You meet a potential lead in a coffee shop and want to tell them more about your company (at the barista’s pace) and although you’ve invested in those fancy card stock business cards, you’ve got no web presence or worse, a website that doesn’t resonate with your readers or consumers.
Aside from Yelp and Google for Business, having a website that speaks to your brand serves as a vital ingredient to your brand. According to Time, more than 3 billion people have access to the internet either at home, school, work or their favorite cafe.
Once people have access to your site, you need to have a goal in mind. For some, that means downloading a free e-book, for others that might mean making a purchase. Before you ring in the new year, here are some musts to consider for a successful 2020 website launch or re-launch.
Stellar Design
Use graphics only when they make sense. Are those GIFs helping or harming your overall message? Do those colors work? Think about your website’s bandwidth and choose intentional and impactful visual content to avoid slow-loading pages and/or distractions.
Now that we have people pouring their time (and money) into services and products that serve them, it’s important to have easy navigation with a simple layout that works on a desktop as well as it does on a phone. Knowing where your customer's cursor or fingertip travels next is important but so is making sure your visuals are high quality and clean. This helps the visitor establish trust in your brand.
Like humans, websites evolve. You need to start somewhere, and starting with a web site with at least 5 pages is key. A Content Strategist can usually help flesh these pages out. Starting from scratch? Try to establish at least five pages including a home page, about page, services/products, contact and a blog with regular content streaming. If you have new promotions, seasonal offers, or something to share with your customers, showcase these promos in your Hero and publish it to social media.
Content That Connects
Once your site is designed, you want to start thinking about content. Design is very important, but it does little good to have a beautiful site without on-brand copy. If you're hiring a Freelance Copywriter, make sure to send them a brand guide so everything aligns, page by page. Each page should be informative, succinct, but personable.
Your website shouldn't read like a robot was behind the keyboard and it shouldn't be littered with clickbait or CTA's that lead the customer astray. Each page on your sitemap will help search engines locate where, who, and what you are, based on a series of intentional SEO methods sprinkled within your site.
Your About page is going to be the one that will set your chair company apart from Joe Schmo Chair Co. Give potential customers insight into what they can expect by using your products or services.
If your visitor can’t figure out who you are within a few seconds, it’s time to go back to the drawing board because your bounce rate is going to climb.
With research, Copywriters help articulate your brand’s mission without complexity. A good copywriter can also help establish your user persona so that regardless of the medium, your brand is succinct. Best of all, professional copywriters write pages people will WANT to read.
SEO/ Site Rankability
Always remember to use keywords and synonyms to those words throughout your copy. Sit in your customer’s computer chair for a moment and try to imagine what you'd want to see, feel, and be informed about it.
Often times, the more you talk about something, the more credible you become for your niche — this comes back to building trust. Try reciting your elevator pitch to a colleague or friend then ask them what they would Google to find your company.
It pays to get an outsider's perspective.
When you’ve decided on a few keyword suggestions, after peddling through online tools, you’ll discover how to customize your content based on keyword searchability.
If you're ready to pay for keywords, stay competitive! Don’t invest in a key phrase or word that will make finding your website impossible.
What’s a small goal to set for yourself? Try to rank in the first three pages through trial and error, and find your sweet spot.
By keeping your content/copy hyper-specific, updated you’ll rank better and better over time. As you experiment with keyword density, CTAs, and marketing your product, allow yourself the breathing room for growth. Don’t be too hard on yourself and always hire a professional — your business is worth it.
This article has been revised and republished.
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