It’s the new year and a time for resolutions. For small business owners now is the time to set your goals for your business growth plans. As part of your new year’s resolutions perhaps it’s time to refresh your website?
At the centre of your digital world is your website, but so often we hear that website’s are difficult to navigate and visitors leave all too quickly before a lead capture form is completed. So, is it time for a website refresh? Here’s our top tips for a review of your current site to understand what you need to consider for creating a quality website that will be found in search engine results pages.
1. Build your website with a good CMS
You need a good framework to build your website on. These days that means using Content Management Systems (CMS). Once the website is designed and developed, it enables easy upload of information so that content updates can be managed inhouse.
2. Simple and engaging content
Review all your marketing collateral and decide what you’ll use on the website and what needs to be cut out. For an accountancy firm, think about the services you offer and provide clear, precise information about each. If you think of who your target client is, then write content that speaks to them.
3. Easy website navigation
When you design the menu and site map, think about the layout and whether it’s relevant and easy to navigate. You want visitors to find things quickly to help reduce the bounce rate and to keep them looking through your website for longer.
4. Call to action
It’s not just about a clear menu, but it’s also about adding clear call to action buttons. These are often used for inbound marketing campaigns to drive visitors to take action such as download a form or ebook or sign up to a newsletter while collecting an contact email address to build your database.
5. Imagery
This forms part of your content too. It makes the website more engaging and easier on the eye. But don’t forget to use the right size as too large and this could impact on the speed of your website loading. Does your current website have good imagery that reflects your brand well?
6. Blog
Does your website have a blog? A blog is vital for a business website to be seen in organic google search. Why? Because it provides a dedicated space for uploading fresh content regularly. This keeps the website up to date and engaging for prospects, current clients and also the search engines.
7. Website optimisation
When it comes to digital marketing, Search Engine Optimisation or SEO is probably something you often hear about, but why is it so important for your website? Optimising your site can help your website be found in search engine results pages (SERPs) such as Google or Bing. Any agency you work with will tell you about Meta Descriptions, Alt Tags and H1/H2 headings. A web designer can provide you with simple training on this once your website has been developed. Or you can engage a digital marketing agency to manage this for you moving forward. You can read more about Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) here.
8. Back up your website!
If you’ve not already been regularly backing up your website, add this to your new year’s resolutions. If you’ve worked thorugh this list of considerations for your website and feel that you need to create a new site then make sure that your web designer incorporates regular back ups as part of their process and ongoing management fee.
Is it time you had a new website?
If you can get all this working yourself, then you will be off to a great start. However, if you need help with your website design and development book a consultation with us.