3 Things Any Website Should Have
Having an online presence, a website, has more importance than it used to. Have a website has quickly shifted as being one of the number one resources every business MUST have, beside a brand and a business card. It is vital in marketing today.
There is a some considerations that you should address when planning your website. Here are our Top 3 considerations any website should have when you launch:
1. Ability to change the website’s content
This is KEY and the most valuable asset any website can have. If you do not have the ability to easily and frequently change the content on your website, then you are already dead before you have launched.
Many off-the-shelf website options have a multitude of plug-ins and options readily available for a Content Management System (CMS), such as WordPress, Blog Spot and Blogger. Take advantage of the freeware that is available, you won’t need to consider custom building anything, someone else has already done it for you and is making it available to you at a very low cost
2. Managing your Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
An area where there are a lot of cowboys offering ‘guaranteed search results’ for doing nothing more than you, yourself can do with some discipline.
Being found in a search engine is all about keywords and relevancy, period. There are many other factors that a search engine will consider, but these are the fundamentals – get them right and you will be found. If you are not utilizing the words that your target audience uses to find you, simply put – they won’t find you.
A great content management system will help you with SEO techniques on the website. There are also other free online tools that teach you to create SEO ready content such as HubSpot, Google Search Engine Optimisation Started Guide, or Google’s YouTube Channel.
3. Having a Social Media presence
One of the quickest, virally spreading and free media channels ever invented. Sharing content on your Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, YouTube or LinkedIn accounts is vital for anyone with a website. It will help your marketing reach. It will assist your search engine optimsation and public relations. Its easy to share content on your social accounts and on your website, so they both talk to each other.
Many people searching for your website, will naturally search for evidence of your social media and follow you too. They may not be a qualified lead today, but social media is proving, daily, that fans or followers convert into leads, and them convert into business. According to the State of Inbound Marketing, in 2012 62% of Companies acquired a customer through LinkedIn, 52% from Facebook and 44% through Twitter.
All of these factors really do need to be considered at the planning stage of the website (not the building stage). However if you’ve launched without them (in most cases), it’s not too difficult to add them in. A good local website designer or website developer will be able to assist you with your requirements, designing and/or building the website for you.
Stella Design can assist you with the planning and building stage of your website as not only do we have a team of website designers and website developers (onsite) who have web interface knowledge, and we can integrate your information into your website and teach you to maintain by yourself. For more information contact Stella Design today.