The website is your virtual business address on the Internet. It is where people who explore the virtual world find your products and services. As a business owner, the website is the venue where you close transactions and register a sale.
Social media and other online strategies work to drive inbound traffic to your website in the same way flyers, posters, and banners entice mall-goers to visit a restaurant.
It is not enough to simply want to have a website. You must be willing to invest time and financial resources to build a website that is fully-functioning, fully capable of supporting your business, and delivering on the programs that will meet your objectives.
Yes, the availability of free website templates from WordPress will make the website design more affordable. But rather than view this as an opportunity to cut costs, embrace it as a privilege to have more resources to build a better website.
The website is the hub of your online business; it is undoubtedly the most important component to ensure the success of your enterprise. Here are the key elements in building an effective online business website:
1. Hire the services of a web designer
A website designer has the experience and competence to build a website that creates a balance between aesthetic value and functionality. The necessary elements of design are determined only after research is done. A professional web designer knows how to translate data into concepts that will appeal to your target market.
2. Use a reputable web host
Not all web hosts are the same. While obviously, costs are a concern, for your business, your priority should be the reliability of the hosting provider. Remember, your web host affects your user’s browsing experience. Conduct due diligence on the different web hosts and determine the provider with the least number of downtimes, best customer service feedback, and offers better value.
3. Adopt a mobile responsive design
Given that 60% of online traffic comes from mobile gadgets and that half of the world’s population use smartphones, you better make sure your website is accessible to the mobile market. Statistically, 57% of Internet users will not patronize a website that they cannot access.
4. Focus on speed
Internet users will not patronize a slow-loading website. According to a study by Strangeloop, 57% of Internet users will abandon a website that will not download in 3 seconds. 80% of them will not patronize the website anymore. But mobile responsive design may affect your quest for speed. Again, this is the value of having a professional website designer. He will know how to balance out the design elements to ensure sufficient speed even when adopting responsive design.
5. Develop engaging content
It is not enough that Internet users can find you. They should be encouraged to explore your website further, and the most effective way to do this is through engaging content. Original, fresh, and engaging content will encourage your readers to stay. Thus, effective content management Improves User Experience and gives your search rankings a boost.
A website must remain dynamic; it must be allowed to adapt to the changes in the target market. Thus, having a website will be an ongoing investment. You must continually introduce improvements and upgrades that will consistently enhance User-Experience.
In the long run, you can expect that your investments will pay off.