Before we start, let's take a pop quiz: What makes a great website?
a) great visuals
b) easy navigation
c) goal-oriented
d) valuable content
e) SEO optimized
f) all of the above
I think you probably know the answer. It's F) all of the above. They are all important and necessary when creating a website that will address your business needs and deliver ROI.
To stay on track, it always helps me to ask the following questions during the website design phase:
Will it drive business goals, address challenges and grow business?
Does it provide useful information and functionality to visitors?
Is it easy to use and navigate for both desktop and mobile users?
Does it follow best SEO practices?
Now that we've established what goes into a great website, here are the key steps in creating one:
Define what you want your website to do: sales, branding, leads, customer engagement, customer support.
Determine whom you want to attract and understand their needs and motivations.
Identify success metrics – forms completed, sales, calls, engagement, downloads.
Design it with functionality and content in mind – attractive, navigable, useful information, mobile responsiveness.
Make it search-friendly – fast load time, appropriate titles/descriptions, unique content.
Test it – invite friends, family and clients to try the site and provide feedback.
Readjust it – address concerns from testing phase to optimize the visitor experience.
Refresh it - continuously add new content and evaluate functionality that is targeted to your visitor's needs.
Conclusion
To keep it simple, one needs to think of a website as an extension of their business. Does it complement what you do as a business? Does it help your customers engage with you? Does it help bring in new customers? If you follow the steps above, you will have a great starting point for a website tied closely to your business needs.
If you need to design (or re-design) a website and don't have the time or knowledge to do it yourself, we're here to help. Contact us here and we'll set up a quick, no-commitment consultation to determine how we can help you achieve your website goals.