Your business website is central to your online presence. If your website doesn’t get enough leads or traffic then it’s not serving your marketing efforts like it should. A business website that follows some best practices of online marketing increases its chance of appealing to your target audience and converting them into clients.
Here are some important things that will help you create a business website that attracts the right target clients for your business.
Google and SEO are imperative
A majority of online customer journeys begin with a search engine, and nearly 75% of them begin with Google. It’s critical that your website is optimised to rank high in search results that are seeking your firm’s services. Along with high-quality content, this requires a fair bit of back-end coding. Invest in a professional with an in-depth understanding of good SEO practices, no matter how tempting it is to use a free website design tool.
User experience (UX) makes all the difference
UX is closely tied to SEO. A responsive business website with a thoughtful design can boost your SEO and enhance the experience of visitors on your site. Your website must be responsive, meaning easy to access from any device (especially mobile phones). It should also be easy to navigate, allowing visitors to promptly find the information they’re looking for. Another aspect of UX is the load time of your website and its pages. Work with your designer to ensure that your site loads within three seconds. This will help people stay on your website while also improving its SEO, as Google’s ranking algorithm includes loading speeds in its criteria. Most importantly, the website design should be uncluttered, too many visual or audio distractions can clutter the site and detract visitors.
Content is king
In the kingdom of search engines, content is king. Your website must host a blog that is regularly updated with content to attract your target clients. There must be something for everyone, so don’t stick to just text posts. There’s a world of content formats to use, ranging from video to infographics to e-books. Remember to include keywords within your text, URLs, as well as the structure of the site (parts of HTML like title tags, alt tags, and meta descriptions). These keywords help people find you through search engines.
It’s also important to pay special attention to your website’s homepage as it’s often the first impression you make with a potential client. Make sure it conveys your key marketing messages with attractive (but not distracting) visuals, engaging content, and an uncluttered design. Include a clear call-to-action on your homepage as well as other pages of your site, nudging visitors to take meaningful action – like signing up for a consultation or submitting a contact form.
Backlinks give your site authority
One of the things that Google ranks quite highly is if other websites link to you. The more authority the site linking to you has the higher Google will rank you. This is where you can take advantage of your networks and partnerships, and ask them to link to your site. Another way to generate backlinks is to guest post on other business’ blogs or publications and include a link to your website in your profile.
One final way to improve your website presence is to make sure your inbound marketing strategy is comprehensive, involving multiple channels and tactics. Include social media marketing, email marketing, and landing pages that are all centered around giving your clients relevant and high-quality content.
By including these best practices in your website design and content you can make sure that you attract new quality prospects and improve your chances of converting them into clients.