TOP TIPS FOR ONLINE SUCCESS
Leading Edge Business Options
Website Design Centre 1800 774 107 / +617 3102 7487
Top 10 Tips for Online Success
Website Design Centre 1800 774 107 / +617 3102 7487
Simple and Well-organised Website DesignHaving your website designed can get a little overwhelming and you might be tempted to put as much in there as possible but this is when you need to practice a little restraint. Flash animation, background sound and large graphics may not be the best choice, particularly for a professional website. Focus on what’s truly important – a website that is organised so that visitors can easily find what they are looking for so great navigation and internal linking. The images need to be clear and correctly sized and the text easy to read (typically dark text on a light background works best.
Work on your response timeWhen a visitor completes an online query, asks a questions via a social media platform or emails your business they are not just a website visitor, they are a potential customer and need to be treated as such. If a person walked into your bricks and mortar store would you leave them standing, waiting to be served? Of course you wouldn’t – you would ask how you could be of help and answer any questions in a timely manner – the same rules need to apply for those reaching out through online channels.
Engage, engage, engageBy engaging with website visitors and social media followers you have the potential to turn them into active participants in your business and increase loyalty, reach and sales. How can you do this?
Top 10 Tips for Online Success
Website Design Centre 1800 774 107 / +617 3102 7487
Start up a blog and open it up for comments (beware of spammers though – talk to your website designer about to handle website comments), add a discussion board or forum, get onto social media if you haven’t already. The big platforms – Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and LinkedIn will allow you to converse, share and inform your customers about what your business is up to.
Don’t oversellOnce you have a potential customer resist the temptation to do the oversell. A pushy salesperson in a physical store is likely to drive the visitor straight out the door and the same is true online. Offer information on the advantages, benefits and features of your products/services but don’t pressure and don’t use ‘spammy’ language.
Welcome back…Repeat website visitors = repeat custom. Brainstorm ideas of how to get visitors to return to your website on a regular basis and you will see an increase in sales. A couple of examples might be – a discount or sale on a once-a-month basis or a riveting/relevant blog series that will keep them returning to read the next instalment. Don’t forget to tell everyone about what you’re doing via an email (newsletter, EDM) and/or social media. Even just adding quality, engaging content on a regular basis can be a good way to get visitors returning to your site (and it’s great for SEO purposes too).
Top 10 Tips for Online Success
Website Design Centre 1800 774 107 / +617 3102 7487
Keep calm and SEOWe’re sure many of you have heard the term ‘SEO’ or ‘Search Engine Optimisation’ many, many times now. And while designing your website and writing content with the aim to rank higher in search engine results is admirable, don’t go overboard. Keyword ‘stuff’, engage in black hat SEO practices and you run the risk that your site will evaluated as spam and be demoted or banned altogether. Optimizing pages is fantastic, over-optimising pages makes them unlikeable, unreadable and unengaging to real people and this is something that search engines are finally taking into account when assigning rankings.
Linking up…Sharing links to the blog posts contained on your website via social media platforms will increase the traffic to your site and the possibility for conversions.
Real people matterWhile giving attention to how to achieve success online it’s so important to not lose sight of what you are striving for – to provide a product or service to a real, live customer. Treat each and every online visitor in exactly the same way that you would if they were standing directly in front of you.
Top 10 Tips for Online Success
Website Design Centre 1800 774 107 / +617 3102 7487
Maintain your database and contactGetting website visitors to sign up for a newsletter or mail out list will help you to maintain your contact and the potential for repeat custom. An incentive such as a free report, e-course or e-book can assist you in increase the number of people on your database. Once they have signed up don’t lose them – don’t pester them with constant, repetitive or irrelevant emails – once a month and on special occasions should suffice. You also need to ensure that any newsletter or EDMs (electronic direct marketing) contains high-quality content and provides an unsubscribe or opt out option.
Personally connectWhile we all should take cyber security seriously, particularly our personal online security, there is a lot to be said for endeavouring to make that personal connection with visitors via your online presence. Many find it reassuring to put a face to a name (or a brand) – think Richard Branson and Virgin Blue, Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook – having a team photo on your website or social media profiles will help to build a rapport between your business and your customers.
Talk to the Website Design Centre team today for more information on how we can help you to implement some or all of the top tips for online success. Contact us here
Leading Edge Business OptionsBoronia Ct, Albany Creek, QLD 4035, Australia
Jay LeBoutillier www.websitedesigncentre.com.au
Everything you need to cost effectively grow your business onlineWebsite Design Centre 1800 774 107 / +617
3102 7487
