Your business website is your virtual shop window. It’s where new prospects get their first impressions of your business, and it’s the first port of call for your existing customers when they have a query. It’s important to create a business website that is engaging and easy to use in order to maximise sales. Here are five tips on how to create a business website that converts.
1) Identify Your Goal
Not all business websites serve the same purpose, so get clear on yours. Who are your customers, and why are they using your website? Do you direct them to your website after an in-person experience or do they find your blog posts through Google whilst searching for answers? Tools like Jetpack and Google Analytics can provide data to help you understand where your audience is coming from, which you can then use to make your site as helpful as possible.
2) Prioritise Ease of Use
Nothing sends prospective customers away faster than a frustrating and complicated website. Keep your website simple and make sure to include a search bar to allow users to find what they are looking for as quickly as possible.
Stores make sure that their most popular products are visible so that customers can find what they’re looking for and you should do the same with your website. Highlight best-sellers and new products; don’t make your customers go searching because they may get bored and go elsewhere.
Even if you’re not selling products, this rule still applies. What information are your customers looking for? Ideally, it should take them no more than a couple of clicks to find it.
Let’s say you’re running a restaurant. Most of your site visitors will either want to look at your menu or make a booking, so make these options as visible as possible.
3) Create a Content Ecosystem
Content marketing is a powerful and cost-effective form of marketing but a few stray blog posts here and there won’t cut it. It’s important to create a wealth of helpful content to educate your audience and nurture them along the customer journey. Content is also very helpful in terms of SEO, as it creates new opportunities for customers to find you via Google search.
In addition to blog posts, video content is a great way to keep users on your site and get them to engage with your brand. In fact, research by Sheffield AV found that users spend 88% longer on a website that features video content. Better still, you don’t need a fancy camera or first-class editing skills to create a helpful and engaging video. Just show up and share what you know to stay front of mind.
Be sure to create lots of internal links as this not only helps with SEO but also directs visitors towards even more of your content, keeping them around for longer and strengthening your authority.
4) Social Proof
A content-rich website helps greatly with credibility, but so do written and video testimonials. This provides social proof that you are a business that customers can count on to deliver quality products or services. In addition to a testimonial page, sprinkle snippets throughout your website. You should also highlight any awards or certifications you have achieved.
5) Make It Snappy
Speed is of the essence when it comes to creating a website that converts. Research by Google shows that when the loading speed of a webpage increases from one to five seconds, the chances of a customer abandoning that page increases by 90%. It’s advisable to run a speed test and take steps to speed up your page, such as eliminating unnecessary JavaScript, compressing images and using a content distribution network.
Summary
In order to create a business website that converts, you need to:
- Identify your goal
- Make sure your site is easy to use
- Create a content ecosystem
- Provide social proof
- Make sure your site is fast to load
When you put these tips into practice, your bounce rate should reduce as customers will stick around for longer and place greater trust in your business. Remember that your website is your virtual shop window and that you should give it as much attention as you would your brick-and-mortar premises.
