Did you know that three of four people say their first impression of a company is formed after viewing its website? So, if you don’t think your business needs a modern, updated website, think again.
If your website isn’t up to snuff, you’ll turn away many would-be customers. If your website doesn’t meet visitors’ needs, they’ll quickly reverse course and find other stores to patronize.
Since the effectiveness of your business website matters, consider these three ways to improve your website, satisfy consumers, and generate more revenue and profit.
- Improve Page-Loading Speed
If it takes too long for your pages to load, many visitors will bail. One previous survey found that close to seven in 10 consumers acknowledge that page speed plays a role in determining whether they want to purchase from an online store. And all the survey respondents say they’d swap video and animation for quicker load times. You’ll want to take the necessary steps to ensure your page loads quickly on computers and mobile devices.
While there are tools online that can help your business measure page-loading times, hiring a service provider specializing in boosting the user experience on websites can pay dividends.
“Businesses that focus on improving user experience can see tangible results in their conversion rate and revenue,” says Marty Grief, president of SiteTuners, a website design, website testing, conversion audits, and ongoing optimization services provider. “We’ve seen increases up to 30% when conversion rate optimization strategies are implemented correctly.”
- Focus on Search Engine Optimization
According to one source, there are around 1.13 billion websites in 2023. But only a fraction of them are regularly used and updated. Search engine optimization (SEO) is a strategy that can help consumers in your target demographic to find you online. Otherwise, you’ll be a needle in a haystack with little chance of being discovered by people who are looking for what you sell.
When people search for products and services online, they usually focus on the first few listings on the first page of search engine results pages. What does this mean? If your SEO strategy isn’t effective, your company’s web pages won’t rank high enough for the right terms to drive meaningful numbers of customers to your website. That means your competitors, whose SEO strategies are more effective, will attract consumers.
Unless you have in-house talent with specialized SEO knowledge, your best bet is to hire a consultant to help your business achieve its SEO objectives. The right service provider will generate tangible results that bring more traffic to your website.
- Include an Effective Call to Action
If you want a more effective website, you need a clear call to action on the appropriate pages. Don’t assume that visitors will know what to do or instinctively understand the process of purchasing a product or service or signing up for something. You need to spell things out clearly and lead customers step by step. Let visitors know what they should do — sign up for a newsletter, request more information, or check out your product and service pages.
An effective call to action will accomplish the following:
- Safeguards against decision fatigue: A call to action will explain what visitors should do, where they should do it, and why they should do it.
- Bolster conversions: Getting visitors to follow your call to action will increase the number of consumers that become customers.
- Direct visitors: A concise call to action will reduce the odds of visitors leaving your website due to confusion about what to do next.
- Be visible and recognizable as the call to action: Don’t go overboard with new design ideas to where your user doesn’t understand they need to click on it.
These are some suggestions if you want to improve the effectiveness of your company’s website. In this digital area, consumers have options. So, if you want them to find your website, interact with it, and frequent your online storefront, your website must be effective.
Consumers who don’t get what they want will simply go elsewhere. You can help your cause by ensuring that your website meets the needs of your consumer demographic. If that means getting outside help, the benefits are worth going that route.
