7 Website Must-Haves for the New Year

Over 70% of potential customers choose whether to visit a business depending on the information they find online. So, your website is your biggest first-impression maker.

The first thing you need is a secure, catchy URL (website address) that makes sense for your brand and is easy to remember for your customers and prospects. And once your domain is ready, it’s time to build your website and make some big decisions.

However, if you already have a website, remember that change is a constant in the digital world. Technology is ever-changing, customer expectations are constantly evolving and competition is always keeping you on your toes. Because of this you must update your website on a regular basis. As we approach a new year, it’s the perfect time to think about what things on your website you need to add or refresh.

Here are seven website must-haves to scale your business.

An Introductory or Welcome Offer

Do you have an incentive to drive visitors to book their first service or to make their first purchase? If not, it’s definitely time to create one! Typical examples are discounts off the first purchase, free e-books, or free shipping with a minimum purchase. Your introductory or welcome offer should be front and center of your website so new visitors can’t miss it.

In general, 70% of website traffic is prospective customers who are checking out your products or services, so and an intro offer can help them quickly make a buying decision. Be sure that you test and measure your offer often. This will help you know when you need to make changes, updates or improvements.

A Unique Design

The first thing that draws prospects to your website is how it looks and how it makes them feel. If you want to boost conversions, your website should be eye-catching and deliver a clear message to visitors. Use images, graphics, and informative content that will make visitors explore more. Remember, your website design should be attractive to your customers and prospects. Keeping them in mind in the design process will help ensure you end up with the right visual concept.

Overall, create a design that makes potential and existing customers feel welcome and valued when they land on any page on your site. Get a custom design that sets you apart from the competition and makes your brand memorable. Try to avoid some out-of-the-box designs that a thousand other people have.

Make Sure Your Design Is Mobile-Friendly

It should go without saying that your website must be mobile responsive. Over 65% of website traffic is from mobile and if your site doesn’t work well on a smartphone, you’re losing a lot of customers.

In 2020, it’s time to start using accelerated mobile pages (AMP) if you haven’t already.

To avoid losing customers and generate more sales, you must have a responsive way to deliver to customers what they’re looking for in the shortest amount of time possible. Be sure to test your website frequently on both Android and iOS platforms so you know exactly the experience your customers are having.

Social Media Integration

Ask yourself: How does a customer who’s never heard of you decide they want to do business with you?

You probably guessed it right: they do their research to find out if you’re a trustworthy business. They will check online reviews and they may ask people they know about their experiences with your brand. They also will likely check your social accounts so hopefully you have a strong, positive social media presence.

However, what happens if, for instance, a company has 10 Facebook likes, and they have nothing on their Facebook page except their logo? Will you do business with them? It does matter what Google or Yelp reviews say; few people will give their credit card information to a company with negative reviews.

If your social media presence leaves something to be desired, it’s time to engage actively in social media and boost your engagement. This will make your business much more credible. Integrating social media platforms into your website will boost your SEO, build your following across multiple social platforms, and boost your business’s social proof.

Maintaining a social presence across multiple social platforms will skyrocket your growth as long as you deliver high-quality content consistently.

Credible Content

To stop losing potential customers, offer and display content that builds trust and assures the capability of your company. Some content that serves this purpose include:

• Business/ industry accreditation badges, such as Google Partners and BBB
• Case studies
• Customer reviews and testimonials
• Notable accomplishments recognition, such as press releases and awards
• Social account links with reviews

Security

It doesn’t matter whether you sell products on your website or not; if you collect any information, you must have an SSL certificate.

Also, you must use a dedicated server. Avoid going for the cheapest hosting package. Using a dedicated hosting makes your website load faster than if you were using shared hosting.

A shared hosting poses many risks to your website; for instance, you could be sharing an IP address with a porn or spam site. Many businesses have experienced drops in rankings and ultimately declining business because of this. If you aren’t sure of your current website hosting environment, contact your hosting company immediately and take corrective action where warranted.

FAQs Section

Customers have many questions and concerns. As you receive feedback and hear concerns from customers via email, compile the most frequently asked questions into a list and give clear and concise answers.

Frequently asked questions mainly revolve around materials, ingredients used, shipping information, sizing, and cancellation or return policies. Having these questions handy for customers or potential customers to read through will help them answer questions quickly which makes them less likely to just click away if they are confused or frustrated because they can’t find what they are looking for.

The end of the year is a great time to take stock of your digital assets and make any necessary updates and changes so that your website remains relevant and fresh. These 7 tips will help you move forward into the next year with confidence!