The internet is packed full of websites, with over 600 million in circulation today. If you have access to the World Wide Web then setting up your own page can be a simple and manageable task such is the technology we have available. It’s now easier than ever to navigate the internet, while setting up and running a successful business can be achievable as you can interact with clients like never before – everything from the content you produce, the message you are delivering and the service you are providing can be seen in an instant.
However, because there are so many websites out there – all of which are vying for a share of the market – it can be difficult to get customers to notice you. Fortunately, there are ways around this as this article will help demonstrate how you can create a good website that is both memorable and engages with the audience.
Design
Your clients can tell within the first five seconds whether or not they want to stay on your website, so it’s essential that you make sure they can understand the message you are trying to convey. How a website looks after an initial viewing can make all the difference, meaning that its design gives you the best chance of making a lasting impression for your clients.
When it comes to creating the look of your webpage you will want to ask yourself a few questions to help paint a clearer picture. What will be the first thing that your viewers see when they come to the website? Is the site’s purpose made clear? What products or services do you offer? If you really want to communicate with your clients then it’s important that you portray a message that is clear and understandable.
The problem with many websites is that they fail to communicate, meaning that their customers are not getting the message clearly and this could lead to losing their custom and sales will drop as a result. For this reason you need to design your page in such a way that is leaves a memorable impression on your clients, so that if they glance across your work in a search engine they will want to choose you.
Content
Whenever you’re running a website, regardless of what industry or sector your business falls in, you should always be looking to provide original and compelling content. The main function of your website is to convey relevant content to your visitors and help them understand the problems that your products and/or services solve. Content is the most important factor when it comes to increasing customer numbers – the design draws them in, while the content makes them stay.
You should be wary of how your content looks and sounds on your website, so by ensuring it is displayed in a simple and clear manner is just the beginning. Your content needs to be good for the ears as well as the eyes, so before you upload anything you should read it aloud to give you a better understanding – remember you only get one chance to make a good first impression.
Navigation
If you have a website that is difficult to navigate, then you can forget about all the effort you put into the design and content stages. Visiting a website that has poor navigation can be one of the most frustrating problems you can encounter as a customer, so if you are left feeling dissatisfied it is understandable that you will want to take your business elsewhere. People use the internet because it’s fast and hassle free; they’d much rather search for something they like on their own terms rather than spending time and effort visiting the store.
The reason why many websites fail is because the owners fail to understand how their navigation may be conveyed by the general public. A simple usability test can prevent this from happening however, as you can get an outside and unbiased opinion of how the website works and whether or not it is user-friendly. When setting up your websites’ navigation you should set up a simple front page and from their various sub-pages which go into greater detail. That way, when a customer visits your website, the process of locating information will become a lot simpler.
Community
“Cool. Cool cool cool.”
No, not the TV show. One of the most important elements of any good website is that there is a strong sense of community, both with your clients and your partners. Establishing an online presence for your business is one of the shrewdest investments you could make as it can help you attain that all-important presence in an ever-growing market.
You’ll want to start off small here by targeting all the well-known social media outlets, with the most common being the likes of Facebook and Twitter. From your website you can attach various ‘widgets’ which will enable your clients to connect to a live feed of your social media accounts and so forth, giving both you and them a chance to interact with you on a more personal level.
In addition to setting up various social networking profiles, creating and maintaining a blog can be one of the best weapons in your armoury when it comes to building an effective community. Not only will it give you a way of interacting with clients, but it can also prove to be a useful means of increasing your content – making it more relevant in search engines, while providing your clients with a steady flow of useful information.
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