It’s an internet world and the world is on the internet. About 80% of consumers use the internet to search for products and services they need before they make a purchase. Having tips for an effective website could really help your business out here. Most customers today will assume your company has a website and may search for your business only to find you do not exist on the world wide web. Most of your competitors probably already have a website. Don’t let them snatch your customers away by not having an updated, responsive, effective business website. Use other forms of marketing to promote your website.
All on its own, a website is not a very useful marketing tool. We always recommend to our clients that they promote and advertise Their websites by including the web address on all your print material and business stationery, such as business cards, flyers, signage, delivery notes and invoices. Anything that you put your logo on should always include your website address. And when you network or attend other events, don’t forget to mention your website to new prospects. Here are some more tips for an effective and well-trafficked website:
Tip 1. Use your print materials to drive traffic to your website by only including essential information to grab the attention and gain the interest of potential clients and by directing them to visit your website for more information. This way, you can reduce the quantity, size and/or frequency of your print material and therefore reduce printing and distribution costs as well as damage to the environment.
Tip 2. There are many online directories where you can add your business and your website – Google “free business directories” for a complete list. Having directory linkbacks to your website will be tremendously helpful with your website’s search engine optimization. Use whatever free listings you can get!
Tip 3. Manage your web content – Don’t just set it and forget it. If you plan to update your content on a regular basis, and you should, consider a content managed site. Most web host providers offer some form of content management software (CMS) that allows you to easily and quickly update your own content. Our CMS of choice is WordPress which can be customized to suit your needs and is very easy to use. View our website design portfolio which showcases a number of clients’ websites built using WordPress.
Tip 4. Add a blog or resource section to your website. If you find potential clients ask you the same questions think about adding a Frequently Asked Questions page to your website. Not only will this save you time by not having to repeat the same answers, it will also drive additional traffic to your website and will potentially increase sales of products your customers did not know about before. If the line of work you’re in is constantly changing, and you want to keep your customers up-to-date, add a blog to your website so that you can don’t have to pay a website designer to add your content. WordPress is the ideal tool for this and can easily be customized to match your static website.
Tip 5. Integrate social media and video or photo sharing with your website. There are a number of reasons and methods for integrating your website with social media and video or photo sharing web sites. Using these sites you can direct traffic to your website on a regular basis or when you have something new to share. The inbound links from high-profile websites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Vimeo, Flickr and now Google+ will increase your search engine results page ranking.
Using LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Google+ you can communicate with potential and regular customers letting them know about upcoming events, new products and services, special offers and discounts. Create a professional profile on LinkedIn to demonstrate your skills and expertise for anyone looking for what you offer. Create a Facebook page and post photos of recent work or new products, with links to your website’s portfolio or products page. Create a Twitter profile and post relevant tips and information with links to corresponding articles on your website. Create short videos and upload to YouTube to showcase your work or demonstrate useful tips to help clients. Always include a link back to an appropriate landing page on your own website and ensure you include a call to action on that page.
Hopefully, you’ve enjoyed these tips for an effective website. If you need help with an existing website or would like us to build you a new one, CONTACT Creative Juices Marketing.