What Do You Need A Website For

To WEB or not to WEB

That is not even a question today, if you don’t have a website you don’t exist. Your website is the window to the world seven days a week, 4 weeks a month, and 52 weeks a year. Often, it is the first thing a person will look at before they come to visit you. Yes, I use the word visit, because a prospective customers is a friend you haven’t met yet and before they buy from you they need to trust you. Bottom line, if they don’t like your look on the website they won’t come in.

Your image, your look, your brand online must be protected and cared for at all times. If there is any way a customer can rate you, you must watch it like a hawk and respond every time you are mentioned. People use their phones for everything and it is always with them. That is their portal to your business. Likewise, today people are much more prone to leave comments, reviews, and referrals or complaints immediately.

It takes about 50 milliseconds (that’s 0.05 seconds) for users to form an opinion about your website that determines whether they like your site or not, whether they’ll stay or leave.

There are four basic, yet fundamental steps in the creation of your website. There are no shortcuts. You must have eye-catching design, flawless technology, lots of valuable content, and finally consistency.

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Design

57% of internet users say they won’t recommend a business with a poorly designed website on mobile.

If you are lucky, people may look at your page for longer than 30 seconds, but most leave within 15 seconds. This is called the bounce rate. You can find your bounce rate by looking at Google Analytics. A high bounce rate is the sign of an unattractive website. Your website needs to be inviting, you need to provide what people are looking for, and it must be compelling enough to keep them around.

Experts tell us that fancy, busy websites do not get the job done – keep it simple and easy to understand.
Spend more time planning your site than implementing. Have a clear understanding of the flow of your information and corresponding information to keep people engaged.
People do not want to click more than 2-3 times to find what they are looking for. Your navigation should be as simple as possible.
Nothing is more annoying than inconsistency, keep your pages looking the same so it is easy for people to follow.
Because people are using their cell phones, tablets, and computers (in that order); it is essential that your site works seamlessly on all of these tools.
Get feedback and adjust as needed. People will let you know what they think.

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Technology

There are many sites on the internet that keep people updated on technology and websites. As you can well imagine, the technology behind keeping your website current, trending, accessible, and working properly is extensive. A few examples are Arstechnica.com, Techcrunch.com, Engadget.com, Thenextweb.com, Wired.com, Tomshardware.com, Cnet.com, 9to5Mac.com, Gizmodo.com, and NewYorkTimes.com.

Keeping up with web security is probably one of the most important issues. Naturally keeping your content fresh is essential. Providing more value to your clients provides you with more contacts and as you know in sales – contacts is king. Keeping your look fresh and updated is what people are used to. Every year there is new styles in clothing, cars, decor – change is inevitable. One and done is not the order of the day.

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Content

Many contend that content is the most important aspect of your website. I would agree that great content is essential to keep your website apart from the others. Great content is what keeps bringing customers back. How can you create great content, find out what people are interested in. To do that make sure that you have a good understanding of who your perfect client is and direct it to them.

Videos are becoming a bigger part of website viewership today. They also have several places they can be placed to reach a wider audience. Others forms that are equally gaining precedence are news items, blogs, white papers, info graphics, how to’s and case studies. Anything the increases your chance for SEO is a good thing.

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Consistency

Consistency is everything. It is important to keep your design, quality of the images, and of course the quality of your content consistency in both frequency and look.

People get into a habit of searching for buttons and links in the same place. If people get a little frustrated they leave.
Our eyes also get into a pattern and look for pleasing and consistent patterns. When they find it they stay on the page longer.
As in everything else, people do things based on emotion more than logic. If it feels good they will do it.
Whitespace is integral to good design.

All in all, make sure you have a website, keep it fresh, keep it interesting and above all, keep it active.

Image by Julius Silver from Pixabay

Chuck Groot’s _{CPA, MPA, MBA} credentials as a speaker, author, teacher, business coach and entrepreneur are noteworthy. His clients credit their success to his uncanny ability to get right to the root of any challenge that they put in front of him. He credits his success to his clients and their willingness to being open to new ideas and desire in pursuit of excellence.

As an entrepreneur, his enthusiasm and innovative approach have garnered him both professional success and the recognition of his peers. But his greatest delight is being able to share these skills with others and enabling them to be successful on their own.

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http://www.chuckgroot.com

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