A bad company website is more than just an embarrassment, especially when an exceptional website is a key factor in business growth. A website plays a significant role in establishing a favorable first impression, building customer trust, and gaining sales. It is the foundation of all online marketing efforts. A terrible website does more than makes a company look bad. An awful, dysfunctional website costs a company trust—and lost sales.
This is the end of the bad news. The good news is that improving a company website is not as complicated as it may seems—or as expensive (depending on the website, of course). A bad company website is not always a lost cause or a complicated fix.
Add better images
Well-written websites are great. Well-written websites with compelling images and videos are AWESOME. One of the easiest ways to improve a company website is to start using quality images that capture customer attention and want to see more. Fortunately, obtaining quality images isn’t as hard as it used to be; smartphones and tablets can take quality photos and video. Free images can be found on Unsplash and Pexels, or purchased through a quality image site or from a local photographer. (Use these tips to choose the best images for a business website.)
Optimize, optimize, optimize
Optimization is one of the most overlooked aspects of a first-rate website. While the term may sound complicated, the basic principle is not: optimization is the process of making a website optimal for search engines. The simplest form of optimization is writing quality content for search engines and optimizing images (these tips for optimizing website images can help). One of the most effective ways to optimize a website, especially businesses with a local customer base, is to utilize local search engine optimization technology. Local optimization technology can be used to reach customers within 10-50 miles of a business location (or locations). (Use these tips to select the right local optimization technology.)
Write quality content
Search engines use many different signals (Google uses well over 200) to rank websites. One of the signals indicative of website quality is regular and relevant content (here is how content marketing works and benefits websites). Luckily, quality content is not as expensive as expected; custom content (drafted specifically for the company) can be produced in-house or outsourced to the professionals (very affordably). Be leery of marketing firms that sell sub-par content or duplicate content that has already been published.
Include (better) call-to-actions
A good call-to-action is strategically placed and easy for customers. A stellar website is full of excellent call-to-actions that don’t make a visitor feel like they are getting a concussion from “buy, buy, buy!” To meet the needs of a diverse audience, make sure that each call-to-action is linked to a different way that fits the preference of the target audience.
Add easy ways to continue the conversation
Social media is one of the most effective ways to communicate with potential customers and build the loyalty that retains existing customers (if managed correctly, use these tips for a successful social media strategy). Add links to existing company social media accounts throughout the website; commonly, businesses add these links to the Contact Us page, in the header and footer of each page, and on the Home page. Links to social media pages can also be added in the text.
Improve website speed
Google recently wrote that a one second delay while loading a mobile website can decrease conversions by up to 20%. Customers don’t want to wait, and page loading speed is another factor when search engines rank websites. Literally, it makes cents (pun intended) to decrease page loading times. The exact way to speed up the website depends on the construction; contact a marketing firm for ways to improve page loading times or ask for a quote to build a new (and better) website.
Fix dead end pages
Customers love an easy-to-navigate website, which is way website pages with errors can be so frustrating. Unfortunately, it’s all too easy to end up with dead ends and errors, especially with websites with a lot of pages. Websites with errors can also be a black eye to search engines; spending time clearing errors or hiring the professionals to find and fix bad website pages can be worth the time and funds.
Be mobile-friendly
A mobile-friendly website is not just an option any more. According to Google, the amount of searches on mobile devices surpassed searches on desktops. Desktop websites do not always function properly on mobile devices, causing frustration and loss of sales.