Websites: Is Your Website Working For You?

Last week, I explored the different types and kinds of websites. And this week I want you to do an introspection on your website and whether it is doing the job that you created it for. Previously websites were like brochures handed to people, and all that they did was to tell people more about your business. It was  a space where you can fill basically the whole space by how great your business is and why people should do business with you. And a lot of websites are still the that way in one way or another, and there is a lot of text and  less interactions. And if this website is working for your business and you are able to account for it, then you probably have a website that is working for your business. But if all that you have done is create it, advertised it on your email signature, letterheads and business cards, how do you measure your website's success. What is it that you offering the world that they should consistently come and view your website and become loyal followers. If all you offering is text to read, then your website is not making the cut.

Well, if people are not longer interested in just reading what your company is about, then what are they interested in. I constantly tell my customers who are in the market to develop a website that a website is not for them or their business, it is for your customers, you just own the space, like an over-glorified landlord. Today people are interested in information, video's, offerings in prizes and interactions. The sort of relationship you would have with your local barber. People want to know your business as if it was their best friend and if you don't give them that connection, they will look for it elsewhere.

Let's first go into the facts before I can give a solution to your problem. Research was done in 2010 to determine the best performing sites in the world, basically to determine who people follow, love and trust. They found that 100% of the top 100 websites interacted with the customers on a daily basis via their website. They created content that is relevant to their customers and given them the VIP treatment. Of those who participated in the study, 98% said they are 100% loyal to the business they interacted with and more importantly 76% said they would refer and go as far as advocating for that business. On organic searches, the top 100 performing websites, 100% of them ranked very high, so high that they were all on the first page, in their respective industry and search criteria. Meaning that they had a very good SEO strategy and excellent at ensuring that they remain high on the rankings. All of them used different sources to attract their customers to visit their website, and made their visitors feel like part of the family. The most remarkable piece of information from this study was that 88% of these businesses, were small businesses, barely in existence when they decided to build a website that people would come back on a daily basis to the website, and today industry leaders in their respective specialties.

Your website is not only an eye into your business, but an income generating tool. And this is done by several initiatives and if you just adopt a few of them, and did them well, you will soon reap results that will surprise even your best sales person. These are the things that are absolutely essential for a high ranking website:

• Optimize your website: This is a must, in order to get found on organic searches you must have a decent strategy and ensure a maintenance plan is in. 
•  Landing Pages: landing pages are used to convert visitors into leads by completing a transaction contact information from them. Landing pages are helpful because they direct your visitor to one particular offer without the distractions of everything else. 
• Offer Value through education: Write your product content as if you are helping them solve their problems. Avoid "we are the best" and instead use "this is how we help you...", and make yourself sound human because people want to interact with humans.  
• Social Media: Use social media wisely as it is a powerful marketing tool and people are already on the social networks and it is easier to meet them on the social networks. Make it just as easy for them to share and socialize about your content and resources. 
• Newsletters: You should definitely offer a newsletter subscription on your website. Newsletters or mailing lists are the perfect way to collect email addresses so you can nurture prospects over time to become leads. Make sure its easy for people to find your subscription form. 
• Blog: Blogging creates fresh content and more pages of content, which is great for SEO, and it helps establish you as an industry authority and thought leader. It also helps drive more traffic and leads back to your website. 

There are many more ways to draw traffic to your website if you do your research. In that way when you acquire services of a developer, you know exactly what you want and what you want your website to do. And create a functional website that is going to attract more traffic, relate to more people and generate more qualified leads for your business. Do all of the above and more, and you will enjoy you website's success, and do none of the above and you will wonder why the business next door is doing so well and yours is not. 

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