Whether you’re a bricks and mortar business, you operate solely online or somewhere in between, your website will play a hugely important role in helping people make considered purchases about your products or services.
A good website can be your most important sales tool and most valuable employee, it gives the consumer a sense of who you are, what you can do and the type of service they can expect from you. It’ll work around the clock for you to bring customers to your business, it won’t take a holiday and it’ll be there long after you and your team have left for the weekend, waving the flag for your company.
With this in mind, and increasing numbers of online users, it’s more important than ever to ensure your website is clear, user-friendly and showcases who you are and what you have to offer.
The high-street shopper has evolved
According to the United States eCommerce report, the number of people who search for products and services online before buying is as high as 88%. This buying behaviour is a key indicator of the importance of a good website in today’s digital-first world.
Even if you can seal the deal in person, it’s highly likely they’ll check you out online first, so make sure there’s a well designed, user-friendly, professional website waiting for them to land on.
Like we mentioned above, your website is out there, flying the flag for your business, day in, day out so it’s really important that users who have made it to your page need to be able to navigate and use the website without needing to call for assistance.
It will underpin all of your online activity
Your website should be the backbone of your entire digital marketing strategy. All of your paid online advertising, Google ads and social media will lead people back to one place- your website.
Reviewing and interrogating the analytics of your website will inform your strategy and help you discover your customer’s behaviours and patterns leading to effective and timely marketing campaigns.
The ROI will continue for years
If you decide to go down the cheapest route possible when building and designing a website, you’ll likely get what you pay for. If your wish for your website is that it becomes an unstoppable conversion machine (let’s be honest… who’s isn’t?!) you’re going to need reasonable time and budget to turn things around.
Just like a member of your team, the more you are able to invest in it, the more you will be able to get out of it.
A well kept and up-to-date website produces ROI for years beyond its original launch date, so while it may seem costly upfront, your long-term strategy for growth will thank you for it!
Impeccable time management
Your website is able to attract new customers, track their movements, showcase your work, put people in direct contact with you and even generate revenue by making sales on your behalf if you’re an eCommerce business.
All this would take a considerable amount of time if done by a human, but a website is able to perform all of these tasks in a matter of moments with no notice at all… it’s there to serve your business to the best of its ability.
Replies to consumer questions can be conjured up in seconds with a chatbot or a clearly labelled FAQ page and automated messages can invite the consumer to sign up to your mailing list, ask them if they’re sure they want to leave the site or even say a simple ‘Thank you’ before you’re even aware they’ve been there.
To conclude
So remember, your website will likely be your most valuable asset in the new digital-first world. Treat it like you would a valued member of staff and keep a close eye on how it’s performing for you.
Monitoring Google Analytics to track which pages are performing well and which have high bounce rates will help you determine where changes might need to be made, and small enhancements can be done to ensure there’s a good user journey so you’re not left with a leaky sales funnel!
If you’re ready to take the next step in your digital ambitions and to see how we can help with your website (or lack of!), speak to one of our experts today via the contact form below or on [email protected].