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The success of any website lies not only with its SEO or how often it is clicked on, but with its actual design and layout. A website could have hundreds or even thousands of views a day because it is highly ranked and is being shared across social media, but if your reader isn’t staying on your page for long it won’t be helping your business to grow.
So here are 5 things it is essential to get right on your website.
1. Explain What You Do.
This may seem obvious, but remember you only have around 5 seconds to capture your readers interest and prove to them they have found what they are looking for and don’t need to go elsewhere. This doesn't mean you have to explain in detail everything you do, but be sure to give them the general idea.
Remember to explain why you are different from your competition and what do you offer that they don’t.
2. Capture Your Leads
By the time your visitor lands on your website the hardest part has already been done. They have found your site, congratulations! But the work doesn't stop there, your next challenge no matter what your business type, is to capture your customer so you can keep in touch with them and entice them to return in the future. Here there are 2 main types, social media and email.
Social Media
Adding a simple Facebook Like and/or Twitter Follow button on your site in strategic areas can help to increase your followers. Placing them close to your logo can be more effective and give them confidence in what they are sharing with their followers. Enticing your readers to follow you on social media, does of course mean regularly adding useful, engaging or funny posts with the occasional sales pitch to keep them entertained and hopefully click your links to get them back to your website.
Email SignUps
Collecting your customers email address and adding it to a list of potential customers that you own and can contact in the future is the name of the game. Remember, the number of people visiting your website today is not as important as how many will return in the future. The ability to invite them back with an upcoming sale, new blog post or new product launch is what’s really important.
3. Give Value
Giving your visitor value whilst visiting your site will entice them to return, like or follow you on social media or want to sign up for more via your email signup form. The value can be in the form of interesting blog posts, podcasts, how to videos, or helpful information your visitor was looking for in the first place when they found your site. It is important to make this value easy to find, simple to share with others and of course free to obtain.
4. Show Your Contact Information
One of the most important things a visitor to your website might be looking for is your contact information. Whether they need to know how to find you, what your phone number is or what times of the day you are open. Make this easy to find by listing it in the footer of your website so it is available on every page
5. Make It Easy To Read & Navigate
Creating your website so it is easy to read and simple to navigate will result in visitors staying on it for longer. Each page should incorporate easy to read text which is well spaced out and in colours that are easy to read. Buttons to navigate from one page to the next should be easy to find along with links to other helpful pages which might be of interest to your reader.
