It’s almost impossible to over-estimate the value of an effective website. For most business owners, the corporate site is the main way they interact with the company. For enterprises that have a national clientele, a well-designed site and memorable web presence are even more important. A carefully crafted site with intelligent web design is worth its weight in gold.
Whether you’re new to business marketing or an old hand at the game, here are some guidelines that can help improve the look of your site and get it noticed by more people.
“Social It Up”
You might have noticed corporate websites that seem dull and stale. That’s usually because there are no social media links that can lead to wonderful customer experiences like immediate interaction, fun contests, long-form information about the company and more. Adding social media buttons and outbound links to your business site is an easy, free way to capture the attention of site visitors.
If you have nothing but a corporate site that sells things, you’re missing out on an entire demographic of customers who enjoy social media. Prospective customers actually want to know more about what you do, send your corporate team an online message or ask a question about products. Take advantage of all the free promotion social media offers by putting links to your social sites front and center on the main page.
Learn About CTAs
What is a CTA? It’s a call to action, a direct statement that informs your site’s visitors about something they can do right now. You’ve no doubt seen hundreds of CTAs, like, “Buy now and get 10 percent off with the code XXXX,” or “Call a rep today and you’ll pay nothing for shipping and handling.”
Those are just two of the unlimited ways you can include a CTA. Think about using several CTAs. Many commercial sites end each main section with a call to action. The goal is to keep the visitor’s attention and urge them to do something specific.
Decrease Visual Clutter
Consumer surveys reveal that one of the biggest complaints people have about company sites is “clutter.” Too many photos, busy animations, giant blocks of text, scrolling headlines and other types of clutter are an instant turn-off for prospective customers. Keep your site clean and neat. Say what you need to say without going overboard.
Make Navigation and Checkout Simple
If you don’t know how to streamline the navigation and checkout processes, hire someone who can do the job for you. It’s important to make navigation seamless and simple. And when a customer decides to purchase something, be sure the checkout process is quick. Technically, designing effective navigation and checkout experience can be challenging, so consider getting help if you need it.
Strategies for improving webpage design and effectiveness need to be planned out in advance. You can learn more here about how to craft a beautiful website. Avoid the urge to experiment with improvements as you think of them. Make a written “battle plan” for boosting traffic and improving the look of the site. There’s no substitute for a powerful website. The success of your business depends on it.
