With the various updates to Google, having an average website may no longer give you the leads you need. With some business, it is an extension that is meant to promote the brand, provide information, etc. In some cases, it IS the business; it is where the customers buy products or sign up to services. Ensuring that you have an excellent, well developed website that reflects your business is imperative.
Here are some tips that might help you assess if you need a website makeover:
1. Not prepared for mobile optimisation
Technology is quickly advancing, which means computers are increasingly becoming mobile. This is resulting in people using their mobiles or tablets to search for businesses, shop for products and look up information. Try testing out your website on your mobile. You may need to consider optimising if it does not sit well on a mobile or tablet screen.
2. You business cannot be found via search engines
If you find that you are not generating any leads on your website, be it phone calls or emails, it may down to poor SEO. Good SEO will allow your website to be found easily and quickly. Content is key to ensuring natural SEO traffic to your website. Using social media can also increase traffic and have your website seen by a wider audience.
3. Easy to navigate and use?
There is nothing worse than clicking on a website and being unable to find the information needed, or getting lost. Keeping all information easy and clear, including contact information is important. A customer may lose interest after being unable to navigate the labyrinth of pages and go to a competitor. Ensuring ease of use is vitally important to converting enquiries into sales.
4. Does your content reflect you and what you offer?
‘Content is king’ and can be just as important as a professional looking website. Stale content that is filled with spelling and grammar mistakes will not draw in the customers. Keep it fresh, lively, tell the customer your story as well as who you are and most importantly, keep it simple. Customers do not like to read overly complicated content that does not truly show who you are. Are you presenting fantastic offers in a creative, inventive way?
5. When did you last update it?
When was the last time you updated the design, besides updating content? Technology has been changing over the past few years, and trends change, so if your website was created longer than three years ago, there is a chance that it may need to be updated. Customers like to see fresh new designs, so if they are seeing the same layout, same navigation bars and images for the past couple of years, they stop using your website altogether.
In conclusion, it is advised to see what the competition is doing. What techniques are they using to draw in leads? Evaluate what is successful and perhaps apply that to your website.
Web design is not always a complicated science, but if you struggle with what you can do to improve your website, our specialists are on hand to give you excellent advice.
By Harry Price
Harry Price is a free-lance writer and personal trainer. He enjoys guest blogging and travelling the country.