Know The Goal Of Your Website And Strategize For It

A website is essential for any business. You’ve heard it before. We’ve said it before. Everyone needs a website, but everyone does not need the same website.

Today it is common knowledge that every business needs a website, but having one just to have one isn’t worth your time, money, or effort. Your website should provide a solution to a goal or problem that your business has.

Identify Your Website Goals

It is incredibly important that, before beginning to build your site, you identify the goals or endgame of your site. Your website is a tool—a valuable resource that can be customized to work for you, however you need it to.

• Selling a Product: If your goal is to sell a product, your website needs to describe benefits and features, reveal promotions, set price points, handle shipping, and accept payments. This is an e-commerce website, where the entire buying process occurs online within your site.

• Streamlining Processes: Your website can make your business run more easily and efficiently, such as scheduling appointments, accepting payments, or offering a resource library. For instance, an online calendar for bookings can help manage appointments and avoid overbooking while accepting payment in one simple automated step.

• Informational Websites: If you're looking for a hub to attract and educate customers about your business or bring awareness to a cause, you need an informational website. It should be visually appealing with engaging content, breaking up text with videos and images. This could be a single page or an extensive site like Wikipedia.

• Driving Traffic to Your Store: To drive traffic to your physical store, your site should highlight what you offer in-store, the expertise of your staff, or the showroom atmosphere. It’s about enticing customers to visit you in person.

Common Elements for All Websites

There are several commonalities that all effective websites share, regardless of their specific goals. These elements ensure that your site is functional, professional, and user-friendly.

Call to Action (CTA): One crucial element is a clear and compelling “call to action” (CTA). According to www.marketingterms.com, a call to action is defined as “The part of a marketing message that attempts to persuade a person to perform a desired action.” Each website might require a different version of this, but the purpose is the same: to guide your customer or client to the next step you want them to take. Examples of CTAs are “Buy Now”, “Book Now”, “Sign Up”, and “Stay Informed”. These would be buttons that request a particular desired action.

Clean and Intuitive Design: Your website should have a clean, professional design that is easy to navigate. This includes a logical layout, a consistent colour scheme, readable fonts, and intuitive menus. The goal is to make it easy for visitors to find the information they need without feeling overwhelmed or confused.

Responsive Design: With the increasing use of mobile devices, it’s essential that your website be mobile-friendly. A responsive design ensures that your site looks and functions well on all screen sizes, from desktops to smartphones.

High-Quality Content: Content is King! Your website should offer high-quality, relevant content that provides value to your visitors. This includes well-written text, engaging images, and informative videos. Original content not only engages your audience but also improves your search engine rankings.

Clear Contact Information: Make it easy for visitors to contact you by providing clear contact information. This could be in the form of a contact page with a form, an email address, a phone number, or even a physical address, if applicable. Including a map and directions can be helpful for businesses with a physical location.

Social Proof: Include testimonials, reviews, and case studies to build credibility and trust with your audience. Social proof shows that others have had positive experiences with your business, which can encourage new visitors to engage with you.

By integrating these common elements, you create a cohesive and effective website that not only looks professional but also provides a great user experience, helps build trust, and drives your business goals.

Incorporating SEO

Always include SEO (Search Engine Optimization) within your website. This is how search engines find you, and ultimately, how your potential customers can. SEO involves optimizing various elements of your site to improve its visibility in search engine results.

On-page SEO: This includes using relevant keywords throughout your website content, such as in titles, headers, and meta descriptions. High-quality, original content that provides value to users is crucial. Additionally, optimizing images with descriptive alt text and ensuring fast page load times are key factors.

Technical SEO: This involves backend improvements, such as ensuring your site is mobile-friendly, improving site speed, and creating an XML sitemap to help search engines crawl your site more effectively. Proper use of header tags and ensuring a clean, organized URL structure also play significant roles.

Off-page SEO: Building backlinks from reputable websites and maintaining an active social media presence can enhance your site’s authority and search engine rankings.

By integrating SEO into every aspect of your website, you enhance your chances of appearing in search results, driving more traffic to your site, and ultimately reaching your business goals.

There are many commonalities to building a website, but it is crucial to define the goals for your website before you begin building it so that you can create a tool that works as hard as possible for you and your business.

Building a website for your business can be difficult and overwhelming—we’re here to help! Let us help you define your goals and create a perfect website that you will love!

Author: Matthew, Creative Director

Ready to take your website to the next level? Contact us at info@thejuicemarketing.ca or visit our website at www.thejuicemarketing.ca to learn more about our services. Let’s create some site magic together! 🍊🚀