3 Ways You Could Make Your Website Better
While having a social media presence remains one of the best ways to promote your small business, don't forget that your website is still relevant regarding your marketing strategy.
Even if you're not doing e-commerce on your site, it still serves as a chance to make a good impression on any visitor and potential customer, even if they're there just checking your hours and prices. When any experience or impression falls short, that can impact your business. You may ask, "How can I improve my business website?" Don't worry. We have some tips for you on how to up your website quality.
Here are 3 ways to make your small business website better.
Stay Relevant and Accurate
Your website should boast the colors, design, and content that speaks to the current. For example, if you haven't regularly updated your website, it's time to start reviewing and planning for a re-do.
A stale and unappealing website leaves the wrong first impression about your business to visitors.
Check your site for any “dated” content, i.e., a blog or article that is obviously years old or with outdated references. If it's content, you're wed to or feels vital to your brand because it showcases a product or service, refresh it, and bring it up to date.
Also, be sure all the information on your website is accurate, such as phone numbers, location, pricing, and staff -- including any bios, etc., and that all hyperlinks are still working.
Make it Easy and Fast
The ease of your website and how fast it loads are big influencers on customer experiences, impacting sales, especially on E-commerce sites.
A slow and clunky purchasing experience will send potential customers away — and they'll likely never return, exclaims a post by website hosting company LiquidWeb.
Seventy-nine percent of shoppers dissatisfied with website performance are less likely to buy from the same site again, according to a study by the product and marketing analysis firm Kissmetrics.
Downtime due to unreliable and slow download speeds affects your business operations, can delay client-facing applications, and limit customer service.
Almost half of the consumers surveyed by Kissmetrics said they want a business website to load in less than 2 seconds.
If you're experiencing slow download times, you may not have the speed and bandwidth required for your business and website. Look into getting high-speed business internet or business fiber internet service.
Faster downloads are essential for a compelling business website, particularly e-commerce sites, and for long-term success — customers want to seamlessly browse product pages, select their purchases and move into and through the transaction process.
Be Mobile-Responsive
As you look into giving your website a design/content facelift, be sure to make it “responsive,” advises Anita Campbell, who runs online information communities, including Small Business Trends and BizSugar.com.
With so many consumers accessing websites on their phones, site speed, and performance have never been more critical. Your site's catchy new design, video, or features will go to waste if visitors have to wait for elements to load or can't navigate with ease.
Your website must be responsive enough to adjust to mobile devices, adds Campbell in an SBA blog. “If your home page loads slowly, visitors may never go beyond it." Slow-to-load pages can poorly affect how your site ranks in search engines.
So, take some time to browse your website to see how you can improve these weaknesses and optimize your site for success.