There’s a website for everything, but not all websites are created equal. Some may lack design, but excel in function; others boast their accessibility, but come short in other areas. It’s easy to see that websites come in all shapes and sizes. The best website is what every business wants, and rightfully so. To get there, here are five essential attributes that your website must have in order to keep up with today’s high-paced, hyper-social and always-connected online ecosystem.
Contact information
It may seem basic, but evaluate your website and check if all linkable pages contain your contact information, preferably in the top left or right of the screen. Contact information should not just include your email and office number, it must also include specific numbers to your business for customer service or other departments and links to your social media pages (you should have those, too). Consider adding a clearly labeled “email us” button on your site that is visible to customers from the moment they open your page all the way through their last click.
Blog
As we’ve mentioned before, content relevant to your business and product fits neatly into an easy-to-read blog. FAQs, testimonials, product details, advice and how-tos covered within your website-hosted blog allows customers to browse pertinent information and, more importantly, connect to your brand. Not only will blogging help you land your next client, it can also be a shot in the arm for search engine results. It’s a win-win. Blogs are also perfectly packaged to share on your social media pages.
Detailed ‘about us’ page
An about us page is one of the most visited links on some business websites. These pages present an opportunity to tell potential clients your story and share with them your philosophy and purpose. It can be a powerful exhibition of what you believe in and how that’ll translate through your products and services. In a sense, it’s about selling yourself before you sell your product.
Basic searchable optimization
Google it. If there’s one household phrase we’ve all learned since entering the digital age, it’s that. In today’s ultra-connected and competitive world, businesses clamor for the attention on a spot on the top results page. Metadata and title tags – these are just some of the things that go into search engine optimization. If these are foreign terms to you, ask your website developer if your site has been maximized for its search potential. Searchability is not just for your website. Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites must also be easy to find with tags, links, mentions, keywords and a well-executed social media plan.
Purposeful design
Your website is only as strong as its weakest category we mention above – and you can include design to that list, as well. If someone cannot properly navigate your website, or call it up on a mobile device, potential clients will be turned off before you know it. In fact, according to Google, 90 percent of mobile users will ditch a website if it isn’t optimized to mobile properly. With fleeting attention spans, your website cannot afford to fall short in any category, therefore it’s important that you’re on top of your design game. Ask yourself: Is it easy to read? Is the content well organized? Is it aesthetically pleasing? Do you concisely explain what your company does on the homepage? These are just a few basic questions that you can use to evaluate your page. Visiting your site should not be like meandering through a corn maze, but rather, there should be a clear road to all destinations – and that’s a roadmap for success.