How sure are you that your business website is 100% complete?
You may have spent weeks preparing it for launch but how can you know for sure that it has everything a site needs to succeed? How will you know if it will rank high on Google searches and if it caters to your client’s demands? How does it stack up against your competition?
In 2016, a whopping 46% of businesses didn’t have a site and those who do state high-quality content and a mobile-friendly design are the top priorities for them. Does that apply to you too? What other essentials do you need to find success online?
It all starts with a great header. To find out more, here’s a look at an essential website checklist you can turn to and figure out how complete your site is:
Great Header and Footer
Keep in mind that most visitors spend less than 10 seconds on a page before they figure out if they want to stay or bounce out. That’s all the time your site has to grab their attention.
One key factor to achieve this is to have a great header and footer. They go together because they always appear on your site. They’re among the first elements visitors set their eyes on so you have to set the right tone.
In 2018, the best headers and footers focus on a minimalist design that still conveys a message about your business. This means having a logo that they can click on, a contact number displayed, and a color scheme that conveys the authority and theme of your site.
Responsive Website
There’s no turning back now. Mobile browsing has surpassed desktop browsing and the gap will only continue to grow over the coming years. Responsive web design means that users can access and view your website whether they’re on a phone, a tablet, or Desktop computer.
A responsive website will not only ensure that your website looks great on all devices, but also increases your mobile user traffic and SEO efforts. Google recommends a responsive website design. It makes for a good user experience and improves your SEO efforts across all platforms by providing a seamless user experience.
Finally, a responsive website can help lower cost and website maintenance fees. Because your website will leverage a single set of templates (as opposed to having different versions of the same site), admin users will only have to update your site in a single place to ensure that all content and messaging is consistent.
Call To Action (Opt-In Form)
So you’ve grabbed their attention for a few seconds longer. What else is on the website checklist to keep them on your site and convert them into paying customers?
The next important element to have is a great Call To Action. Some sites will use a pop-up, but beware of this as many people find pop-ups a distraction and annoying. Try to keep it present but not intrusive.
A Call To Action (using an opt-in form) is crucial because once you’ve acquired their email listed, you can start sending them subscription content like newsletters and promo notices (we will talk about content marketing in another post).
Customers tend to come back and spend more money if they have a chance to use a coupon and take advantage of discounts or other promos. A strong Call To Action using an opt-in form will make sure you can keep them notified even after they leave your business site.
Simple Navigation
Another important factor is easy and simple navigation. You don’t want people to get lost trying to find essential pages and tabs. If your visitors get lost trying to find simple things like your business’ contact information, they’ll get frustrated and leave.
Navigation isn’t only for the visitors, however.
You also have to consider navigation as it relates to Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Having a well planned out website, and sitemap, is crucial because it helps Google’s crawlers sort out your site and index your content the right way. This is an instance where hiring expert website developers can help you because we can optimize your sitemap for you.
Video Presence
The next item on your website checklist is strong video presence. People watch over a billion hours of YouTube videos each day and video content is becoming the most shared type of content on social media platforms like Facebook.
Your website needs videos that boost engagement. You want video content that informs the visitors and makes them want to share the content with others.
Keep in mind that a picture is worth a thousand words and a video has astounding images that can convey your business’ message in seconds. This is a powerful tool that businesses are only beginning to grasp.
However, even the best videos won’t stand up to the one true king of online success: a great blog.
Blog
Blogging is the essential tool in any website checklist. This is the tool that will boost your rankings on Google searches, inform your visitors about your business and the industry, spark engagement on social media platforms, and reach new customers.
Every business, whether small or big, benefits from having a blog.
Blogs let you add pages on a regular basis, keeping your site active. It lets you add videos, backlinks, and improve on-site SEO. People can share a blog post, comment on it, and encourage other sites to link back to yours.
Want your blog to find more success? Start by implementing social media integration.
Social Media Integration
Is your business site linked to a Facebook Page or Instagram account? Did you set up your site’s plugins so that your Twitter account will automatically share a new blog post each time you put one out? Can visitors click a button and visit your Facebook Page in an instant without having to Google and search for it.
Not sure where to start?
You can’t go wrong with Facebook. It now has over 2 billion accounts and Instagram, which Facebook bought a few a years back, follows in second place with over 800 million accounts. Bigger businesses tend to use LinkedIn as well and whether small or big, you can’t go wrong integrating YouTube, Pinterest, and Twitter.
Contact Information
One last but not least element you need is a page with all your contact information. This means giving visitors your business phone number, email address, and social media outlets. If you can install plugins to have a contact form, even better.
This ensures your visitors can reach you directly or message you about any concern and inquiry. It shows their interest in your business and it means they’re one push away from a conversion.
*EXTRA CREDIT – Make it a point to connect your business with Google My Business. This will show your business on Google Maps and include your business in local listings (great FREE SEO tactic). You can add this information to your contact page as well, enabling visitors to see where your physical business is without having to open Google Maps on a separate tab or page.
Knock Out Your Website Checklist Today
Want to fill out this website checklist and knock off everything needed? Do you see something missing in your site and you want to get it done and implemented right away?
Don’t waste another minute because the longer your site is out of commission or lacking in these features, the more customers you’ll lose.
We can help you succeed in achieving all of these checklist requirements. If you’re not sure how it works or how one of these integral elements help your business further, feel free to message us and we’ll help you get started!
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