20 years ago, there were just more than 29 million websites. While that might sound like a huge number, but, today, there are around 55 times that. Currently, there are more than 1.6 billion unique websites floating around the information superhighway. This means you have competition. Even with more than half of these websites currently inactive or not updated, there are still plenty of other domains your potential customers might be browsing instead of yours.
So, what’s a business owner to do? The answer: prioritize your website. This means you should not look at it as a “set it and forget it” project. Instead, your website should be an active component of your business and a tool that your customers can turn to for efficiency, convenience, and information.
Where to Begin
If you haven’t put as much into your website as you should, download Invicta’s free website audit tool. You may just find that a few simple tweaks are all you need to improve your presence on the web. If you’re not currently familiar with website best practices, you may have your work cut out for you. However, a few things that you absolutely must focus on include:
Appealing visuals. Your website must be eye-catching and easy to look at if you want to keep your customers from quickly clicking back to search results. If you plan to do any of your own designs for your social media accounts, website, or YouTube channel, you can use a banner generator that gives you plenty of videos, animation, fonts, colors, and other customization options to stay true to your brand.
Integration with your internal systems. If you currently use an ERP or CRM, these systems can greatly improve your website. Your ERP, for example, can unify customer communication, inventory, and other critical business functions. When connected, your ERP components will work together with your website to help ensure things like data accuracy and order fulfillment are always top-notch.
Mobile access. Today, the vast majority of searches take place on mobile devices. The Search Review notes that around 72% of food and beverage searches are done from people’s phones. Around 60% of other online searches are carried out on a mobile smart device. These numbers are compelling evidence that your website must be, at minimum, mobile-friendly. If possible, an app is an even better option, as it gives customers one-click access directly to you.
Content. Your customers come to your website because they want content. This ranges from video tutorials and blog posts to DIY writeups and information on how to use your products and services. Content also includes images, online shopping, and even your contact forms. Invicta can help you get your website up and running so that you have pages to place the right content at the right time. They can even integrate your website with your social media accounts.
Search engine friendliness. While your website is built for the people who use that, it also has to be friendly to the search engines that help them find it. Talk to your web designer about improving your search engine optimization by making sure your website is fast, responsive, and relevant to the way your customers search. Your site’s visibility is influenced by many factors, including your click-through rate, the length and quality of your content, and technical components, such as your meta-tags and load speed.
The goal for any business website is to bring customers through the doors, whether that means a digital shopping experience or into a brick-and-mortar location. If your website is not set up for success and continually updated, then it won’t do you much good. Talk to your website designer about how you can better your online presence starting today.