Here are some rules of good website construction and marketing that will help people find your site, stay there, enjoy the experience and hopefully, use your services. If you’re looking how to “increase traffic to my website” start here:
Website Structure
You need a landing page per service you offer. This is essential to help Google do its thing. Google can’t index a page if that page contains too many topics. So start with structure. You’ll see that our Service Page lists the services we offer, then we also have a page dedicated to each service we offer.
Post Post Post!
You’re looking to get your site to rank higher in search engine results. To help your website pull for you, follow these general guidelines:
• Post relevant content regularly, at least one useful post every month, more if possible. Interesting and relevant to your business articles, blogs, and educational content can help improve your ranking on Google.
• Be sure to give them relevant and search engine friendly titles (for example: “How Can I Increase Traffic to My Website and Get People to Stay”).
• Learn about H tags, page titles and meta. All this back-end stuff matters a lot. We’re here to help, but you can go it on your own. We recommend Yoast SEO and use their plugin in all our websites. It’s intuitive and it works to help your website work better.
Get Social
• Post that article on Facebook and Instagram, your Google My Business page, LinkedIn and any social media page. Put all of your videos on YouTube, and don’t forget to write a synopsis of the video. Consider boosting or paid post programs too. Our buds at Branded 845 can help with everything related to marketing and social media.
Link To Other Sites and Pages Within your Own Website
• Link your website to your business partners and associates’ websites. Known as “backlinks,” these links show that people value your site.
• Include plenty of links. Provide links to your homepage and main category pages so customers can navigate around your site more easily. These days, it has become fashionable to omit the HOME link. Many of us know to click on the logo. Typically, that brings you to the home page. But other people don’t know to do this. We don’t think it’s nice to omit Home as a menu item.
• Use the three-click rule. Website visitors typically need to find what they are looking for in only three clicks. Otherwise, they move on.
Consider a Google AdWords Campaign
A campaign is a set of related ad groups that is often used to organize categories of products or services that you offer. Each campaign is centered on a goal that aligns with the main thing you want to get from your campaigns, such as sales or website traffic. You’ll need to make at least one campaign before you can create ads in your account. Click here for Google’s article on how to create a campaign for your business.
Consider Using an SEO Expert
While we work to help a site rank “organically”, meaning free, using no AdWords, sometimes, particularly in competitive markets, hiring an SEO expert to optimize your site helps. We have been pleased with results from Write On Point Communications, click here.
Keep It Simple!
A simple design, that is easy to navigate, allows people into your site. This allows them to find what they are looking for and to make a purchase.
• Use fonts that are easy to read. We use fonts at 14 point and above so everyone can read your site easily. Don’t use fancy script or stylized fonts that are challenging to read.
• Allow for white space. White space breaks up blocks of text and helps emphasize your essential points. We love bullet points. They make skimming really easy.
• Make pages smaller and shorter. Statistically, we have three seconds for a page to open before visitors click away. Replace large graphics with smaller ones or a single great graphic.
Reliable Hosting
• Website performance improves by using a reliable web hosting provider. We host our websites on Liquid Web Network, located in Lansing, Michigan. The best sites in the world are useless when their servers crash or get hacked. Using a state-of-the-art UNIX server connected with industrial-strength infrastructure helps keep a website safe and secure. Google ranks sites using a number of criteria, one of which is load time, so this is important.
Be Mobile Friendly
• Today’s website users need to access your site from a laptop, a smartphone, and a computer. Google typically ranks mobile-friendly sites higher than non-mobile ones.
• Take advantage of mobile-friendly features like tap to call that allow customers to dial you from their cell phones quickly.
• Be sure your site displays correctly for all major browsers, including Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, and Safari.
Think Visually
• Too many images slow down your load times. But people still like to see photos, particularly on e-commerce sites.
• Include videos. Videos can help keep customers engaged on your site. Video tutorials of the product in action can have a positive impact on sales.
Cross-sell
Offer other items of interest during a sale. Don’t be pushy, but don’t be afraid to show other items or services that can help them.
Follow Up
The sale is over, but your relationship is just beginning.
• Send a thank-you note or e-mail, offer a discount, show them new items that might interest and help them.
• Include product reviews and comments. Customers visit a website to look for advice. A customer-written product or testimonial provides an impartial review.
In Summary
A clean website design, featuring good content and a sound marketing plan, will encourage your customers to become lifelong happy clients.