Is a redesign necessary?
First of all, assess whether it’s time for a refresh or redesign of your site. Some indicating factors include falling metrics (you once saw great returns from your website but you no longer do); you have an impossibly long list of items to fix or update on your site that you haven’t gotten around to yet; or your site just looks old or outdated. Another simple rule is if it’s been more than 12 months since your last update, it’s time to make some changes.
A comprehensive redesign may not be necessary; you might be able to get away with simply adding some content to your homepage or developing a handful of new pages. If you’re not sure whether to redesign your whole site, consider seeking advice from a Web design professional who has a better picture of what works and what doesn’t.
Contact information
This is an easy one, but it’s worth pointing out: Having your company contact information—including phone numbers, addresses and email addresses as well as social media profile pages—readily accessible on every page of your website makes it easier for potential customers to find you. This is especially crucial for small businesses with a primarily local client base.
Consider your homepage
You have a relatively brief window of time—really just a few seconds—to grab a visitor’s attention and convince him to stay on your page to find the information he seeks. Assess the content on your existing homepage and consider how to make it as user-friendly as possible. Is your overall message clear and concise? Is the page visually appealing, with an appropriate ratio of words to photos and eye-catching graphics?
Create and highlight educational content
Since we know the majority of Internet users—78 percent—conduct product research online, we can assume that offering reliable information is a good way to attract them to your site and ultimately convince them to complete a conversion activity such as making a purchase or filling out a contact information form. Consider what sort of data your visitors might be looking for and in what form, whether that’s an e-book or guide on a pertinent topic relevant to your industry, whitepapers, videos or product reviews. And starting a blog is key: Companies with a blog see a 55 percent increase in web traffic. Make these items central features on your homepage and link back to them often from other pages within your site to encourage visitors to check them out.
The ultimate goal of any company website is to reach customers on the Internet as well as in the real world. Taking a few small steps to analyze and tweak your Web design and online communication tactics can result in greater profits in the long run.
Amy works in digital strategy and marketing for a technology startup. Connect with Amy on Twitter or Google+.