This post kicks off a series on the topic of what makes an effective website. I’ve decided to write on this topic due to the fact that most people and businesses want to improve their web presence. Unfortunately, many simply start building or changing their website based on strategies which may seem like good ideas, but don’t actually help things at the end of the day. This results in the wasting of resources and one’s business not growing. Basing your web presence on strategies which are likely to increase your business can result in you looking like this:
While creating your web presence based on ideas that sound good, but lack data to back them up, is about as effective as throwing darts at a board while blindfolded, dizzy, and drunk. Kind of like this guy:
I’m assuming you’d rather look like the former than the latter. Assuming that you want your website to be an effective tool in growing your business, read on. If you don’t, then…ok.
I’m going to dive into several topics over my coming articles. Some of the points I’m going to rant about discuss include:
- Defining what constitutes an “effective” website
- The importance of owning your web presence (as opposed to relying on ads or social media)
- The steps involved in building an effective website
- Maintaining an effective presence and how long a website can last
There are multiple reasons why I’m choosing to address these topics. First, many decide that they want to improve their website without first defining what achieving “effectiveness” actually entails. Last time I checked, driving somewhere without a clear path of where you’re going isn’t the best way to wind up in a good spot. At the end of the day, an effective website will help you to grow your business. Our next article will discuss how to build a product that will actually increase your business, as well as common mistakes which hurt effectiveness. The next article in this discussion will break down why you should prioritize assets which you will own and control (blog posts, videos, etc. for example) as opposed to dumping your resources into social media or online ads. Relying on assets which you own will allow you to keep growing your business over time and will insulate you against being reliant on a third-party resource which then loses its popularity. After that we’ll get into specifics as to how you can build an effective presence. This will include a discussion as to how you can make your site search-friendly, how you can improve conversions, and more. Last, we’ll discuss how to maintain your effectiveness over time and how long you can expect a website to “last” in terms of its ability to bring in business and we’ll provide real world examples.
One point I’ll be repeating in these various articles is that, while the web is competitive, most people aren’t going about things in the right way. This means, quite often, that there is room for you to get ahead of your competition. If you follow these steps, then you are increasing your chances for success. If you would like assistance with your website or online presence, then contact us online or by telephone today. Our web design company works with customers throughout the United States, and we are proud of the results we have achieved for our clients. To get tips delivered to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletter below.