The majority of people are turning to the web to research information about your brand, services and culture. Your customers are demanding richer content and interactive features for their websites at higher rates than ever before. The right things need to happen in the right amount to make an appetizing website that will bring in new customers and users.
Before you grab your mixer, here are a few helpful tips to keep in mind:
1. Targeted Audience: Flavor the website around who is going to be using the website. A manufacturer’s wholesale website in Des Moines will need completely different brand targeting than national teen skateboarding company.
2. Speed & Device Delivery: Customers want to find what they are looking for quickly and want it optimized for the device that they are using (Tablet/Phone/Computer/etc). Make them wait for more than a few seconds and you risk losing them forever (many will not even wait that long). Mix in some responsive design and keep potential customers on the website.
3. Attractive Design and Intuitive Navigation: First impressions are important, and having a great design will help the visitor dig in for more. Navigation has to be obvious, intuitive and simple. If you make someone work to find information, there is a good chance they will quickly get frustrated or give up. A website that is well designed will use the right balance of colors, typography, imagery, and layout to enhance all the other elements and make it palatable.
4. Strong Calls-to-Action: What is the purpose of the website? If the primary goal of the website is for a potential customer to learn, buy, download, register, etc., you need to make it obvious. This could be achieved by using the right imagery, content positioning, or even an impossible-to-ignore popup to prompt a chat with a customer service rep.
5. Strong content: Content is king and search engine optimized content is important to get visitors to the website and to provide them with information that is engaging. Be cautious about throwing in either too much detail or too little detail. Give the customer enough to make a decision or inquire for more. In most cases, think about the website less as a marketing brochure and more as an interactive tool to bring new contacts.
Get your recipe right and you will have both an attractive and delicious website to pull out of the oven and present.
