Your website is built with antiquated template that is invisible to Google.
If your website is built on a template, it can only serve as a digital business card because it is absolutely worthless when it comes to SEO and Google. Templated websites are a nightmare when it comes to SEO because these types of sites are invisible to Google. Read More →
The market place can get rather crowded, with similar businesses all vying for the attention of the same customers.
In order to stand out from the crowd you need to position yourself higher up the food chain than your competitors.
Below are a few simple tips that you can employ to make you stand out:
Get a new website; Yes, I know it’s the obvious thing for web designer to say but hear me out. A new website will make your company seem fresh. It will giv you the chance to overhaul your content, re-direct it’s emphasis, give you the chance to put new content on, add new marketing features. Also Google likes new websites, so it will be a shot of adrenalin in your sites arm that will see it leap frog your competitors.
Social Media: I bet many of your competitors don’t use social media, or if they do they are promoting their business from their personal page. Never mix your personal life with business, you could end up saying something to your friends that your customers see that might paint you in a bad light.
Use social media to it’s strengths: 3 things to remember. Linked in is Business to Business. Twitter is limited to characters so keep it to the point. Facebook is more sociable so you can afford to be a bit more chatty.
New content: Why waste your new site? Keep it updated with new content and offers, and if the site is build right your updates will feed out into your social media accounts which will help drive traffic back to your site.
Obviously these aren’t the be all and end all of what you can do, but by doing these few simple things you will see a difference in how potential customers come to you as opposed to how the approach your competitors.
Are parts of your site not functioning properly?
Does your site have things that are broken or constantly giving you errors like the dreaded “404 not found” message? While it is often a simple fix to correct these broken elements, it could indicate a bigger problem: your site is disorganized or is being mishandled. Read More →
Just getting visitors to your website is rarely enough. If they stay on the homepage or landing page and don’t travel further into your site, the chances are they won’t become the active customers you need
If your objective is simply to get customers to visit your premises or telephone you, stopping at the homepage might not be a problem. Your homepage could simply give details of what your business offers, along with your contact details and a clear call to action — for example, “Visit our store on 1 High Street”.
However, if you want to get customers to convert — whether it’s to buy through your website, register their contact details, or sign up for a newsletter — they must find your homepage interesting enough to want to explore further. To help them do so, they will need clear directions towards their (and your) goals.Analyse web traffic
Start by monitoring how your web visitors behave. Use a free web analytics tool such as Google Analytics or Clicky to find out where visitors arrive from and whether they go beyond your homepage.
If you see them bouncing off the site at the homepage, it may be because they can’t find the information they want, are not drawn in by the content or have to wait too long for a page to load.
Alternatively, the problem could be as simple as a broken hyperlink. Check your site’s basic usability every few days. A slow-loading page can be off-putting, so speak to your web hosting provider if you have regular technical problems.
Crucially, your whole website — not just your home page — needs to be clear about what your business offers, so that visitors can quickly decide if it is relevant to them.
If they have found your site through a search engine, ensure that you have information relating to their search terms on the landing page, whether this is the home page or another page. Failing that, make sure you include hyperlinks and tabs leading to specifics. If they don’t quickly find what they need, they are likely to leave your site within seconds.
Alternatively, you might want to divert groups of visitors to a landing page, when they enter specific terms into a search engine, leading them to relevant information faster. Always include a relevant call to action on your landing page, such as “Register here for our newsletter”.
Content should be fresh and topical, drawing attention to particular products or offers. User-generated content is one way of ensuring that your site remains engaging. Internet tools that enable people to interact with each other via the web — such as blogs, podcasts and discussion forums — can help you do this.
Design is also important, although a basic, easily navigable site is generally preferable to cluttered pages with expensive images.
You should also bear in mind that bombarding your visitors with advertising can be off-putting. So review any sponsorship to ensure it’s relevant, profitable and fits with your brand.
Once you have reviewed your website, monitor it regularly. Customers can give you valuable feedback, so ask them to complete an online survey or email them asking for their thoughts.
