Websites are not all created equal. Your website is most likely the first impression that a potential customer gets about your business. Around 80% of customers say that they have visited a company’s site before doing business. Those who do not take action visit multiple websites.
Two things are important here:
1. To be competitive, your company must have a website.
2. Your website must outperform all your competitors.
This guide will show you 5 essential features that every website should have in order to maximize your ROI. Your website could be your greatest salesperson if it is well-designed.
1. Target SEO Strategy
A website that is not easily found by anyone is useless. Optimizing your website for search engines is the most important part of a successful site. Search engines like Google take into account hundreds of factors before showing your website in search results. These factors can either make or break a website’s chances of being found and accessed by its intended audience. Each line of code on your website must be reviewed to ensure that it increases your chances of being discovered. This is why many DIY websites fail to provide business owners with the tools they need.
A return on investment
2. Mobile Responsive Design
Your website visitors could be using their mobile devices up to 80%. Your website will not display correctly if they can find the back button. A small screen has a different user experience than a desktop computer or laptop. Mobile users find it hard to navigate and find what they’re looking for when the design is too complicated. Modern websites adapt to screen sizes, so they display well on any device.
3. Clear Navigation
What is more frustrating than not being able to find what you are looking for on a website? Visitors don’t have the time or patience to learn how to navigate your website. Visitors must be able to see right away how to get to what they are looking for. It won’t take them long to figure it out. It is important to make it easy for visitors to complete the desired action, whether they are looking for information about your product, pricing information, or even contacting you. It should be easy to navigate.
4. Calls to Action
Let’s face it, we don’t want to think too much. Your website should clearly inform the visitor what their next steps should be. Every day, people make hundreds of decisions. Your website should not be one of those decisions. Your website should be easy to navigate for visitors to understand what actions they need. Calls to action such as “buy now”, ‘find out more”, ‘call us today’ save you
Readers are forced to consider what they should do. It should be clear what they should do.
What should I do next?
5. Contents that are Client-Focused
It is a waste of time to contact cold leads. Your website should be tailored to your ideal client. It is futile trying to be everything for everyone. While you might be busy, it is not impossible to do everything.
Unlikely to be financially successful (or happy). A perfect client is one who can find the right solution to their problem or needs through the products or services your company offers. They become loyal customers and are more likely to refer you to their friends, family, and colleagues. You can tailor your website to meet the needs of your ideal customer, thereby attracting more customers.
Mobile-First Index: Why mobile responsiveness should not be negotiable
Many people carry their phones with them everywhere. They can stay connected in real-time. A total of 29.2million people in South Africa (51%) use their mobile phones to access the internet. This percentage is even greater worldwide… mobile takes the lead when you compare desktop and mobile usage.
The Mobile-First Index
Google is making changes to the way they index websites. They used to crawl, index and rank websites based on their desktop versions. But, Google has begun rolling out the Mobile-First Index in March 2018. This new search algorithm prioritizes a website’s mobile version.
Google will index you even if you have only a desktop version. Google only has one index. That’s the problem. Mobile-friendly websites will be your competition. They will rank higher in search engine results pages (SERP) results.
Although there are many factors that can influence keyword ranking, a mobile-friendly website will do better and increase your chances of being discovered.
Mobile-friendly means your website can be accessed from a mobile device. Because of the smaller screen size, there is less space to work with. It is, therefore, more difficult to convey the message on small screens. Good content and design are essential.
Mobile-responsive design
Mobile responsive websites are the best solution. This allows you to deliver the same high-quality content for mobile users as for desktop users. Responsive websites automatically adapt to the screen size of the device.
A mobile responsive website does not have its own URL. This is a simplified version of your desktop website that can be accessed from a mobile device. Mobile users will find it easier to navigate your website and find what they are looking for. All of this improves your user’s overall experience (UX), which will keep them coming back.
A client in the appliance repair industry used a website that was not mobile responsive. The contact details section on the desktop version showed up, but not on the mobile version. He spent R15 000 per month on Google AdWords, but received very few queries. The queries began to flow the next day after he made his website mobile-responsive. Mobile responsiveness is essential to reach your target market and get a higher return on investment (ROI).
Because:
It allows you to stay ahead of your competition and achieve better SERP results, ultimately increasing the reach of your mobile customers.
It will improve your website’s user experience. It will provide a consistent user experience on mobile and desktop that improves lead generation, conversions, and sales.
Because it only has one URL, it is much easier to track, analyze, and report on.
It can adapt to any screen size, which makes it both time- and cost-efficient.
How can you tell if a website has a mobile-responsive design?
Mobile responsive designs will adapt to your screen size. Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test will help you test it.
- You’ll also see responsive design visually
- No horizontal scroll bar
- Plenty of space for you to tap on buttons or make selections
- You can read the text clearly without needing to zoom in or outside.
It can be tested on a desktop by simply moving your browser window larger or smaller with your mouse. If the layout is too simple or cuts out images and words, it’s not responsive.
How to create a responsive mobile website
With the right knowledge, these problems can be easily fixed. It may be necessary to redesign your website completely or just a few minor fixes. Everything from layout, media and typography is covered. For a sustainable website design that adapts to mobile screen sizes, get in touch with us.