Deciding on the Purpose of your Website

A website is quite a personal thing to you and your business. The look, feel and navigation of your websites will depend entirely on your purpose, so if you want to achieve direct sales via your site, you will need to have an eCommerce website that works well and where people can place orders straight away on your site. If you just want a website to make you look more professional, then you can have a more simple site, but it still need to be right.

You should discuss your needs and aims with your web marketing agency ahead of your website design and build. They can tell you about the different things that you can get out of a website, and what might suit you and your needs. Any good web design and marketing agency will be able to give you expert advice and help you arrive at the right decision.

How to Choose a Site Map

A site map shows all the pages that are part of your website, so you can see exactly what is included and how all the URL structures will work. For example, if a page is going to sit underneath another page, like an ‘about us’ section, this will be represented in the site map.

You must choose a site map before having a website built, so the design and build teams know which pages to include. Discuss this with your web marketing agency before deciding on anything final, as the site map will really affect SEO. There will need to be certain pages to target certain keywords, so you need to have all your bases covered.

A marketing agency can also advise on the usability of your sitemap. The aim is to make sure people visiting your website can find exactly what they want on it, so a clear and concise site map will really help.

What to Put on a Service Page

The service pages on your websites will tell your customers exactly what you can offer them, going into detail about the specifics of your business so you can show them how you can meet your needs. They need to be designed and written quite differently to any other website page, so here are some tips for your service pages:

  • Keep them concise. Make sure people have enough information to make an informed decision, but don’t overload the information.
  • Choose a tone of voice and stick to it. All service pages should be written in a similar style to make the website consistent.
  • Use imagery. Show your customers what you can do and make your pages look more attractive by using relevant, attractive imagery.
  • Use keywords. This will help your pages to rank in search engines so that potential customers can find them. Conduct keyword research to understand the market in the first place.

Choosing a Website Provider for the Long Term

A website isn’t just something that can be built – it is something that needs to be maintained, updated and looked after in order to keep it as good as the day it was designed and built. If you aren’t able to look after your website yourself, it is really important you think about choosing a web provider that can help you long into the future.

Some web providers will design you a website, and then leave you to look after it. Others will offer you an ongoing service, which will keep on looking after your website for you. Of course, if you would like to have sole responsibility for your website, then that’s fine. Most people won’t want to though, and it will be really helpful to have a website provider who can write you some blog posts and ensure your website is hosted, updated, backed up and working properly.

Using Google’s Shopping Facility

Google Shopping is a way of advertising your products to people who are searching for them in a search engine. This can be very beneficial, showing people your products as soon as they search, without them even having to click onto a website. For businesspeople hoping to achieve more sales online, a Google Shopping advert could be an excellent way to achieve this.

You will need to ensure your listing is high quality and meets with Google’s regulations. This isn’t an easy process – the listings are quite hard to complete. You will then be competing with other businesses to have your products seen by people, making it more difficult to have your adverts seen.

The benefit of Google Shopping is the visibility you will get. People will see your products immediately and can click onto them to find out more. This will show prices, shipping details etc. so they know straight away the important facts.

 

 

How to Optimise your Conversion Rates

Conversion rates refer to the number of potential customers who become customers and spend money with your business. It is good to have high conversion rates, as this is the way in which you make a healthy profit as a business. Here are some ways to make sure more people convert:

  • Have a product that people want to buy. Make sure it is appealing to the right audience.
  • Market your product well. Ensure there is a market for it and people will want to buy it once they find your company.
  • Make sure there is plenty of information available. People want to be 100% sure they are making the right decision before they buy. Provide the information they need.
  • Have a good website. When people click on your site, keep them there. Make sure it looks good and is clear, so they can find what they want and are going to be more likely to spend money with you.

Why is Content so Important?

Content is an essential component of your website and all online activity, like your blogs and social media. You need to get your content just right if you want to attract new customers and make sure you win their business. It is usually advisable to use a professional copywriter or agency to structure your content for maximum impact.

Content is your way of being able to tell customers who you are and what you are about. Your web copy needs to sell your business and work as hard as possible for you, convincing people that your products and services are the right ones to purchase.

The copy is also important within your web marketing strategy. When you use digital marketing, your presence will be felt all over the internet. Make sure the words you use are doing a good job for you. Content is so important in SEO, as it also tells search engines which searches are relevant to you.

Why do you Need a Responsive Website?

A responsive website is one that will adjust to let people view it on different devices. It will look just as good on a smartphone or tablet as it will on a laptop or a PC. It’s essential that businesses choosing to invest in new websites choose a responsive design.

Responsive designs aren’t going to go out of date as quickly. If you spend the money and invest wisely now, your website will continue to function for much longer. A website is a big investment, so make sure you do it right first time.

The main reason to choose responsive is to improve user experience. Users need to enjoy using your website, or they are not going to convert. The majority of people now browse the internet whilst on the go, using devices like smartphones to look at websites and apps. Make sure you don’t miss out on this market by choosing a responsive design.

Getting Inspiration for your New Website

The process of designing a website has many stages that will involve both the designer/ programmer and the client. Before any of the technical specifications are drafted up or any concepts are designed, you will need to have plenty of ideas about what you want the website to be. This should include its look, feel, usability, functionality and many other things that will depend on who you are and what your website is for.

In order to get inspiration for your site, you will need to give yourself plenty of time. The process isn’t something that can be rushed and you should have your own ideas before you approach a designer. Try looking at competitors’ sites to see what they have done. This is a really good way to work out what you like but also what you don’t. Next, you can start drafting up your own ideas. Think of colours, themes and concepts you like but don’t worry about the detail too much as this is where your designer will be able to help you.

Web Design Agencies that you can Trust

Having a brand new, highly professional website designed for a business is not going to be cheap. That’s why it’s essential you pick someone you can trust to design and build it for you. Selecting the right designer for your project can make all the difference to the way it runs and will ensure that you end up with a website that you are fully satisfied with.

If you are having a one-off website built for your business, selecting an agency to carry out the work is a sensible option for you. Agencies will be highly experienced in the field of web design and it will save you having to spend money on hiring someone in house.

Get some quotes from different agencies and speak to them face to face. This is the only way you will be able to decide on the right agency for you. See what ideas they come up with and make sure that you have plenty of your own too, then see what they’re able to do with them.