Making the decision to invest in a website is a big commitment.
Aside from the investment – it’s one of the biggest you’re likely to make in your marketing budget – there’s a lot to consider.
The design, its functionality, sitemap, your competitors, your target audience, the client journey… to name but a few.
It might sound a daunting prospect and to many businesses it is. Dipping your toes into the unknown in the hope you will reap the rewards. Before you commit, we have some handy tips:
Have a purpose
Like all things in marketing, your website needs to have an objective. Ask yourself some questions; does your business need one? If so, what is its purpose? Is it to be found online and if so, why would people want to find you? Don’t have a website “just because everyone else does”, set clear goals for what you want to achieve.
Research, research, research…
Once you’ve decided on a new website you need to look into who your customers are and what they are looking at. Look at what your competitors are doing, take it on board and think outside the box a bit more when it comes to creating your site. This will go a long way to helping with the eventual brief for creating your site.
Make it unique
Your business is one in a million, it’s USP is its uniqueness. Make sure your site reflects this in the way it is designed and built. Include images and content which defines your business, all with the end-user – your customer – in mind.
Get it right!
Keep in mind what information you want on your site and make sure it covers what your customers are looking for. Having keywords in place when you go live will help your customers find you online – Google loves keywords for its ranking. Most importantly though, as with many things, you pay for what you get. A cheap website will be cheap for a reason. Having a team of professional designers, web developers, animators and content writers on hand will make sure your investment makes a return.
In our next blog, we’ll look at future-proofing your website so it stays ahead of the game.
