At the core of every successful modern business lies a compelling website. The online universe abounds in websites of all types, and the trends and rules seem to be shifting continuously. However, in spite of the perpetual changes, we can summarize some must-have features your website can’t go without, whether you’re a big company or just a small business.
1. Responsive Web Design
It goes without saying that responsive design is a must today as the number of mobile phone users has surpassed computer users. With growing smart technology, the internet will now be more accessible on larger devices like TVs. To capitalize on these booming market segments, it is crucial that website designs are responsive to all types of devices and screen space, from mobile phones, tablets, and other gadgets to big screens. Today, if a user can’t easily browse and read the content on your website from their mobile device, they will leave uninspired and probably never come back.
2. User-friendly Website Navigation
Your landing pages should be able to guide your visitors straight to the information they are looking for and present your products or services in a manner that resonates with them. The layout should be clean, simple, and organized, without heavy visuals, unnecessary motion, or wordiness.
Aim for easy-to-skim texts (headings, highlights, bullet points, pictures, easy-to-read fonts, and so on) so that visitors can easily find what they need. Also, organized and intuitive search and navigation tabs should be placed on top of each and every web page. Links to all the main pages of your website should be present on the navigation tabs.
3. Content is King, and Storytelling Is the Way
Gone are the days when you could just throw a bunch of keywords out there and expect Google to praise you. Today, Google pays close attention to the quality of the information, and well-informed, high-quality content can bring your website authority.
To build a trustworthy website, make sure that your content is consistent with your company’s branding strategy and that you make use of the immense power of storytelling. Compelling storytelling will eventually turn your visitors into loyal customers, help you establish a voice in the community, develop your brand, and boost your sales. Make sure to tell your brand’s story in a conversational, casual manner so that your customers can easily relate to it.
To get diverse content, consider a mix of high-quality videos, blogs, and other website content, infographics, social media, interviews, research papers, whitepapers, eBooks, and more.
Remember, effective content is a very efficient vehicle for SEO, so make sure you have a thorough SEO strategy in place before developing the content.
Good Old SEO
SEO without content is like having a car and no wheels. Conversely, content without an SEO strategy is like having a bunch of wheels and no car to take you anywhere.
Even if the digital landscape has changed dramatically over the past few years, SEO still remains an effective and leading marketing strategy. If you are looking to grow your search traffic, consider blending your content marketing with your SEO efforts, and not running them as separate campaigns. Check this blog post for the latest SEO trends of 2019.
4. Clear-Cut Web Design
Sensible web design is the winner these days. Statistically, websites that are best at converting site visitors into buying customers maintain a compelling layout but keep it clean and simple. Google, Apple, and Nike are excellent examples of such sites.
To keep your website simple but authoritative, you need to reach the right ratio of content and graphics, use slightly contrasting colors, and clean fonts. Avoid overwhelming colors and illegible fonts. Also, consider breaking up sizeable blocks of text with either spacing or images as appropriate.
5. Call to Action
Finally, no matter how professional and clean your website looks, it needs to generate some action. Hence, make sure that it provides the necessary Call to Action or CTA statements. These statements are useful for guiding visitors towards activities that are eventually leading to online purchases. That includes activities such as availing discounts, downloading eBooks, subscribing to your newsletter or promotional emails, and so on.
A call to action is a combination of words that urge the potential customer to take immediate action, such as “Right Now,” “Call Now,” or “Click Here.” A call to action should be short, straightforward, and bring about the sense of urgency your customer needs to initiate the buying process.
There’s probably no other industry out there evolving and changing as fast as the online marketing industry. If you’re a small business trying to find your voice, Contact Outreach Digital Marketing to set up a free consultation and learn more about how to make your website thrive and stand out in a competitive online world.