Your business website is how you connect with potential customers, build a following, and sell products and services. Are you creating a new site from scratch or revisiting an old one? If your website doesn’t include these essential elements, you are missing out on opportunities:
• Social media buttons – When you add social media links to your site, you’re making it easy for users to connect with you on these platforms. Simply adding icons for your social media links will vastly increase your followers, likes, etc. Integrate your social media by including visible social media buttons, showcasing social media feeds, and including share buttons. Don’t forget your blog link!
• Contact page – A contact page is essential for your business website. You will need to make it easy for visitors to find your contact information and submit a question to you. A call-to-action button or link prompts the viewer to fill out a short form in order to receive further information. Clear call-to-action buttons encourages viewers to take immediate action on your website.
• Newsletter signup – You’ve motivated them to visit your site, so now ask for their email address so you can continue correspondence. If you are continually adding new developments to your business or site, you should consider creating a newsletter to alert users when something is new. Perhaps you also have a blog; with a newsletter you can issue alerts to those who are registered, directing them to each new post.
• Responsive design – When developing your website, keep in mind the fact that most people now use the internet on their mobile phone just as much as on their computer. Is your website mobile-friendly? A responsive design means that it will seamlessly adjust from desktop to tablet and smartphone browsers. GMS design expert Julie May says, “The trend is slowly changing to where web developers will start the initial design on mobile, then adjust it for desktop.” Google is also now giving more prominence to those websites, so be sure your website is mobile-friendly.
• Google Analytics – According to Julie, “If you aren’t tracking your traffic to your site, you should be! Google offers this free tool to give you all kinds of stats and info on who is going to your site and what they are looking at once they land on the page. You can even see where they leave your site.”
• Google Search Console – This free service allows you to see how Google sees your site. Armed with this knowledge, you can make adjustments to get the best possible results from the search engine. You don’t have to sign up for Search Console for your site to be included in Google’s search results, but doing so can help you understand how Google views your site and then optimize its performance in search results.
• Search Engine Optimization – SEO helps to ensure that a site is accessible to a search engine and improves the chances that the site will be found by it. Yoast SEO is a free plugin that is constantly maintained and updated to take advantage of the latest technologies.
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