Creating a top-notch website for your business is like winning half the battle in terms of marketing, lead generation and even revenue. Since driving traffic to your site is key to your business’ success, yours should engage both existing and prospective customers with a professional appearance and well-written copy, for starters. You’ll know you’ve succeeded when competitors begin to emulate your website.
A winning website “speaks” to visitors and includes a call to action for them to execute. But how do you create such a site without special training? Is there a hidden art form to this? The answers to these queries emerge from the following points. But in short, developing an engaging website is just an amalgamation of a few key insights that anybody can apply.
Every small-business website needs these 5 elements:
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Vibrant content
Content is your website’s bread and butter. If it doesn’t measure up, you won’t attract potential customers and loyal ones may lose interest as they get sidelined by your competitors. First decide whether the mood of your site should be dynamic or strike a more staid tone, which will depend on the nature of your business. A medical site that dispenses life-and-death information about medications should not contain flashy pop-ups and banners with catchy one-liners. But those same elements are well-suited to a playful e-commerce site.
In addition to well-composed text, a compelling website tends to feature at least a few links, an infographic or two and a call to action. Keep in mind that without a clear CTA, the visitor will be uncertain how to take next steps. Depending on your website, that could mean they are uncertain how to purchase a product, request a consultation or sign up for a newsletter, for example.
Finally, be sure to keep your site’s information current. Dated information or expired pricing are surefire ways to lose the confidence of potential customers. Consider website maintenance an ongoing practice rather than a one-shot task. Periodically check to make sure all links are still working, including email.
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Succinct messaging
Consider that people browsing on the internet are often in a time crunch with a hundred other topics vying for attention. Given this fact of modern life, make sure that your website is concise and gets straight to the point. It should contain all the information that a potential visitor would need and give them the ability to execute on your call of action. Be sure to make it easy for them to find your business’ phone number, address and email.
But what can you do for people who would like to delve deeper into a particular subject? For those seeking longer-form content, the same articles or content featured with a brief write-up on your site could include links to more detailed information. With this approach, not only do you show your expertise, but you also take a commanding position in terms of your site.
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Visual appeal
Color palette and visual cues are the key to attracting a user’s attention. When every website is clamoring for visitors, yours needs to stand out by employing both. Photos and arrows are two examples of visual cues that direct attention on your site and help users interact with your content. Your choice of color palette holds similar importance in terms of visual appeal. Nobody remembers a drab website, but most remember a well-done website with an attractive color scheme.
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Variety
Variety is life’s spice, or so they say. This holds true when it comes to website design too. Imagine your site has 10,000 words of information to impart. How can this be accomplished without being monotonous? This challenge can be addressed by varying the content format. If you know of a video that does a good job of explaining the same topic, add it to your site. If you’re good at making infographics, spice up your text with some animated versions. The key is to not be boring and give people variety that hooks them to your site.
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Interactivity
Imagine sitting at a lecture after a big lunch. Drowsiness and the urge to shut off the world around you set in. That feeling of boredom and wanting to go to sleep is one of the biggest hazards that website owners face. To avoid it, increase the interaction between you and the visitor. Discussion boards, chat boxes, AI bots and feeling buttons are a few ways to boost interaction with customers. And it should not stop at that. Give them a place to reach you by way of your social media handle or your email address.
Final pointers:
Apart from these tips, you may wish to create a unique domain name for your site. Be sure to check that your website is mobile-friendly, and investigate whether your search-engine optimization is on point. Ideally, you will also have a social media presence for your business, which you should reference on your website. As a last piece of advice, remember that your original content is key to building higher engagement.
