Is your website the best reflection of your company? If not, isn’t it time you did something about it. The problem with websites is that they can date quickly, which means you need to make constant improvements to your own web pages to make sure they stay relevant and keep you ahead of your competition.
So how can you improve your website in 2019? The following insights can help you make some essential changes that will ensure your website is bigger and better than ever.
Simplify
The attention span of web users is decreasing. They estimate that the attention span of web users is 15 seconds, and the layout of your website can be something that will instantly turn them away if it’s poorly laid out or too complicated.
There are many benefits that come with a simplified website design, including faster load times, being more mobile-friendly and they are more appealing to the eye. Consider the ways that you can simplify your website to make it more appealing to users.
Use images that stand out
The way you use images can have a significant impact on the way your website looks. Some of the ways you can use images more effectively in your website include using an eye-catching hero image, using different ratios for different devices and using UI elements and icons. There are many sources out there for some great stock photography, although it can pay off to use your own. A page that features images is more eye-catching than one that is full of block text, so get creative with your imaging to make an impression on visitors.
Invest in improving your web copy
While images, video and other media can make a website look more attractive, it’s the copy you use that will persuade people to make a purchase. Copy is important for providing people with information, and for helping them to understand more about the services you offer. If you take the time to find out why website copy is so important, you’ll see that it could help you with your leads and sales, helping to grow your business. Using copywriting experts could help you to publish web copy that is engaging, creative and resonates with your target audience, helping you to increase those leads.
Make it fast and functional
With connection speeds being what they are today, there’s no excuse for having a slow-loading website. If your website is too slow to load, a user will lose patience and look elsewhere. There are some effective ways of speeding up your website, including making sure you’ve got the maximum amount of bandwidth available from your provider. It’s worth evaluating your broadband provider now and then to see if you’re getting the best deal, as you could be saving money with a quicker, better service elsewhere.
Work on your SEO
Many businesses neglect their SEO, but it’s very important to help you improve your online visibility. You can improve your SEO rankings by producing higher quality content for your website, optimising your images and improving the way you use links – using both inbound and outbound links in your copy. SEO experts can transform your webpages to help them get seen by those searching for your products or services, and helps put you in front of the competition. Don’t neglect your SEO – it should be an important part of your website strategy.
Get intelligent
While getting people to land on your website is one hurdle to overcome, the next one is getting them to stick around. Your website needs to be able to offer services to users that they will find useful, that makes their lives easier and also features a bit of a ‘wow’ factor. Using intelligent services, such as product recommendations, AI chat and other features can be a big selling point for your website and can help customers make more informed buying decisions. Using these sorts of technologies and applications will help to modernise your website, and makes a great investment for the future.
You should keep an eye on the latest website trends to make sure you’re aware of the latest developments and then think carefully about how you could include them in your own website.
Add a blog
Does your website have a blog? If not, adding a blog could be one of the simplest ways for your website to increase its viewers and provide engaging content to potential clients or customers. Some of the key benefits of blogging include making your website (and your business) appear more ‘human’, increases leads and also gives you an easy medium to create fresh content that keeps your website up to date.
Your business blog can also link closely to your social media channels. Having content to link to makes it easier to find items to promote, while you can also encourage debate and discussion on your blog posts to help you connect better with your audience.
Test it regularly
To keep your website flying high, you need to test it regularly. Testing your website will make sure that any broken links are fixed, speeds are kept fast and that you can eliminate content or pages that aren’t landing well. Make sure you test your website with both internal and external users to make sure it’s hitting the right note and to get a wide range of views. A visitor feedback form can also be handy to get some simple insights into the performance of your website.
Improving your business’s web presence is a positive step forward for increasing your leads, as well as building a strong reputation as an industry leader. Your website is the storefront of your business, and it needs regular investment to keep its appeal and win over new clients. Make website improvements an annual strategy for continued growth and to stay ahead of the curve.
Looking for further ways to improve your business? Learn how you can further improve your business in 2019 and help your business grow.