By: Leslie-Ann Fletcher, Social Media Marketing & Promotion Coordinator
Your website is a reflection of your brand and your business. Often times a website is the first thing a customer sees, and that is why making a good impression that lets potential patrons know what a brand is all about is so important. After all first impressions are everything. Below I have listed 6 must haves for your website.? Of course, there are a lot more things you need but these are some of the essential things a website needs to be effective.
- A descriptive about page: When potential buyers visit your website you want them to know what your company is about and what services or products you provide. If a person comes to a website and it does not have an about page it can leave them confused and cause them to exit a site quickly, and you do not want that.
- Contact Information: People NEED to know how to contact a business. This may seem like a no brainer but sometimes people forget to include the most pertinent information. Every website should have a designated section just for contact information. You want to make sure people can easily communicate with your company so there are no missed opportunities.
- Social Media Links/Icons: I cannot tell you how many times I have gone on a website that didn?t have social media links and it made me weary. In 2016 social media is a driving force and it is crucial in being a lead player in your niche; because believe me your competition has social media and is using it to their advantage. Sometimes I see websites that have no social media links but they actually do have social media pages. By not providing those avenues on your website you are limiting your reach by not allowing your audience to engage with you and by giving the impression that you are not familiar with social media.
- Call to Action Buttons: Call to action buttons provide instruction to your audience to provoke a response. For example having a ?Call Us Today? button, or ?Find our More?. These buttons cause visitors to take action which can convert them into customers.
- Responsive Design: Today most people use their cell phones and tablets as well as laptops and other devices. If a website is not responsive it will cause many mobile and tablet visitors to exit a site because it won?t be easy to read and navigate.
- Newsletter Sign up to build your list: Every website should have a way to build a company?s email list. A newsletter is a perfect way to do this, because it gives patrons the opportunity to stay up to date on a company while also giving a business the chance to build email contact lists for marketing purposes. It is a win win!
There are a multitude of features that a website should have in order to be effective. The ones listed in this article are just a few essential ingredients needed to make a brand not only accessible but successful. If you have any questions feel free to contact us today.