Having a website is now considered as commonplace for business, as a high-school diploma is for anyone seeking an entry-level job. With research now saying, 97% of businesses are now found online; it’s almost impossible to get clients without a website. If you have a company, having a website is crucial and optimizing it to help your business is critical.
Do your website wrong, and you’ll have something worse than a new business set up in a shady part of town down a dark and scary alleyway. Given that there are now over 1.8 billion websites online, putting up a site is likely even worse than my gloomy example of a vacant store in deserted and dangerous part of town where no one is buying your product.
If you’re interested in positioning your business online where there’s digital foot track visiting your store, trying out your services, and becoming customers, you’ll need to optimize your website. By following these tips you’ll start to make yourself like Starbucks and put yourself in a part of town where your business will see increased clients, buyers, and services rendered.
Design your website right; you’ll have yourself a 24/7 lead collecting, selling machine. These are the steps that you can take today to help assure you’re optimized online.
1. Create Regular Content
Websites that get foot traffic create regular content. In fact, according to Hubspot, websites that create regular content can get up to five times more organic leads. Another interesting stat to consider regarding content production is the compounding effect of old content, Hubspot reports that: Compounding blog posts makeup 10% of all blog posts and generate 38% of overall traffic.
If you create content now, you can experience more digital visitors to your store and over time see a compounding effect of visitation from your content.
2. Have Email Optins Boxes
If you know that the average bounce rate for websites is less than fifty-nine seconds, you know that a website’s job is three-fold:
First get the person to visit your webpage. Second, collect your visitor’s data as soon as possible. Thirdly, and this works best if you have your first and second job buttoned down, keep your visitors returning and on your website as much as possible.
If you want to collect leads, you need them to find you. This where content and running ads will help. Next, and the most important after they see you – is collect their data so you can continue the conversation.
The best ways to collect data of your visitors are:
- Facebook Pixel your visitors (this article will help you do this simple step for free)
- Email pop-up (this is an excellent tool for pop-ups).
- Email box at the top of your site (You can see these websites for examples)
Getting the emails of your visitors will help you collect a database of interested parties. Not just a list of leads, be even more important, a list of leads who are targeted and visited your website.
While most of us want someone to land on our website, realize how great we are, and make a buying decision on the spot – we know that most people like to research, think, and mull over their thoughts before making a purchase. By collecting the data of our visitors – we can remind them that we’re here to help them with their challenge. But if you don’t collect data, it’s visitor will find someone else. Get your website visitor’s data – and help your website visitors choose you.
3. Create A Compelling About Page
Most websites will see the most traffic to their home page and then to their about page. Something about people, we like to know who we are considering doing business with.
Your about page is like a sales page or a welcome to my store; this is how we serve you and who we are. Sadly, most people treat their about page as an opportunity to talk about their favorite sandwich and favorite movies…but your visitors are more interested in how you can serve them and if you’re qualified to help.
This is a page where your visitors read up on you, make an opinion about you, and decide if they want to continue doing business with you.
To craft a compelling about page, I highly recommend you check out this article. Derek Halpern covers this topic well and shows you exactly how to craft an about page that will highlight you in a way that appeals and helps you generate sales.
Bonus: Make It Easy To Contact You
This is a bonus suggestion, but one I felt I had to include in my top three must-haves for any website.
Don’t you hate it when you go to a website and it’s like mission impossible to find the contact page?
Making it easy for your website visitors to email you is key to good service and closing sales. The best way to do this is put a ‘contact’ page in the top navigation of your website. If you take a look at my website or that of anyone website we design, you’ll see – there’s always a contact page.
The navigation at the top of your website needs a few things – an about page, contact page, services, and services page. In most cases, all these pages are mandatory to a well-functioning and easy to use website that helps you make sales.
From there it’s good to have a blog page, media page, and whatever else you find is essential to your visitors.
Now, that you’ve read these tips, go take some action. Make the change necessary to help your business attract more business and choose you over the competition.
Lastly, tell us what you think in the comments – what’s one thing you’ve found helps your website?
