If you are hesitant to show your website to someone, you can be sure that they are not up to scratch. This means you need to take immediate action to improve it. Unfortunately, creating a successful website is not easy.
SummaryFocus on the right informationHigh quality copy and imagesCollect their email addressesExpand your reachLast wordsIt may take some time and money to improve the thing. But, if you upgrade it, you should be able to start reaping the benefits almost immediately.
This goes for all kinds of businesses.
For example, if you're selling low-cost items like a meal or a bus ticket, ease of use should translate to speed of purchase. Indeed, when people consider these kinds of small purchases, they want to get the best. They take a whole bunch of factors — many of which aren't necessarily related to the quality of your service — like ease of use, visual appeal, hearsay, and reliability. They incorporate these factors into their decision to buy or not.
In essence, the better your website performs, the more likely they are to buy.
For expensive items, they may not treat your website so fleetingly. In fact, most people will focus very carefully on their purchase. This, however, does not change the importance of your site. After all, people want to be convinced that when they buy something from your site, they are getting what they pay for. If you don't seem professional in any way, for example, they won't be convinced.
But what can you do to make your page more professional and a more effective business tool?
Many people who build their website focus on telling their audience the wrong thing. For example, they are so concerned with showing people how cool they are that they don't even tell them where they are or what kind of products they offer.
This is due to something called the curse of knowledge. It is the idea that we cannot “ignore” what we already know. We always assume that because we know something, everyone else knows it too. This is a very stubborn problem and it means taking serious steps to find out what you know your audience doesn't.
The easiest way is to simply ask all (potential) customers what they would like to find on your site. If you ask more than one person, write down their answers carefully. You should be able to get a list of things they expect to find on your website.
Even better, based on how often people mention things, you'll get an idea of how accessible the information is. If only one or two people have requested a piece of information, it's probably possible to place it further down or in a nested page. If a lot of people are asking for information, you should highlight it.
Also, make it easy to access! Your phone numbers should be clickable and by clicking on the address you should go directly to Google Maps.
If you're not a professional writer or don't have an affinity for writing, you should consider getting someone to help you. Yes, they will cost you money, but you will get it back in no time. The same goes for images.
That's because there's a lot about the writing and the pictures that the hobbyist just doesn't know. For this reason, just as I wouldn't ask a high school student to design my webpage, I wouldn't let an amateur write my essay or copy.
See also:10 tools to improve your business writing skills and grow in your career
Since most people who come to your site probably won't buy your product, you'll want to get the next best thing:their email address. Most people check their email several times a day. As you will be able to contact them again and again, it means you have a captive audience for your products.
And that matters. The more people you are exposed to, the more likely they are to dig your product.
Where to collect people's emails is above the fold. It’s basically on the first screen of your site. Also, offer them useful information.
Many websites have these pop-up screens that offer some sort of text or tool. Yes, they are boring but people fall in love with them.
Email isn't the only place you'll want to focus on to stay on your potential client's radar. You'll also want to make sure your social media is up to snuff. It's a great way to showcase your brand and give people the impression that you're on the right track.
Note:
A successful social media marketing campaign is not easy. It takes work. For this reason, don't go overboard and let your efforts fade away. Because when you do that, you're just wasting energy.
Instead, only have one or two accounts and commit to a few posts a week. Set aside a time to plan them. This way, the likelihood of them falling by the wayside is much lower. This is important because continuing to post is the only way a social media campaign can work.
See also:Finding the best time to post on social media sites
So there you have it.
Here are some of the basics you'll want to focus on when building a successful website. Of course, these are just pointers. You will need to find out more about these areas. But with these words, you'll have an idea of where to start.
Keep reading in these categories and you will have a much better idea of what to do and how to do it. Before you know it, you'll have a successful web page.
