Okay, okay, before you sigh at being reminded that summer is long gone and we are now destined to be clad in the best a sheep can offer for the foreseeable future, there is some good that can come out from the realisation that Autumn/Winter has finally hit. From a business point of view it should tell us that a positive change is on the cards…I am of course talking about the time having come when your company’s website is in need of an overhaul.
There are quite a few things to consider when reviewing your website and they can be based on this simple analogy. Think of your website as a shop. If you don’t change your window display, stock, offers and even layout, slowly but surely your customers will go elsewhere.
Now, like I said, there are a few things to consider so donning my Mystic Meg hat I shall make the prediction that this topic will cover two blogs…just a FYI so you know what to expect next week.
So, first thing first, visuals. Does your website look like an Atari game from your youth or is it an Apple Mac a day keeps wanderers away kind of site. If your site is visually unappealing then customers make a direct correlation to your products or services. Remember, first impressions count!
Next comes the navigation. Do you need to call in the AA or is it child’s play? I know that when I am on a new site, if it is not immediately apparent what I have to do I lose interest. If I’m there to shop, I want to see a big ‘BUY NOW’ button waiting to be clicked. If I’m there for information then I want to see a big ‘CONTACT US’ or ‘FAQ’ button beckoning an action. Don’t assume that the people visiting your site always know what they want. This is where a ‘search’ function can make the difference between a purchasing customer and a fleeting one.
Now we move on to content. Is it factual, relevant, informative and up to date? Did you use a copywriter or give it a bash yourself? Do you now need to use a copywriter to achieve all of the above? Getting your information across whilst gaining recognition in ‘search engine land’ is not as straightforward as just throwing in some words which pertain to your company and services, which brings me nicely onto the last point for this week. Ranking and SEO.
Incorporating search term words is a given when updating your website and these need to be cleverly woven into your copy and content. But gaining a good search engine ranking is a whole new ball game. You need to consider links to and from your site. In other words, are customers being driven to or from your site? Is the very important information on your site in bold or italics, does it stand out both visually and to the inner workings of google?
Now, earlier I said this topic would be spread over two blogs, and I haven’t changed my mind. But in the meantime, if you want to do a little swotting up and get ahead of the game just contact us and we will be more than happy to navigate you in the right direction.