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The quality of your website and the success of your digital business are closely intertwined. If your website falls short in terms of standards and expectations, then there’ll be little surprise if your business struggles to find success.
Think of your website as you would a brick and mortar store; you can always tell so many about the company by the aesthetics and quality of the shop. When it comes to your online business, the idea is to make your website as appealing as possible. But how can you make sure this is the case? We take a look at a few tried and tested methods below.
Memorable Web Address
People will always remember a web address that stands out from the crowd. Sometimes, this is the difference between a sale and a lost customer. They might visit your online store once, and then hope to return, but if they don’t recall what your web address or even the name of your business is, then there’ll be no way to get back. It’s not like a real world business, where all you need is to vaguely recall which area it’s in. The online world is pretty big, after all.
Easily Found
Of course, while a section of your website visitors will get there by typing the web address, the bulk will likely come via one of the search engines. As such, it’s important that you’re taking the time to get your SEO into shape .
This does more than just push people in the direction of your site; it also makes your site more appealing, since it shows that you’re a reputable site. No one gets to the front of the Google search engine rankings if they’re not legitimate.
Have a Focus
There are plenty of ways to make your website more appealing, but one of the best ways is to limit the scope of your content. This might sound counterintuitive to your goals, but hear us out. Rather than trying to suck up all the web visitors (which will never happen), you’ll instead make your site a must-visit for people with an interest in whatever topic it is that you’re focused on.
It’s much better to do one subject very well, rather than do many things kind of well. There are too many websites out there that take that approach; get specialist, and you’ll be on the right track.
Great Design
People are prone to making snap judgements about, well, everything. They just can’t help it. So if you’re trying to make your site as appealing as possible, then it’s important that you’re ensuring people’s snap judgement is positive.
This is all down to your design. The better it is, the more people will enjoy and interact with your site. Because this aspect of your site is so important, it’s recommended that you work with a web design company. They’ll give you a sleek and modern look. Also, you’ll want to make a habit of periodically updating the look of your site. You can’t rest on the strength of your current design forever.
The User Experience
It’s all good well having a focus and strong design, but there’s one aspect of your website that’ll have a huge impact on how appealing is it: the user experience. While you’ll be trying to put your own creative stamp on things, it’s always worth keeping in mind that, ultimately, your website exists for the benefit of the people that visit the site, not you.
To improve the user experience, you’ll need to work with outsiders who can help you to figure out the best layout and accessibility for your site. You can do this by using the tree testing method, which will help you to improve your site’s navigation. The more logical and intuitive a site is, the more time a visitor is likely to spend on it.
Useful Content
There’s no shortage of websites for internet users to choose from. They’re everywhere! And as such, you need to ensure that what you’re throwing out into the digital space is actually worthy of your visitor’s time. While you’ll always be able to capture visitors at least once, your ability to win repeat visitors will depend on the quality of your site.
So you’ll always want to work to put together useful, high-quality content — and publish it in a variety of mediums, too. Some people like blogs, some like infographics, and just about everyone likes videos these days, so make the most of all of them.
Lack of Annoying Features
Sometimes, it’s about what you do. At others, it’s about what you don’t do. If you’re filling your website with annoying features, then you will not be making your website appealing. Indeed, you could get everything else right, but if you’re testing the patience of your visitors, you’ll find that you lose more than you win.
So what are some examples of annoying features? Things like too many pop up ads, autoplay videos with sound, and dark patterns . There’s a reason why some websites include these things, and it’s true that there are some advantages. But in all, they have a negative impact on a website’s success.
Error-Free Pages
Sometimes, a website can look like it gets the majority of things right, but it turns out that it’s all surface level. This can seriously dampen the enthusiasm a person may have had for a site. If your website has too many spelling errors , dead pages, or low-quality images, then the shine will soon wear off. Make sure you’re holding your site to a high standard.
Solid Hosting
Finally, you’ll want to take a look at your website hosting. Your site needs to be online in order to win the plaudits of your visitors, but equally, it has to be speedy . There are few things more annoying (online at least) than a slow website — it just drives people away. With the right hosting provider, your site will be online and fast loading, which is what people want
It was nice of you to stop by.
Until then, happy hiring, and best wishes for your business.
◊This is a contributor post.◊