How to Get the Most Out of Your Business Website

Ok, we’re going to let you in on a little secret – it’s not easy to create a website design that works. It really isn’t! Owning a business website is one thing but getting the most out of it is another thing.
Neglecting certain elements can easily make your website outdated and render it all but useless.

So, how do you create a website that looks great, functions well, and communicates your message clearly to your audience? other than letting OITC do it for you….

Here are some of our secret tools to help you improve and get the most out of your website.

First, work out what you are trying to achieve through your website
What is the purpose of your site and how is it helping your business? Are you trying to obtain sales leads, give information, improve newsletter signups or sell goods? Whatever the position, you need to be clear about your websites purpose so you can create and build the site accordingly.

Make sure you have clear navigation
Make sure your navigation is natural and logical. Not everyone enters your site through the home page so keep navigation constant across the site and use clear page names to describe different elements of your site.

We live in a social media world, so make use of it!
Your website needs to offer social buttons to your readers. You should always anticipate that they will like what they see and want to share their thoughts on their social profiles, this in turn boosts your presence even further – for free!

How your content looks is just as important as what you write
Remember, people read differently on the web than in books or magazines. Give your content some room to breathe. Use white space to break up your content, use colour and catching headings and separate information into paragraphs – small amounts of clear and concise text will engage your audience better.

Make sure the links are clear
This one is pretty simple, make sure that your hyperlinks are easy to find, and that they stand out from your normal body text. Use colour or underline the link text so that your readers don’t have to spend time guessing where they need to click.

Ok now, make sure you have excellent content
Your excellent content will engage your visitors and encourage them to come back. So whether it’s creating regular blog posts or posting new images, videos or information, keep it regular and fresh. Don’t forget to let your audience know about new content too, by promoting through social media profiles or by email subscriptions

Image quality matters too
Nobody likes fuzzy-hard to view imagery, Your website images speak to your audience and communicate different information than your content. High-quality images are extremely engaging and can improve any website.

Invest in making your website mobile-friendly
Here’s a confusing one – Just because you have a website, doesn’t mean that it is optimised for phones and tablets. These days mobile devices are the favoured way to access content online. Users have now begun to expect this level of functionality to come standard when browsing on their mobile and of course the clincher is Google prioritises mobile-friendly websites.

Keep track of your website
Ok so now that you’ve done all the work to make the most out of your business website, make sure you keep track of your site – how your visitors behave once on your website, who they are by their age, gender, location. Analytics will tell you how they landed on your site e.g. social media, newsletters or google search, what the most popular content on your site is and your total conversions, plus more. This is one tool you should not neglect