Having a website is great and if you do not have a website for your business then shame on you! What are you waiting for?
So a lot of people ask us what is the key to a good website and how do I get more traffic. This is often followed by, ‘My website doesn’t give me much business’
Well our response to these questions and comments are the same each time and so I thought it would be a good idea to share this with everyone as we all deserve a better online experience for our business.
- A good website is a site that people can navigate easily no matter what the platform. (desktop, Windows, Apple, tablet or mobile). Take your own browsing habits and apply them to your own site. Does it give you want you want?
Feed and water your website like you would a Yucca plant
Gaining more traffic? Well there are some really simple guidelines that I am going to share;
- Content is key – If you cannot commit to adding content daily then at least use the Yucca plant target. Feed and water your website like you would a Yucca plant, once a week, add a new article, blog or interesting news article. Do not be put off that you feel you are writing these for no response back. Like the Yucca plant, your readers will be silent at first but they will grow and flourish soon enough.
- Current is vital – There is nothing more off putting than a website that has the latest news dated in 2008. Keep your site updated. Keep your content current. Google does not register, no matter how interesting the article is, if you are not updating your site regularly.
- Search Engine Optimization – So there are so many companies out there trying to take your hard earned money to guarantee you top Google Ranking. The majority adopt the old – let’s flood hundreds of small websites with your links to give you a larger backlink catalogue. Although it is always good to have backlinks, you need reputable sites to give you a link back. You also need to look at your own images. People talk about ALT- Images. Basically you have the option with most website services to add ALT descriptions and meta tags to images. DO THIS! And try to describe the image as if you were trying to describe it to someone who was visually impaired. Search engines will reward you for your hard work here.
- Social Media – We don’t need to say much here, apart from interact and connect with your social media followers. They should always be combined between your website and your twitter for example. Try not to isolate them.
- Sitemaps – Simple stuff but make sure your website site map is registered with Google, Yahoo and Bing. Do not expect them to do the hard work for you. Tell them!
Are you aware 90% of people no matter what will check out your website before calling you?
- Your website and you. Why do you expect more business from your website? Do you offer direct online sales? Are you aware 90% of people no matter what, will check out your website before calling you? You may not even know they have been on your site but they see this as your office and your service so it should be tidy, current and welcoming – just like you right? 🙂
- Does your website have a Call for Action? If not then what are you expecting people to do when on there? Create a call for action and see if you get a better response.
- Lastly, investing in your website is investing in your business. You may have enough work to go on for years without an online presence but how about a higher value of work and less of it? Make more money or awareness for less time? Well that is what websites are there for. They are your work horse. They work for you! This is a web business not a website.
If you would like to find out more then you can connect with the Fiddy Design team behind WeAreTheCity here
Stewart Vallely is co-founder of WeAreTheCity and Managing Director of Fiddy Designs, the web business design service.