Schedule time each month to study your web analytics data, and act on it. Remember, your whole website is your virtual shop window and increasingly, it might be the first impression a customer gets of your business and what you offer
Have you been reading the last few blogs I’ve posted? Just because your website meets some of the points discussed previously doesn’t necessarily indicate that your website needs an overhaul. For instance, just because your site takes a long time to load doesn’t mean that it is time to start from scratch and create a new one. Read More →
For many people, this is one of the most important points to consider. Nearly anything that you post on the web is visible to others. Just as the web has continued to grow and expand – thanks in large part to social media – so has the number of people who can access your information, at any time. Read More →
Successful people, with successful businesses need to develop effective blogs and websites in order to sell more of their products and more of their services on a regular basis. In a technologically-focused world, where internet domination is the key to creating a triumphant business in every industry, online reputation should be our main priority.
That said, there are still many people who either don’t plug into the power of online reputation via blogs and websites at all, or there are those who pay little attention to developing trends and new online marketing strategies for improving the blogs and websites that they own. Both sets of people need to readdress their priorities fast.
Still not convinced you need a new website? Here’s 10 more ways of knowing for sure if you need a redesign.
We here at NEDC would never say you need a new website if you do not need one. What you will get from us is the truth as to whether or not the site is in need of a spring clean, an update, optimising or whether it is perfect the way it is. If you would like to receive a free review of your site, then please contact us here.
Being smart professional people, we all know that our website is a reflection of ourselves and, of course, our brand. A popular website can make a very successful business and potential clients can make a decision whether or not to use you just by looking at your company site.
Here are the Top 10 signs it’s time to upgrade:
1. Your current site doesn’t have social media integration. Without the integration, you’re limiting your customer reach. Making your website shareable is just another way to engage fans, generate leads, and increase brand loyalty.
2. You’re using flash. Websites built with flash have very long load times. In the time it takes to load your site, your potential customer has already started looking for an answer elsewhere. Flash automatically decreases a company’s credibility.
3. You want to strengthen your brand. If your website is more than two years old, it’s time to update it in order to keep up with web design trends and functionality. If it’s more than three years old, it’s time for a complete overhaul. Always make sure to keep things fresh and innovative so customers have a reason to return.
4. Your top competitor just launched a new design. If companies A and B both do the exact same thing, but Company B has an updated website, the masses are going to gravitate toward Company B. Company B now looks more credible. Customers who trust a brand are more likely to buy products over and over again while recommending them to others.
5. You have little to no traffic. A new design will boost traffic and create fresh interactions with your target audience through the use of new tools and interesting functionality.
6. Your site has spelling and grammatical errors. How can you take a company seriously if they can’t distinguish between their, there, and they’re? Content is king.
7. Your messaging is stale. If your messages don’t stick, how will people remember you?
8. You can’t update your own content. If your brand is constantly evolving or you’re introducing new products to your line, you need to share them with your audience. Trying to go through your old web designer is time consuming and costly. Using a content management system like WordPress is a great way to add pages or edit content when you want, wherever you want.
9. You’re not proud of your site. If you’re embarrassed to share your site with someone or make up excuses for why it looks the way that it does, it’s time for an overhaul. A brand won’t gain a following on LinkedIn or Twitter alone. A website is the starting point.
10. You can’t pull up your website on an iPhone. Responsive design is the art of ensuring your site looks good no matter what device a customer is using. In the age where smartphones never leave our hands, it’s important that customers can access your site on-the-go.
If you are sitting there nodding your head at some of these points then it’s probably time to think about a new site. Contact us for a free consultation and to find out how we can help you with grant funding.
If people are visiting your site more often because you are investing in PPC Advertising and because you are producing original, interesting content on a regular basis, you need to make sure that they can share what they read on your site. This means that you should place social networking buttons on every single page (and attach them to posts) so that it only takes the click of a button to share the information that you publish.
Internet users are lazy. Give them all the tools they need to make sure that your site and business finds its way around the Internet without you having to lift a finger.
Want to know how your website can help you?