Establish Credibility – Having presence online confirms that your business indeed exists. Further, the information on your website will allow your audience to know more about your business (e.g. credentials, history, team, etc). It is also an avenue whereby you can establish your business as a market leader or expert in its field.

Online Visibility – Once your website is up and running, it becomes visible and searchable to an infinite number of audience. Thus, it gives you an opportunity to reach people who you would otherwise not cross paths with.

Accessibility – Websites run 24/7. This means that the service you provide via your website does not sleep and therefore can attend to more people. This is particularly important to those that do their research and shopping outside of business hours.

Cost-efficient Marketing – There are many ways in which to draw people to your website, and many of these methods do not cost a pretty penny such as Search Engine Optimisation and Pay-per-click Advertising. Moreover, exposure can be increased through the use of social media accounts by linking social posts to your website.

Sales Opportunity – More website visits lead to potential sales. With the above-mentioned cost-efficient marketing options coupled with techniques to drive traffic to your site can lead to sales.

Economical – Having a website can save you money that you would otherwise need to use for mailing and printing. A website is like a brochure, except it is virtual. Customers will no longer have to talk to a Sales Representative for long periods of time to get the information they need. Downloadable forms, which customers would otherwise have to pick up or that you would have to mail can be made available on the website.

Now that you are probably convinced to invest in a website, here are a few things involved in owning a website that you need to know and consider:
Web Hosting – Owning a website is similar to owning a store in that you need space to park your website and all its information, albeit virtually. Web hosts provide individuals or businesses space on a server, which is either owned or leased by the individual or business and provide Internet connectivity which then allows the website to be accessible through the World Wide Web. The cost of web hosting varies from the type of web hosting availed. For example, having a dedicated server is considerably more expensive that availing of a shared service (meaning you share the “space” with other businesses). For small businesses, web host providers typically charge a monthly or yearly fee depending on factors such as the amount of storage space needed, the number of required email accounts, as well as related building tools. A basic web hosting service can go as low as $4 a month.

Licensing fees – You want your website to be visually appealing to your audience. To do this, you will need to use photos. For small businesses who do not want to spend a fortune on photo shoots, an option is to pay for use of photos by professional providers. In cases where website owners want to have music on their website and don’t want to pay for an original composition, they can turn to music providers for ready-music they can use in return of a fee.

Content Management System (CMS) – Not all websites come with a built-in CMS however it is advantageous to a small business owner with some computer knowledge to invest in in this. A CMS is a software that allows the website owner to adjust the contents of a website. With out this, the website owner will have to rely on the website developer for any change to the website, no matter how small. There is a cost associated to maintaining and updating a website through the website developer that can actually be avoided if the website is created with a CMS. Some examples of CMS include WordPress, Joomla and Magento.

Now, once you have your website up and running, here are some things that you need to keep in mind to ensure the best results from your website.

Track performance – One of the main goals of a website is to increase conversions. Conversions in this aspect refers to an action taken by your audience on your website such as downloading and filling up of forms, subscribing to your newsletter or ordering a product. To see the performance of your website overtime, it is important to track its progress towards the goal. Google Analytics is a free tool that can help you track the activity on your site and will help you evaluate decisions regarding any changes you need or want to make.

Review bi-annually – Advances in technology affect the mindset and behavior people and the way they use the web. What can be working then might no longer work now. To determine if any changes are necessary based on the data you have gathered from tracking your goals for the website, it is recommended that you review your website performance and its components at least bi-annually.

Nowadays, to be able to compete in the marketplace and for a business to thrive, having a website is necessary and has many benefits. To maximise the benefits though, it is advisable for a business owner to invest in a CMS, monitor the performance of the website regularly and have review the website bi-annually to check for issues and ways to improve it.

The post The Guide to Investing in a Brilliant Website appeared first on Reload Consulting.

As technology and best practice are fast-changing and customer mindsets and behaviours are adapting to these changes almost as quickly as they change, it is important to ensure that your website doesn’t fall behind. The development of a website for your business should never be seen as a one-off project, but rather an ongoing investment that grows adapts and changes in line with technological developments and customer purchasing behaviours.

But, how do you know when it’s time to give your website a facelift or, in some cases, a complete overhaul? There can be many factors that contribute to the decision:

• Not responsive – The time spent on mobile devices now far outweighs the amount of time spent on desktops, meaning that if your website is not responsive to adapt to the varying screens of the various devices that consumers are using, you are more than likely losing a lot of prospective customers.  If a prospective customer is unable to access your website on their device of choice of the experience is poor due to the lack of responsiveness, they will likely be turned off and look elsewhere.

