New Year, New Website

Every year we make resolutions, perhaps to join the gym, visit a new country, or learn a new language… but what about resolutions for our business? 

Once we’ve eaten our body weight in roast potatoes and Toblerone’s, many of us – business owners included – start to think about our goals and ambitions for the year ahead of us. 

If your website isn’t converting as well as you’d like and you’re looking to refresh it, or you’re contemplating launching your very first website, there is no better time than at the beginning of a new year to take that step.

Let’s face facts: the core of your online presence is your website. This is where your company presents its professional ‘face’ so your website design and development has a huge effect on the perceived credibility of your business. 

In this blog, we take a closer look at the benefits of investing in a high-quality website, as well as some handy tips on how to get started. 

Attract and retain customers 

Updating or creating a website allows you to pay special attention to Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). Optimising your website for SEO ensures your customers can find you, allowing you to get the upper hand over competitors, and ultimately enhance your chance of revenue.

“It takes about 50 milliseconds (0.05 seconds) for users to form an opinion about your website that determines whether they like your site or not, so it’s important to make a good first impression.”

Not only does improved SEO on your website help you attract customers, it also works to retain customers. An optimised website will decrease your website’s bounce rate (the rate at which a user leaves your website). 

So it begs the question, how do we persuade visitors to stick around, and better still, return?

It all centres around the User Experience. 

An essential part of the user experience is functionality. Have you honestly ever stayed on a website that took way too long to load, or one you couldn’t navigate? 

If a user is waiting too long or can’t easily find what they’re looking for – you might lose them. This could be prevented with simple solutions such as optimising the size of large file types. 

“88% of online consumers are less likely to return to a site after a bad experience.” 

A new website should be responsive, modern, functional, and (very importantly) mobile-friendly. A seamless experience across all devices is important. 

According to the Office for National Statistics, “78% of internet access is via mobile phones and devices.” 

Mobile-friendly sites help you in ranking on search engines and Google has actually changed its search indexing to be mobile-first. 

This means if you put a load of effort into creating a new website – but neglect its mobile compatibility – a tremendous amount of your efforts will be fruitless. 

Preparation is key 

A business needs to take the time to understand who its users are, their needs and pain points, as well as picking apart their own brand. 

When navigating through your website, is your visitor clear about what you offer and who it’s aimed at? Is your USP obvious? Is there a primary goal and is there an identifiable action that is easy for the user to take? 

Explore your brand. Your identity is built from your values, proposition, and message. From this, your brand develops a personality and a tone of voice, and this must be reflected through all aspects of your website and marketing collateral. 

Content goes hand-in-hand with website design

Put simply, great sites need great content, and this includes everything from images and videos, to text, headlines, and brand-defining statements. Your content and design should work harmoniously to keep users interested and engaged. 

“75% of consumers admit to making judgements on a company’s credibility based on the company’s website design.” 

Have you thought about your visuals and language – do they showcase your brand personality? Images must look like they were taken this decade, and your fonts need to be timeless. Having a modern, updated design shows that your company cares about its digital presence. 

What do you gain? 

Apart from a website to be proud of, businesses can generally expect a financial gain for a new or improved website. Every aspect of your website design must include conversion rate optimisation.