Your company has managed to stay afloat for all these years. Several factors have contributed to this, your exceptional service being one of them. Having been able to secure the loyalty of most persons you serve in your area, you are assured of constant patronage. It has been a while now since you have seen new business and you are beginning to wonder what you can do to attract new customers so as to increase your business revenue. You have been putting off that website that the marketing companies have been trying to interest you in long enough. Now you wonder if it would really help.
What is a website?
A website is a collection of related web pages, under a single domain name. That’s probably not exactly what you were looking for. Let’s try again. A website is a digital reflection of your business. It may be the first point of contact for potential customers of your business. Your website can add to or detract from your business. In fact, oftentimes your website can give your customers an idea of what to expect when doing business with you. Whether a website increases your revenue and bottom line is determined by the content, design and how it is developed.
Why do you need a website?
Why don’t you put all your containers in the microwave? Well, that’s easy. Some just aren’t designed for that purpose – similarly with a website. A website can serve several purposes. The intended purpose of your website will determine how it will be designed.
- Informational – Informational websites are created to provide knowledge about a business, brand, products and services. These websites usually have focus placed on content and design primarily.
An effectively planned, well-designed informational website can serve as an excellent driver of sales and revenue for your company. Informational sites can capture leads and provide potential customers with information about your company. - Marketing – Marketing websites are designed in such a way as to push a brand, product or service. A marketing website is designed to motivate a visitor to your site to take a certain action.
- E-Commerce – E-Commerce sites are designed to sell products and/or services. The main aim of this website is to influence a visitor to purchase from you. Everything on this page is geared toward leading the visitor to purchase your product or service.
- Support – This website is generally by larger companies to support hardware, software or services that they offer. They usually answer questions regarding products and services and provide contact information or a direct link to a customer service representative.
A company’s website may be designed to incorporate all the above purposes. Really, a single website can achieve all those functions. You just need to decide what you value most and what area of your business could use some enhancement. Other factors affecting your website design include the type of business and your target audience.
How a website is most effective?
After you have established the purpose your website should serve, there are a few key things you don’t want to exclude from a website that should improve your revenue and bottom line.
- SEO – What’s the point of a well-designed website if no one can find it? Ensure that your website is visible by improving your business’ ranking. Search engine optimization involves enabling your customers to find your site when they search for a product or service that you offer. These results are unpaid and are reflective of a great design.
- Easy to use and navigate – A site that is easy to use and navigate will definitely attract and keep visitors coming back. A site that is too crowded may be a deterrent to users. Avoid using jargon or technical speak as that can be discouraging or convey wrong information.
Remember too that you are designing your website for persons that are disabled. It helps to design it friendly to screen readers etc…
- Mobile-friendly – This is especially necessary considering that mobile browsing has surpassed desktop browsing in terms of searches. If your site is an e-commerce site, you can rest assured that you will have a lot of mobile user traffic. You need to design your site so that the user is able to gain information or make purchases on the go.
- Loads fast – In a fast paced world, with internet speeds that sometimes surpass device load speeds, you need to ensure that your page loads quickly.
- Clear calls to action – Your site’s purpose should be clearly communicated to your clients. Whatever it is that you want them to do should be clearly kept to the fore.
The bottom line
A new website can most definitely increase your revenue and bottom line. Here’s why:
- A website is available even when your physical location isn’t – 24/7 365 days per year.
- Local SEO makes your business more visible in the areas that you desire to be seen the most. Now you can rest easy knowing that your efforts are geared especially towards your target area.
- E-commerce sites allow customers to make purchases from home or on the go. This is definitely something that people the world over are using and coming to appreciate.
- If clients know that they can get support for products that they have purchased without coming in, for example, instructional videos, forums or frequently asked questions they will more likely patronize your business. These features also make it easier for visitors to your site to choose your products or services as they can do research here and get views of other previous clients.
- If you choose to place advertisements on your site, that is also an additional source of income. The more traffic your site has the greater the potential for the site to generate income to sustain itself guaranteeing a great return on your investment.
Don’t hesitate to get a new website when you want to increase your revenue and your bottom line; just ensure that you have done adequate research or chosen the best web design and development company to do it for you. Get your website today and watch your sales hit the roof.
