Here at GO Creative, our team of website developers know how to create websites that are attractive to both search engines and online shoppers. We know all of the ins-and-outs, the key statistics on what works and what doesn’t, and so on. There’s so much to it!
It shouldn’t really surprise us, then, when we see some shocking websites! Whether DIY or designed by professionals, some websites just do not have what it takes to be a success.
This of course, begs the question: what does a website need so that it ranks well in search engines, generates qualified traffic, and converts visitors into paying customers? Well, they need a lot of different elements, but the following five are absolutely essential.
1. A clean and simple layout
Any experienced website developer knows that to encourage visitors to stop and explore your website, it needs to be visually attractive and uncluttered. Visitors don’t want to be distracted by flashing lights and pages cluttered by ads and other visual pollution. They want to easily scan your pages or posts, find out the information that is relevant to them and then decide whether to explore further or leave.
The point is that with little time to browse, many visitors will scan your pages, which means that apart from being uncluttered, each page or post needs to be easy to skim-read — content in short paragraphs with easy to read headings and subheadings, bullet points as appropriate and important points highlighted.
2. User-friendly navigation and menu system
Users want to find the information they need quickly, so they can be easily frustrated with a navigation and menu system that confuses them. This is where you need a good website developer, because if users can’t find what they need quickly, they’ll head for the exit.
At the very least, you need to organise your website content into a simple and logical structure. It doesn’t need to include every page on the site, but give users a way to drill down to the content they’re interested in. Similarly, your home page only needs to guide users to what they’re looking for, rather than trying to cover every single thing your business offers.
3. Obvious calls-to-action (CTAs)
Visitors need to know what you expect them to do on your website. If you want them to phone your office, give them a clear call-to-action. If you want them to sign up for your newsletter, download a free PDF or donate to your charity, every one of these actions needs a CTA.
To further increase conversions and sales, speak to your website developer about the best ways to use CTAs in your website. Differences to button colours, link text, and other variations, can massively impact on your conversion rate.
4. Clear description of what you do
It’s amazing how many websites don’t clearly tell visitors what they do! They ramble on about who they are, how much they love what they are doing and why they are doing it, but forget to clearly state what they offer (and what problems they can solve). This should be front and centre on your home page, so that visitors are left in no doubt about whether or not they have arrived at the right place.
5. Search engine optimisation (SEO)
You can have the best website possible with all the best bells and whistles, but if your audience can’t find it, you may as well have not bothered. As a website developer, we know that a lack of visibility in the search engines and little to no traffic is often the result of poor SEO. It’s vital that your website has been developed with SEO in mind — meaning it ticks all of the boxes for speed, security, content, mobile-friendliness, and other technical considerations.
Phone us today on (07) 3333 2932 to find out more about how we built best-in-class websites!
