If your website looks like it was put together on a computer using Windows 98, it might be time to think about giving it a fix. Maybe you’ve put too much thought into your website and it is so full of information that the visitor is immediately turned away because it’s too hard to navigate. Some industry insiders say most viewers give a site about seven seconds to determine if it offers what they want. With so little time to spur the desired action, a strong strategy is needed to entice and keep them there. The good thing about a website is that it never sleeps (unless some upgrades are in order). It’s always working for you, which means with a little effort, the return on investment comes quick and fairly easy. Small companies often take this approach to websites as they are a business investment, especially if they intend to derive a majority of their business from it. But regardless of whether you company is large or small, companies can improve their ROI by getting focused on great graphics and a layout that isn’t too jumbled. In the Web industry, the first impression is sometimes the final impression. Some company’s Web presence lives and dies by their site’s eye candy effect. After the site’s aesthetic is in the bag, companies have to consider their target audience to maximize their ROI. Target is so important that some in the industry believe that it can take precedence over the aesthetic of a site. But more often than not, the layout of the site is built around the audience it’s aiming for and not the company sending the message. The functionality of the site can’t be overstated. Every page of the site should have relevant information and no dead links. What are the questions your clients will likely be asking you about your business? Draw those questions up and put them on a FAQ page, which is another crucial part of your website that empowers your viewers to make decisions that ultimately improve your ROI. Pay-per-click (PPC) programs are proving to be an effective means of creating advertisement revenue. This method allows your site to gain revenue just by having your viewers click on an ad, and they don’t actually have to buy anything advertised. But make sure the ads are relevant to your audience and that the ads fit the design and aesthetic of your site. Be careful of your intent, however, as too many ads kills the validity of the site. To that end, let’s take a look at a list of Do’s and Don’ts to ensure a success ROI for your website: Do’s
Before you approach any design company, it is important that outline the goals you want to achieve with your website. These goals may vary from business to business, but could include lead generation, an increase in conversion rate, an increase in sales, and improved brand awareness. Whatever your goals make sure they are measurable.
A business cannot expect to sell its products or services to everyone. Therefore it’s important for a business to indentify its target market, and understand their needs and wants. This helps in creating value for your customers. At the same time, formulate an effective marketing strategy to attract targeted traffic to the website. Marketers need to keep in mind that attracting the wrong traffic to your website will just increase your hits and not your revenue. This becomes an even bigger problem if you are paying for that traffic.
Having a simple and easily accessible website helps visitors easily locate the products or services they are looking for and illustrates improved visitor engagement. Avoid using heavy flash or dark colors. This not only creates distraction and reduces visitor engagement, it also prevents the website from ranking high in the search engines, which are the primary source of traffic to your website.
Remember that a visitor arriving on your website already knows what he/she is looking for, so be sure your calls to action are straightforward and meet a need. Calls to action should be very specific so visitors can quickly decide what they want to do as this next step is directly related to the ROI you expect from your website.
Don’ts
A visitor coming to your website always has a clear intention of what he/she wants and as research shows, he or she won’t spend more than 30-40 seconds on your site looking for it. As a result, it’s very important that the message you want to convey is clear, concise and relevant to your offerings. Highlight the most important things like contact details and make them stand out. Add a search box as it helps in increasing the conversion rate to a great extent.
Most businesses have a mentality that visitors automatically come to the website just because it exists. This thinking is absolutely wrong . Once a website is created, it must be promoted and search engine optimization must be implemented or potential customers will never find you.
Pop-ups or un-necessary ads are a complete turn-off for most people. It creates distraction and takes visitors away from the website. Instead, come up with some creative ways to convey your message on the page itself rather than using pop-up windows. Also, avoid using too many ads on the page as this reduces the user interaction on the website. In all, the most important aspect when designing your new site is to correctly identify your audience and your intentions. If you fit your strategy and your activity with both, you’ll be well on your way to a strong ROI.