In today’s modern world, there is no doubt that every successful business needs a presence online.  This is achieved by having a company website.  However, it’s not simply a case of paying for a website and thinking that your digital strategy is now in place.  Think about it – how many rubbish websites do you encounter online?  Lots, yes.  Would you buy these?  No.  Does it create the image you want for YOUR business?  Definitely not.

So, let’s look at the top 10 ways to create a successful website.

1. Make it aesthetically pleasing – To be honest, there is a science and different schools of thought behind the appearance of a website.  High-quality brands will often go for a minimalistic look, designed to exude quality.  Cheaper brands will go for a more cluttered look.  Why?  Because if you visit a website and it has loads of products with loads of links into the site, we automatically think that we’ll get a deal and it must be the cheapest place to buy.  This isn’t always the case. 

2. Write on-site content that is useful, informative and engaging – This is not just vital from a user perspective to read about your company, individual product information and so on, but also crucial from a search engine optimisation perspective.  The more relevant on-site content on your website, the better.  Did you know, that in the past 12 months, if you wrote down on to A4 paper all the words that have been ADDED to the internet, and stacked the papers on top of each other, then the pile would stretch from Earth to Pluto and back....10 times over. 

3. Use videos and animations to attract the user’s attention – Nothing attracts attention and interest that videos and animations on your product pages and text pages.  Yes, static photos are great and most definitely serve a purpose.  However, moving animations and videos are superb and certainly help to increase conversion rate with users.  It might be a time lapse video, or a product video with a person outlining the features of benefits, for example. 

4. Constantly work on it – Think of a website as a living being.  We all need a bit of TLC, and websites are no different, requiring constant updating and nurturing.  This could be anything from daily blogging through to adding images and videos, through to adding to your on-site content, or linking in your social media channels to your website. 

5.  Make the user journey and experience as simple as possible – Human beings, by our very nature, are lazy.  We will always take the easiest option, and websites are no different.  Make the buying process as simple as possible, achieved by making your website navigation simple and straightforward through menus and product categories. 

6. Understand navigation patterns – You should get to grips with how users interact with your website, where they enter the site and where they leave the site, and how long they are spending on the individual pages on your website.  Look for patterns – if there is a big bounce rate on a specific page, this means that your users are not finding what they are looking for, so change it! 

7. Expand your product range – It’s always good to expand your range on a regular basis.  Again, this is good from an SEO perspective, and the fact that you can then use this new product information to shout about on blogs and social media means that your customer base is constantly engaged and sold to. 

8.  Make your website work for you – It’s not good having a website and just putting it ‘live’.  You want people to find your website online, right?  With this in mind, you’ll need to employ an SEO agency such as MultiChannel Creative who will work with you determine what you want to be found for and put in place a customised campaign of how to achieve this together.  The best campaigns are partnerships – you get out what you put in. 

9. Get customer reviews – Feedback from customers are very powerful tools in the selling process, and it provides your potential customers with reassurance about the product they are thinking of buying. 

10. Get client testimonials – Your best clients will have no problem in providing you with testimonials or case studies.  Again, these are very useful in helping you to convert more sales online. 

Hopefully, these tips have helped and guided you a little in terms of creating a successful website.  Of course, there are many more, and it’s important to put a joined up digital marketing strategy in place.  Suffice to say that for more information and for website design and development, SEO, content management, social media management and other services, contact SEO agency Birmingham MultiChannel Creative today!