Today, what do you think is the most crucial investment in the digital arena? It’s a website. Regardless of what you’re selling online, if you don’t have a decent website, you won’t be visible to the thousands of customers looking for the products/services you offer.
But don’t think that developing and deploying a top-of-the-line website will generate revenue, allow you to reach out to your target audience, and help create brand awareness – it won’t. You’ve got to make it ready-for-marketing so people can actually explore it and interact with it. While this may sound redundant because “who even prepares a website for marketing purposes,” but it is what it is.
Luckily, not a lot of effort goes into preparing your website for a robust marketing plan. All you need to do is spend some money, follow the tips below, and your website will be topping the SERPs in no time.
1. Reduce loading times
Users are impatient; they want your website to load as soon as it can on both desktop and mobile devices. In a report, customers said they prefer it if a website loads in under two seconds, and if that doesn’t happen, they’ll wait for a second more and abandon it. If you want to keep visitors on your website, ensure that it’s speedy. Regardless of how top-tier your on-site and off page SEO is, it will never compensate for a sluggish website.
Do two things for a start: one, optimize any resource-intensive images; two, check the speed of your server.
2. Make it responsive
Since Google puts an extreme emphasis on offering high-quality content to its users, it prefers responsive websites. Also, the website should be mobile-responsive as well. Mobile-responsiveness isn’t merely a bonus feature anymore; it’s a necessity. Statistically speaking, 63% of adults use mobile phones to go online, and 34% of them don’t feel the need to access the web through a laptop or desktop computer.
So, make your website responsive. It should be responsive on all devices, be it a mobile phone, tablet, laptop, or a widescreen monitor.
3. Make the navigation easier
The majority of users come to your site with a set aim. For example, getting in touch with your customer support or finding a product/service price. So, you would want the process to be easy and quick. Suppose your website’s design and navigation are confusing, and visitors have difficulty reaching a specific page or piece of information. In that case, they’ll get frustrated and leave your website. This, coupled with slow loading times, is a recipe for disaster!
To better your website’s navigation, include big headings with subtopics and self-explanatory, straightforward navigation paths. Always get multiple people to vet the navigation process before going live.
4. Choose colors wisely
Choosing colors is essential – and you need to maintain a perfect balance between clarity and beauty. Look for a color palette that aligns with your industry and brand identity, and ensure the contrast between text and background is enough to make the content readable while also ensuring that it doesn’t strain the readers’ eyes.
For example, see this website. The pop of vibrant colors and red in the background painting attracts the user’s attention. Since this website belongs to the art industry, it can afford to be a bit creative with colors, which is precisely what it did. However, you won’t see a conservative industry like banking use all these vivid colors, and the reason is apparent. While this combination works well for this website, others would be better off using another set of colors.
For a website to be marketing-friendly, the colors need to be aligned with the brand image. Imagine a women’s health website colored in brown! Exactly, odd!
5. Maintain consistency in branding
Make branding consistent across your website. This way, you’ll create a sense of cohesion, and the visitors will perceive you as professional. It’s essential to keep the same color scheme, typography, and layout on every page of the website to let the users know where they are. It will help them find the information they’re looking for without unnecessary scrolling or navigation. With a style guide, you’ll be able to add elements or pages to your site easily and quickly. Why? Because you’ll already have a template for your website’s pages.
6. Build backlinks
Backlinks are like a digital “thumbs up” for your website – a vote of confidence on the internet. With more votes, the chances of you getting ranked higher in the SERPs will increase. Fortunately, there are many tactics you can employ to build backlinks. For example, social media can help you build backlinks while also giving your audience a boost.
Plus, you should partner with trusted sources in your niche – businesses or people looking to link to your website from their content. Or, try press releases – they boost traffic to your website and increase the number of backlinks.
7. Get an attractive domain name
Your domain must be in line with what your business does. Therefore, choosing a proper domain name is crucial for your marketing efforts. Before finalizing your website’s name, remember never to use a word that represents a part of your offerings. For example, onlineclothes.com will mean that you just sell clothes online. If you choose to expand your offerings, this will become a problem down the road.
Plus, your domain name shouldn’t contain obscure words or be too complicated. Keep it simple so that users can memorize and pronounce it well. Also, come up with an SEO-friendly URL. Remember, if the name fails to attract any audience, the website will suffer too.
8. Use CTAs
If you want the visitors to engage with your website, use a CTA button. While you may think that it’s not necessary, that’s not the case – see it for yourself. Without a great CTA, you won’t be able to generate enough purchases and signups. Does that make sense to you as a marketer?
Consider essential elements when designing your CTAs. For example, the color, size, and location of your website’s buttons. A well-designed CTA will ensure maximum conversions.
Conclusion
Preparing a website for a robust marketing strategy requires careful planning. This article highlighted the significance of a few tips, such as choosing an appropriate name, selecting the right colors and navigation design, building backlinks, and reducing page load times. Implement the recommendations mentioned above, and your website will have an excellent chance of succeeding in the online marketplace.