It is mind boggling to think about how many millions of people are online at any moment...
It is a bit mind boggling when you think about how many millions of people in just your immediate area use the internet. Think of the possibilities for your business! However, to reach your potential customers and your target audience, you will want to make sure you are using your website to its fullest potential. You want to ensure that you are reaching those people, that they stay on your site, and that they eventually buy or contact you – but you have to make sure your website is your best marketing tool. Here are 7 effective ways to use website marketing to convert your visitors to new customers and build a loyal following.
- Let’s touch on SEO. Search Engine Optimization is a great way to lead to more recognition online. When people search for your services or products online, you want to rank high on search engines (ie. Google, Safari, Firefox, etc) – utilize key words and specific/niche terms that those ready to buy will use in their queries. Keyword research, blogging, carefully thought out content creation and regular website updates/maintenance will all help with this. High quality content needs to be viewed as king – keep your content fresh, accurate, articulate and researched. Quality content that includes the right terms, is the right length and includes the right elements is so important. Is your content the right reading level for your audience, is it the right type (i.e. sales-focused vs. educational), does it include videos? These are all factors you should be considering when creating or refreshing content for SEO viability.
- Visuals. People like to consume content, but there’s a catch – that content needs to be easy to consume! Video content is leading the pack on this. Words may sometimes get visitors to your site (via your successful SEO), but in this day and age of everything being available at our fingertips, textual content alone won’t make them stay. This is where the term visual decision making comes up. This is the concept that we make many of our decisions such as where to go, what to do, and what to buy, based on what we see. In order for your website to be a really effective marketing tool, you need to use plenty of visual content to grab and hold your audience’s attention – this can be video(s), photography/imagery, infographics, banners, grid blocks and GIFs. The takeaway here: make sure you include visuals in your content planning around your website.
- Navigation. Clear, easy navigation is integral to ensuring a positive user experience when a visitor is on your website. A pretty website is nice to have, but the way your information architecture is structured is most likely the most important part of your initial website design. When a visitor comes to your website, they are there for something specific – look for a product or service, check the price of something or to learn more about your services – and if it takes too long or they get “lost” in your website, and their immediate needs are not met, your bounce rates will soar.
- NEW & Fresh Content. Having sales or promotions? Update the site. New product photos? Add them to your website! Are you ensuring blogs are being written? Then make sure they get posted on a regular basis. Beyond ensuring the basics are up-to-date (ie. phone number, hours of operation and address), you will want your content to be current and accurately reflect your business. New testimonials, marketing videos and overall content tweaks can really give your website a boost.
- Blogging! Having a blog page on your website with the odd random post is not going to yield you what you’re looking for. You need to post consistently good, relevant content that will interest your audience, help them solve their own problems, learn new things or get them aware of things within their industry or your industry, that will pique interest and showcase your knowledge and expertise. Most websites do have a blog, but this website asset is often an area that is severely underutilized. If you were to ask businesses owners as to why they don’t utilize their blogging fully, you will probably be told that they don’t have the time or resources to post consistently, that they don’t know what to write about, or they just may not see the value in keeping a blog. At its core, a blog not only captivates your audience’s attention, but it also assists with your website’s SEO capabilities. Make your customers and audience really be thoughtful when shopping for your services or products.
- Its All About Your Brand. No matter what you do, ensure that your branding is consistent across all levels of your website. Inconsistent branding will send inconsistent messaging, and you need to com across as professional, knowledgeable and at the top of your game. Your website is the face of your organization – especially during the times of not being able to shop or meet in-person. Ensure your take your Brand Standards and bring them into your social media accounts, print items, signage, etc etc. Stay on brand at all times!
- Be Friendly on Mobile. Without any doubt, you need to have a mobile-friendly website. With everyone having access to the internet at their fingertips, across multiple screen sizes, device sizes and operating systems, you will need to ensure that your site is built and tested to have optimal performance on phones and tablets, Chromebooks and various sizes of laptops. If not, you will guarantee to have a high bounce rate from frustrated potential customers. Small details, like having phone numbers hyperlinked and ensuring that your website’s mobile and desktop menus match exactly, which is really important to Google’s recent mobile-first indexing updates – are things you can do to improve your website success.
Website and marketing and branding and experience are all things we do well here at Kleurvision. Have questions? Let’s chat.
