There are 4.8 billion internet users in the world, clearly making the online market the most important place for your business to be.
But the catch is—you can’t just be online.
You have to dominate your corner of the internet in order to stand out and get business.
So while a stand-out website may not be the only thing on your list to scale your business, it should definitely be towards the top. Here’s 6 essentials to help you get there.
First up, a successful website needs to be speedy.
The average internet user’s attention span is 8 seconds. That’s all you get.
8 seconds to make your impression and convince your wandering researcher to stay on your site, engage with your content, and eventually convert to paying customers.
And if those precious seconds are spent waiting for the page to load, your potential customer is gone before they even see your beautiful content.
This means to look at ways to whittle down your content so that it loads fast and is ready to go when anyone clicks onto your site. This also means that your website’s first impression should quickly grab attention!
Second, ensure that your website is easy to find.
Did you know that 65% of webpages are never seen? By anyone? Because there is so much content out there, it’s difficult to get yours to come up first in a search result.
Most users don’t even make it to the second page of results because they find what they need on page one.
In order to be found, optimizing your content through Search Engine Optimization is critical. Help Google know that your content is relevant, that it answers users questions, and that it fits into the niche you’re trying to target.
Third, your website design needs to be navigable.
Similar to the first point, making your website experience easily navigable is important for keeping your audience’s attention. Plus, when they understand your message easier, they are more likely to buy.
Make sure that routes through your site are intuitive. Be certain that it’s always easy to know where you are on the site, and how to proceed.
Fourth, keep your design simple.
No, this doesn’t mean that you can’t have a lot of content, or even that your concepts can’t be complex.
What it does mean is that the design should look uncluttered, and even minimalistic (if that fits your style and branding). This is both aesthetically pleasing, as well as easier to glean important information.
Don’t confuse users. The message and tone you’re conveying needs to be as crystal clear as possible.
Fifth, ensure that your information is accurate.
This may come as a no-brainer, but it’s crucial, so it’s worth saying. Even being slightly misleading can lead to serious trouble by destroying your credibility.
Go to extra lengths to fact check, not plagerize, and make sure that you’re telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
And finally, every successful website needs a call to action.
Without one, many users simply don’t know how to act—even if they want to.
Giving a clear call to action is key to giving users a specific way to move forward.
Additionally, people respond to direct motivation. Don’t dance around the point, give it to them straight and they will respond. Users are so much more likely to convert to paying customers when you do this!
We promise your sales will go up if you don’t already have a direct call to action and you add one to your website.
Conclusion
Designing and executing a successful website is no easy feat.
But putting in the work to make it as accessible as possible will be worth it. If you can build a site that makes things easy for potential customers, and clearly conveys the message you intend, you can see business begin to boom.
If you need help perfecting your design, we can help! Contact us today and our UX/UI designers can make your website a masterpiece.
