Often businesses create a website and then think their work is done. But website creation is just the beginning; for a website to be effective, it must be used as a tool to engage the user, and convert a user to a customer. For a website to be engaging, six best practices must be observed.
Original Content Creation
Relevant, original website content is arguably the most important aspect of any website. Google says to "provide high-quality content on your pages, especially your homepage. This is the single most important thing to do." If you aren't offering your audience exclusive, helpful information, why would they want to come to your site? Original content can be delivered via a blog, examples of services, or company news.
Additionally, stagnant information on a page hurts your search engine ranking. Regular content and information updates should be part of your overall SEO strategy to help your organic ranking.
Enabled Social Networking
Making your website social networking enabled is also important. It's hard to find someone these days who is not using any kind of social media. Take advantage of your users' social media contacts by creating interesting, original content (like we discussed above) that is easily sharable. After a blog post, make sure to have a call to action that involves social media, like a button that says "share on Facebook" or "tweet this."
Ongoing Social Network Engagement
Not only should you encourage your users to share your content online, but you should also have a social media presence. In business, you are your own best advocate. Whether or not you are talking about your business on social media, someone else probably is - and it may not always be good. Be a part of the conversation about your business online. There are so many advantages to having a social presence on sites like Facebook. Depending on how you manage it, a business Facebook page can give your customers a chance to see your company's personality, interact with you on a more personal level, and share any of your information or stories with any of their friends, which dramatically increases your potential reach.
Accumulating "likes" on a business Facebook page is the equivalent to conducting market demographic research. The data on a user's page can be used to better target your ads and content.
Ongoing Search Engine Optimization
Search engine optimization (SEO) for your website is crucial. SEO is how you make sure that your business is found by potential customers online when using a search engine like Yahoo! or Google. By carefully choosing keywords, backlinks, and other attributes that increase your site's natural ranking on a search result page, you can make sure your website is found by the right people. You've made a great website, and you have a great business; why not do everything you can to make sure that you are found?
Targeted Online Advertising Campaigns
While SEO can get you a long way, targeted online advertising campaigns are another essential way to establish your online presence and find potential customers. Google AdWords and Facebook advertising are both good starting points for online advertising. Find out where potential customers are online and what their interests are, and make sure your ads are there.
Defined Goals and Measurements of Success
You must be aware of what you want your website to accomplish in order to determine if it is a success. Ongoing goals and measurements keep you on track and guide your content, social media, and advertising efforts. Good goals establish a specific, measurable, and attainable action, as well as a timeline for accomplishing that action.
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