• No CMS – A high performing website is one that is constantly updated. Content additions (i.e. blogs or news articles) and adjustments (i.e. change in operating hours or change in address) will not only keep your customers up to date with the latest news and events in your business but will also improve your website’s performance in online search results.  However, having updates implemented by an outside provider can be very costly and can result in a longer wait time before being published. Equipping your website with a Content Management System (CMS) will allow you to make simple changes yourself, saving time and cost.

• Long loading times – Having to wait for a page to load can frustrate users, who are often time poor or just don’t like to have to be waiting between pages when browsing a site. We live in a world where there is always an ‘instant version’ of everything and with this becoming the new norm, waiting times translate as a waste of time.

• The presence and/or recurrence of a glitch – Your website should work to establish the credibility of your business, however, broken links, error messages and missing images can give the impression that the website and therefore your business is not properly managed.

• The site cannot be found online – People find businesses online through searching for specific keywords or by seeing and clicking on online advertisements. Failure to show up in organic search results will result in many prospective customers not finding your business and instead, finding a competitors website and going to them with their browsing time and potential patronage.

• Site is old and outdated – If the website still requires the use of Flash (which is not supported by certain smartphones and which can’t be read by Google, Bing, and Yahoo), has never (or rarely) been updated, has low traffic volume coming through, and doesn’t show signs of customer engagement, then you know the website is no longer working or fulfilling its purpose.

• High bounce rate – Bounce rate is essentially the rate at which visitors leave the website. If the visitors leave the site after only viewing the homepage, this is an indication that there is something wrong with your website or at the very least, your homepage is not set up in a way that compels users to stay on and explore your site further. Google Analytics can be used to track the performance of your website and if you don’t have it installed on your website yet, this should be the next thing that you do after reading this.

• Revisits are down – You can easily determine the number of people returning to your website through the insights provided by Google Analytics. People are drawn to websites that are updated frequently with content that is of value them. People also typically go back to websites that are easy to use and navigate. If the design of your website is not user-friendly and/or is visually outdated, visitors might not find any reason to revisit.

• If you’ve rebranded – If eyes are the window to a person’s soul, the website is the window to understanding a business. Therefore, your website should reflect your business’ brand positioning, messaging and branding elements consistently. Failure to do so may lead to mismanagement of customer expectations.

• New functionality requirements – As mentioned above, technology and mindsets are constantly changing, websites need to adapt to these changes or risk being left behind and missing out on opportunities. New functionality and capabilities are often emerging that help to drive traffic to the site and encourage user engagement.

• User experience and usability issues – Time is money and the easier and faster a user can find what they’re looking for on your website, the better. There are a multitude of studies that have been conducted over the years to assess the behaviour of customers when viewing websites. To ensure a positive experience for your user, it is best to ensure that your website’s user experience is reviewed against best practice and (if needed) updated or adjusted based on this.

For a business to compete in the current environment, a website is a necessity, however, a website can be all but useless if it isn’t properly maintained and managed. The most effective websites go through a series of adjustments and updates as time passes, to ensure that all components come together to provide the best possible user experience.

The post 11 sure fire signs that you should overhaul your website appeared first on Reload Consulting.

Not only is it about the design of your site in terms of how it looks (although this certainly does come into it), but there are a number of other elements of website design that must be considered when planning a website that will convert well.

Using the AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire and Action) principles, let’s explore the role that website design plays in driving conversion.

Attention

As mentioned above, you only have ten seconds to grab a user’s attention when they land on your website. First impressions are formed very quickly, and it’s those first 10 seconds that will either lead the user further into the site or turn them away completely. Therefore, the homepage or landing page of a website needs to be eye-catching and engaging enough to convince the user to keep reading.

Interest

Users are only going to stay on a website if they find it interesting. In order to retain a user’s interest, it must be clear to them what value they are getting. It also helps to aim to establish an emotional connection, which can be done when you have a solid understanding of who your target customer is. There is a range of different design strategies that can influence emotional connection, such as strategic use of colour psychology.

