential customer’s radar. You’ll also want to make sure your social media is up to scratch. This is a great way to showcase your brand and give people an impression that you’re on the ball.
Note:
A successful social media marketing campaign is not easy. It does take work. For that reason, don’t overreach and then let your efforts fade out. For when you do that, you’re just wasting energy.
Instead, only have one or two accounts and commit to a few posts a week. Schedule a time to plan them. In that way, the likelihood that they’ll fall by the wayside is much smaller. That is important as continuing to post is the only way a social media campaign can ever work.
See Also: Finding Out the Best Time for Posting on Social Media Sites
Last words
So, there you have it.
These are some of the basic points you’ll want to focus on when building a successful website. Of course, these are just pointers. You’ll have to read up on these fields more extensively. But with these words, you’ll have an idea of where to start.
Keep reading in these categories and you’ll have a much better idea of what to do and how to do it. Before you know it, you’ll have a successful webpage.