According to a survey by Netcraft at the start of 2018, there are, wait for it, more than 1.8 billion websites online. Yes, 1.8 billion, the majority of which however attract no visitors. Despite the numerous dormant sites, there is clearly a lot of competition out there for traffic. Fortunately, there are several measures you can ensure are in place to make sure that your website stands out from the crowd. Here we will detail ten factors that need to be on point to make sure that your site is a positive extension of you brand and that it is pulling in as many viewers as possible.
1. Speed
Web users take speed for granted. You may have the greatest content in the world but if it takes more than a second or so to load a user is not going to wait for it and will visit one of your competitors. There are plenty of tools available online that can assess your website’s page speed performance and offer improvement advice. Google for example now even uses this data as a metric for its search ranking algorithm.
2. SEO
Everyone’s heard of it but not everyone understands it or fully utilizes it. A good SEO strategy needs to be put in place that optimizes your site for peoples search habits and the key search engines indexing and ranking methods. If you aren’t doing this due to gaps in knowledge it is definitely worth spending time learning or employing the skills of an established SEO consultant.
3. Mobile
Many people now access the internet via their mobile device, and that trend is continuing to grow exponentially. As such, your site needs to be responsive and optimized to fit any screen size to attract and keep tablet and smartphone users.
4. Content
Adding new and original content to your site can help bring in new users and keep them coming back, especially if they feel they are getting some sort of value to them. If your content is optimized for SEO, it will also help push you up the search rankings. Content that users can share, comment on, review or interact with will also boost traffic.
5. Security
A site can never be too secure, so make sure your content management system (CMS) and any plugins that you use are up to date with the latest version. This will obviously protect you and your content, but it also needs to be in place to protect your users and their personal details to create trust. Don’t just presume it’s secure – test it regularly!
6. Tracking
Make sure that your analytics tools are enabled and functioning correctly. This will help tell you if you are achieving your goals as you monitor things like conversions, traffic, and a host of other crucial metrics and information.
7. Conversions
Talking about conversions, if this is your goal, make sure that your pages guide the viewer effortlessly to where you want them to go, whether it is buying something, booking an appointment, or getting in contact with you.
8. Social Media
Social media is powerful, and it works. Ensure that all of your social platforms are integrated with your site, which not only lets viewers move easily between them, but it can boost traffic to your site and social media activity, it also increases your credibility.
9. Emails
Closely related to social media is email marketing. As long as the emails provide value that your viewers will appreciate, then they still have relevance and can be an effective way of reaching out to and keeping customers and users.
10. Web Apps
Many successful websites are now building their website with app like features to make them stand out. Things that can be incorporated easily into a website are functions such as push notifications, animations, and splash screens – the only limit is imagination and technical ability to create a unique and memorable web experience.
11. Bonus Tips – Web Development Tactics
At Blend we know how to build world class website, however the development tools and methodologies are always improving. Here are just a handful of development tactics that we consider essential:
- Version Control
There are many free tools and resources to do this. It’s invaluable for large and small projects. Take a look at GITLAB as a good example.
- Commented Code
This is a great habit for any developer. The more organised your project, the easier it is for you and others to jump in and understand how your site has been built.
- Project Tracking
Project management and task tracking is often overlooked for traditional website development. However, we find it to be a critical resource to help us deliver high quality development on time.
- Active Phone Numbers
With such a large mobile viewer base. Make sure your phone numbers can be clicked to initiate a call!
- Retina Displays
Make sure your site looks great on all platforms. This sometimes means serving different layouts and images to high resolution screens such as IOS devices with retina displays.
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In the competitive world of business, behind every successful corporation or small business is a creative branding agency. Experts who will not only assist your company in developing a professional image, but also help you to market and advertise your products and services through various marketing channels and platforms that allow you to reach your target audience effortlessly. At Blend we create world-class branded content in many different formats, including: Broadcast Commercials, Brand Anthem Videos, Product Videos, 2D&3D animated films, Testimonials, Social, Event and Educational Videos, along with professional commercial product photography. Elevate your brand by creating memorable marketing content with Blend.