5 Features Your Website Can’t Go Without
At the core of every successful modern business lies a compelling website. The online universe abounds in sites of all types, sizes and shapes, whose trends and rules seem to be shifting continuously. However, in spite of the perpetual changes, we can summarize some must-have core features your website can’t go without -- whether you’re a big company or just a small business.
1. Responsive Web Design
It goes without saying that responsive design is a must today as the number of mobile phone users has surpassed computer users. With the growing smart technology, the internet will now be also more accessible on larger devices like TVs. To capitalize on these booming market segments, website designs must be responsive to all types of devices and screen space, from mobile phones, tablets and other gadgets to big screens. Today, if a user can’t easily browse and read the content on your website from their mobile device, they will leave uninspired and probably never come back.
2. User-friendly Website Navigation
Your landing pages should be able to guide your visitors straight to the information they are looking for and present your products or services in a manner that resonates with them.
The layout should be clean, simple and organized, without heavy visuals, unnecessary motion or wordiness.
Aim for easy-to-skim texts (headings, highlights, bullet points, pictures, easy to read fonts) so visitors can easily find what they need. Also, a systematic and intuitive search and navigation tabs should be placed on top of each and every web page. Links to all the main pages of your website should be present on the navigation tabs.
3. Content is King; Storytelling is The Way
Gone are the days when you could throw a bunch of keywords out there and expect Google to praise you. Today, Google pays close attention to the quality of the information, and well-informed, high-quality content can bring your website broad authority.
To build a trustworthy website, make sure that your content is consistent with your company’s branding strategy, and that you make use of the immense power of storytelling. Compelling storytelling will eventually turn your visitors into loyal customers, help you establish a voice in the community, develop your brand, and boost your sales. Make sure to tell your brand’s story in a conversational, casual manner so that your customers can easily relate to it.
To get diverse content, consider a mix of high-quality videos, blogs and other website content, infographics, social media, interviews, researches, whitepapers, e-books etc.
Remember, compelling content is a very efficient vehicle for SEO, so make sure you have a thorough SEO strategy in place before developing the content.
4. Good Old SEO
If SEO without content is like an engine without wheels, conversely, content without an SEO strategy is just like a bunch of wheels without an engine that won’t take you far.
Even if the digital landscape has changed dramatically over the past few years, SEO remains an effective and leading marketing strategy. If you are looking to grow your search traffic, consider blending your content marketing with your SEO efforts, and not running them as separate campaigns. Check this blog post for the latest SEO trends of 2019.
3. Clear Cut Web Design
Sensible web design is the winner these days. Statistically, the websites best at converting site visitors into buying customers maintain a compelling layout but keep it clean and simple. Google, Apple, Nike are excellent examples of such sites.
To keep your website simple but authorative, you need to reach the right ratio of content and graphics, use slightly contrasting colours and clean fonts. Avoid heavy, overwhelming colours and illegible fonts. Also, consider breaking up sizeable blocks of text with either spacing or images as appropriate.
5. Call to Action
Finally, no matter how professional and clean your website looks, it needs to generate some action. Hence, make sure that it provides the necessary Call to Action or CTA statements. These statements are useful for guiding visitors towards activities that are eventually leading to online purchase - activities such as availing discounts, downloading e-books, subscribing to your newsletter or promotional emails, etc.
A call to action is a combination of words that urge the potential customer to take immediate action, such as "Write Now", "Call Now", or (on the Internet) "Click Here". A call to action should be short and straightforward and brings about the sense of urgency your customer needs to initiate the buying process.
There’s probably no other industry out there evolving and changing as fast as the online marketing industry. If you’re a small business trying to find your voice, Contact Outreach Local to learn more about how to make your website thrive and stand out in a competitive online world.