Desire

In addition to capturing a user’s attention and sparking their interest, your website should also drive a desire for your product or service. To do this, ensure that your website provides detailed information on what you offer, in a way that is easy to understand and in line with the needs of your target market. People respond better to concise information rather than large blocks of text, which should be reflected in the design of your website. For example, the use of bullets and subheadings, white space and contrasting colours to break up text and help important points to stand out.

Action

Once you have their attention, have sparked their interest and driven them to have a desire for your product or service, you then need to make it as easy as possible for users to take action. Ensure that clear and compelling call to action are located throughout the website so that a user can take action from wherever they are on the site when they make the decision.

How about the actual design characteristics of a website that contribute to driving conversion? Here are 5 key design characteristics that can’t be ignored…

Easy to Navigate

Navigating from one page on a website to another shouldn’t require too much thinking and should feel natural and straightforward for the user. The information on the site will perform better if it is organised logically, considering the target market, what’s important to them and their typical thought process when looking for your product or service. Some best practices in menu navigation include

• Each menu item should be strategically named and must match its contents exactly, making it immediately clear to the user what information they will find by clicking on that menu item.
• The top-level navigation menu should contain no more than eight items to avoid a ‘cluttered’ or ‘crowded’ menu.
• Breadcrumb navigation should be shown on every back page of the site, allowing users to easily retrace their steps and making it easy for them to see where they are within the site.
• A search function will allow visitors to locate the information or product that they are looking for quickly, without having to navigate through multiple pages.
• Consider the use of Mega Menus, particularly if your website is an e-commerce site. Mega Menus allow visitors to get a preview of the product/s without having to go through several pages.

Clear Calls to Action

As mentioned earlier, it must be easy for users to take action on your website. What this action looks like will be highly dependent on your conversion goals (i.e. online purchase, free demo, submit an enquiry, etc.). Clear and compelling call to action prompts should be shown throughout the website, taking into consideration the location within the site and your conversion goals. Below are some tips to ensure your calls to action are effective.

• Use action-oriented text (i.e. ‘Secure Your Reservation’).
• The colour of the call to action should be contrasting to the colour of the background to ensure that it stands out.
• The size of the call to action should be large enough to be noticed but not too large that it becomes off-putting.
• The call to action should be located somewhere eye-catching and in line with typical viewing patterns (users typically view website content in an ‘F’ pattern).

Visual Hierarchy

The content on your website should be organised in a way that prioritises the most important info, ensuring that users don’t miss the key points. There is a science to drawing a user’s attention to the most important information on the page. Some of the principles that guide the positioning of the items on a page include:

• Scanning Patterns – multiple studies have shown that before committing to reading a page, visitors first scan the page in either an F or Z pattern.  
• Size – the most important information is highlighted through size and hence makes it difficult to miss.
• White space – when an item or a text is surrounded by a lot of white space, the eye tends to focus on it.

Use of Colours

Colour affects human emotion and behaviour and can be used to influence users to take action. Therefore, having a solid understanding of who your target market is will allow you to choose the colours that will have a positive sway on their emotions.

Readable Text

Reading the content of your website should not be taxing. Use hierarchy to differentiate the level of importance of the content. To prevent your visitors from getting frustrated, easy to read font and easy to understand text must also be used.

People tend to easily become bored with websites and the design of your website has a huge bearing on whether or not they will continue to explore your website and take action. Having said this, it is also highly important to consider website usability best practices when designing your website, ensuring a positive user experience when interacting with your site.

The post How to design a website that converts appeared first on Reload Consulting.

Of course, ‘conversion’ can mean different things for different businesses. An e-commerce site would consider a conversion to be a sale for example, while a non-e-commerce site would look at conversion as submissions of online request forms, calls to the head office, etc.

The best, sure-fire way to ensure that all elements are considered when developing a new website for your business is to develop a Website Strategy prior to diving into the design and development.

A Website Strategy considers your goals and objectives, conversion goals, markets, customer value propositions and more, combined with industry best practice to create a clear and detailed plan to then provide to the developers.

In many ways, it is a lot like a blueprint. Mapping out wireframes of all key pages and explaining functionality requirements in great detail, which ensures that the developers have a clear roadmap to deliver to you a website that is not only beautiful in terms of design, but also effective in terms of user experience and conversion.

The Infographic above provides a snapshot of what the Website Strategy process looks like from start to finish. If you have any questions or would like to learn more, please feel free to get in touch.

The post How to Approach Strategic Planning for Websites appeared first on Reload Consulting.