Websites have become a must-have marketing tool for any business that hopes to survive in the current marketplace. According to Nielsen.com, 90% of consumers go online to look for local businesses.
If you don’t have an online presence, you may be losing out on a lot of business. Most shoppers that you see in a store researched the business online first before visiting it.
So, what makes a good website?
A great website achieves all your objectives for creating it. These include increasing your brand awareness and generating more leads and sales. Keep reading for 6 of our best tips and tricks that will help you achieve a good website design.
Table of Contents
- Hire a Professional Web Designer
- Set Clear Goals for Your Site
- SEO Optimization
- Mobile Optimization
- Use Open Source Tools
- Create Your Content in Advance
1. Hire a Professional Web Designer
For entrepreneurs that want to dominate their industry, a great website is a must. 38% of online users will click out of a site if it has an unappealing design.
The first step to creating a great website is to hire an excellent web designer. Many website builders make it easy for entrepreneurs to build a website. But the result can look amateurish and unprofessional, which can destroy your brand and credibility.
Additionally, some elements, such as setting up online shopping carts, may be complicated, and you may need a designer’s help. Investing in a great web designer will pay off with a unique website that attracts and sells to your clientele. You will also save time, as a designer will create your site in much less time than someone building a website for the first time.
2. Set Clear Goals for Your Site
Another great website design advice is to set SMART goals for your website and to track its performance. Before you create your website, you should know why exactly you need to have one. Some reasonable goals are improving brand awareness, increasing leads and sales, and reducing business overheads.
Once the website is up, you should use analytic tools to assess against your goals. If your website isn’t meeting your objectives, you and the design team will need to investigate the reasons for failure and correct any errors in the design.
3. SEO Optimization
The most crucial element of a good website is Search Engine Optimization (SEO). It is the process of tailoring your website design and content to increase the quantity and quality of your website traffic. Is is done to attract organic search results.
Getting your website to feature on the first page of search engines like Google can be a huge marketing win for your company as the number of your leads will significantly increase. An SEO optimized website will market your company and generate leads on autopilot. That gives you free time to concentrate on other aspects of your business operations.
Some of the key elements of SEO Optimization include using keywords on the following:
- URLs
- page titles
- headings
- writing engaging content
- properly tagging articles
While you can hire an SEO expert to optimize your website, it is important to have a general understanding of SEO. That will give you the confidence to lead your website creation team to design an effective website.
4. Mobile Optimization
Another critical element of a good website is how accessible it is on mobile devices. Many people use a smartphone to make calls but also to access the internet and shop. People are twice as likely to engage with their favorite brands on their mobile phones than on their laptops.
Consumers also compare prices on their mobile phones while shopping for an item at a store. Sales conversion rates on mobile devices are 64% higher on mobile phones than on websites. That is why it’s essential to make your product information and prices accessible on their phones.
Do your research and find out what percentage of your users access your site on mobile phones. You may want to create a mobile app if you have a high percentage of mobile users.
5. Use Open Source Tools
When creating your website, you will have the choice of using free open source design tools or proprietary content management systems (CMS). Many web designers will tell you that it is best to go with an open-source tool. That is because they are free and offer more flexibility in terms of design and switching to another device.
Proprietary CMS is often very costly, and they lock you in for long periods. It can stifle your ability to switch to another tool that may be more effective.
6. Create Your Content in Advance
Not having your content ready can delay the website design process. As soon as you decide to create a website, you should start creating and compiling all the content you will need for the different pages.
For example, start the write-ups for the “about us” and “our products and services” pages. Take good pictures of the key products you will be selling and write short descriptions on each.
Remember to fill your content with calls to action directing your users on what actions you need them to take and why. An example would be “sign up for our newsletter to get details about our new stock.” If pressed for time, you may need to hire a content writer to help you write professional web pages.
Learn What Makes a Good Website
A useful website is an asset. Modern businesses can attract leads and convert sales with the right website design. Therefore, increasing your brand awareness. Websites, unlike sales personnel, are available to your target clientele 24 hours a day.
Some of the design tips that will help you create a great website include hiring a professional web designer and using SEO optimization. Also, consider mobile optimization and sticking to open source tools for your website design.
Visit our site if you’re still unsure of what makes a good website and would like expert help for your design, development, SEO, and even copywriting.