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Sure, to the below list we could probably add 8 more ways to ensure your website closes as many deals as possible in 2014.
We might even be able to create an additional list of 25 ways, because let’s be honest, there’s no shortage of ways to make your website better. Ideas abound, like fireflies on a warm summer night.
And by no means do we argue these are the TOP 8 ways, either.
What we do believe is that these are 8 of the most important aspects of your website to focus on, and that, if you take time to fully understand what is being said below and take the time to make some updates/changes, you can see a massive shift in how your site performs for you this year, compared to the past.
Here is our list … we hope you enjoy and find some good value in it:
1. Be Responsive:
More and more people use tablets and phones to explore the Internet – those numbers continue to increase as we speak. Does your website render properly on all devices and across all browsers? Is it easy for your ideal customer to find you and then take the action you want them to take?
2. Focus On Topics, Not Keywords:
SEO is not what it used to be. It’s no longer just about finding the best X (insert total number) final keywords and optimizing your site for those X final keywords. Use keywords as a foundation but write and “optimize” for your everyday user. Make real connections with real people and the Search Engines will know what to rank you for.
3. Know That Less Is More:
Sufficient content is encouraged and required, but eliminate the unnecessary bells and whistles. People are bombarded with messages every day; do something creative that gets their attention and then make your powerful point fast. Ensure each page has a primary call to action (what you want your user to do … example: contact you for more information) and a secondary call to action (such as leave their email address) to get the job done.
4. Make It About The User And How They Win:
Keep the focus on the user and the benefits they’ll enjoy by choosing your product or service. Avoid making it all about you. When you talk about yourself, it comes across as a sales pitch, making people quickly tune out. If you paint the picture for your user as to what their life will be like once they utilize your product or service, it becomes much easier to get them to do what you want (your call to action). And, offer something FREE!
5. Utilize Videos:
Plenty of studies conclude the same thing – websites with videos have much higher engagement and conversion rates. You can utilize animated videos to describe the features of a new product or service. Or, you can utilize more “professional” videos that describe who you are as a company, why you do what you do, give tips, etc. While the videos do not need to be Hollywood studio production quality, we would suggest only sharing content (videos) that represent you well.
6. GET SOCIAL:
You need a blog, and your blog must have social share buttons on each post; you need a blog with an author bio after each post that connects to your Google + authorship profile, you need social icons in the header or footer of your site, linking out to your social accounts, and perhaps some right column modules to encourage more social engagement.
7. Understand How Your Site Performs:
One of the most important aspects to any website project we complete is Google Analytics. When you install Google Analytics, you get insights into how many people visit your site, how long they stay, where they come from, how many pages of your site they visited, what page they left from and so much more. Thanks to this raw data, it’s easy to study your site’s performance to see where and how we can tighten things up to make sure it all works as best as possible.
8. Get Your Site Found By The Right People:
Thanks to keywords and topics, you can rank on Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc. for organic traffic. Thanks to social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Google +, you can get seen by an unlimited number of people for a significant amount of social media traffic. There are also email lists, referral sites and much more. No matter how you’re sending people to your site, make sure you keep focused on it. The best site in the world will do you no good if it’s not seen by the right people.
At RODA marketing, we’re always looking for ways to improve our services and the ways we attract business.
We have found over the years that some of our most noticeable shifts in business success coincide with our site updates. When we decide to refocus and update our website, we do the same thing for our business and more often than not experience multiple rewards because of our actions taken.
#RODAtip:
The greatest website in the world will achieve nothing, unless it’s backed up by the greatest team in the world. Your online presence simply mimics your real world persona; be the best in both spaces.
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