Beginner guide to developing a website

For every business, it is very essential to have a website. It makes your business display an online presence; with this kind of perception, even your customers will be assured that you are serious and confident about what you are doing. It also increases the chances of having a wider market.
However, not all websites meet the expectations of their business. Many people’s assumptions are; “If I have a website, my traffic will increase drastically, and the business will prosper faster within a short period.” Well, I can’t dispute that; that’s totally true, but only if you make sure you have good basics on how to make sure your website ranks high in the search engines.

Let’s have a look at some essentials for a website;

1)      Appealing Website Design

You may qualify for every requirement, but without an amazing website design, then it’s all in vain. A website gives the first impression; if it is shabby and disorganized then your audience will also perceive your business as disorganized as that. Be unique; don’t do what everyone is doing. Try and be creative enough to know what kind of website you want. High-quality websites may take time, but it’s worth the wait because you will be assured of success in the end. Let your visitors use your website as an example while illustrating the real definition of “wow”. This will also increase traffic to your site when satisfied customers refer their friends to your business.

2)      Focus on the  user experience

Make it easy for your website visitors to access any necessary content. Your website should be user-friendly, easy to navigate through, and simple. If you have Call-to-Action buttons, make sure they redirect to other pages and are functional if they bring a prompt notification. When deciding to have a website, keep in mind what it is for. What will the website visitors gain from it? Answer the questions in the visitor’s mind through the content you bring forth.

3)      Decide on either a Dynamic or Static Website

Most Dynamic websites use CMS platforms and have an administrator panel while static websites are made from hard code and don’t have an administrator panel. Choose wisely the kind of website you’ll need for future convenience.

The website should be SEO friendly, load fast, and be easy to add and update content. In case you want to use a certain CMS make sure you get to know the pros and cons of the particular Content Management system. Don’t rush into using one because your competitor is using it; you don’t know the difficulties they might be facing. Be unique. Using a CMS with a community of developers who answer questions about errors encountered is advisable.

4)      Have a Marketing strategy.

Marketing is important for any business venture. In order to attract visitors, you need to have a website that is SEO friendly (this entails having optimized links, images, and content), engage in affiliate marketing by having affiliate programs(in the case of an online store), promote your business in the social media and email marketing.

5)      Convey the main subject of the website effectively (simplicity).

When visitors come to your website, what is displayed on the page they have opened determines how long they will stick to that page. Having that in mind, it is very essential to know how to convey what you offer, what you do, who you are, who is your target market and why you offer the services in the most effective.

Be clear, precise, and straight to the point. Make sure you make a good impression, by the general look of the website, the logo, the slogan, and everything that says more about the website. If you keep this in mind, visitors will realize you are serious and not a joker with the services you offer.

6)      Call-to-Action buttons

To ensure your visitors do not get confused or stranded when they visit your website, Call To Action (CTA’s) buttons come in handy. If it is a hotel’s portal; it is very essential to have a “Book Room” button that will give the visitor a hint of what to do next. A website should not make people think too much, things should flow easily. If it is a shopping cart, then have a cart icon on an invisible area on the website, preferably at the top right of the nav. Other CTAs are not limited to a particular area, but they should be easily visible.

Show your visitors the next step to take. The basic things to always have at the top are;

• The company’s phone number
• The company’s Email

At the footer section, have your

• Contact information
• Address
• Quick links to different pages.
• Working hours and days
• The location

7)      Have an engaging ‘About us’ page

Letting your visitors know who you are, the team behind the company is very important. It builds trust and a sense of security; people may assume it is a joke without a physical self. Moreover, the about us page should not only be about the team involved, but also about the target customers. It is a good etiquette strategy and not trying to blow your own trumpet without considering the audience.

It is important to include why you are doing this or that and why you came up with this solution and how it is going to better the lives of the interested personnel. In conclusion, make sure the “About Us” or “Who we are” page engages the audience.

8)      Quality Content

On the website, deliver high-quality content that will demonstrate the integrity and seriousness of the business. However, the content should be simple to understand, straight to the point, and elaborate enough. For any further inquiries, the contact channels come in handy; this may include an online consulting agent (mostly when it concerns online stores/ market stores). Clearly outline

• The services offered,
• The product being showcased,
• Reviews of the products,
• Testimonies of people who have used the product,
• What problem the product is solving and how
• Have Call-to-Action buttons at the right positions.
• Generally, don’t leave out any detail, even if it is a small business.

Each page’s content should match the main subject of the web page, don’t have too much-unrelated issues on the same page. Be organized. Optimized content is important in order to increase ranking in search engines. Don’t write irrelevant information that can irritate the website visitor, for example; It is an online food store, let the content on the website be fully about food.

9)      Track your conversion

Tracking the website conversion entails;

• Knowing where visitors to your website come from
• The page most visited (what attracts the visitors most) will show the page that is ranked high by the search engines.
• Measure the underlying success of your website.
• Know if the strategies you have put in place are bringing in success or not.

 

10)  Have a responsive website

At this point, responsive websites are highly recommended because they can fit nicely on any device screen and the website will still remain presentable. Nowadays, people prefer using their phones to access the internet at any time, if a site is inconvenient what do you think will make a visitor stick there? Websites created for desktop purposes cannot fit well on different screens and will require zooming in and out.