A website can represent a considerable expense for businesses, so investing in a new one is not a small decision.
A website can be very a valuable asset for businesses. It is a cost-effective way to promote your business and keep your customers informed. It is always available, and allows you to reach a wide market. It can showcase your best work. A website can even provide customer service, job applications, or manage employee needs.
As an SEO company, we are very aware of how website design affects search rankings. A quality, well-designed website can make a big difference in how easily potential customers can find you in search engine results. A better ranking in search results pages will bring you more targeted traffic.
Once that traffic reaches you, if your site gives them a good impression and they can easily find the information they are looking for, they are more likely to convert into customers.
In short, a better website means more business for you.
Conversely, a bad website means a lower search ranking, fewer searchers finding you, and a lower conversion rate.
Let's discuss what makes a website good quality, so you can honestly evaluate your own needs.
Navigation: A quality website should have solid page structure, which targets your most important products and services. These important pages should be easy to identify and find, and provide useful information to the reader.
Content: The words on the website make a big difference to search engines. Make sure yours has plenty of words, that each page clearly describes a service or product, and that it includes appropriate usage of your keywords so the search engines can interpret your services. Content should also be unique to your website and not copied from anywhere.
Structure: Your website should guide visitors to your preferred conversion method. It should lead them from the consideration phase through the research phase, and finally give them a good reason to purchase. All these steps should be natural and easy.
Load time: Websites should load quickly. Searchers will not wait long, and are frustrated quickly.
Mobile friendly: Mobile friendliness is not just a good idea, it is a newer SEO signal and can affect your search rankings. Responsive sites will adjust to any screen size, so they look good on phones, tablets, and small and large desktop screens.
Watch for red flags! Does your website have any of these common problems?
If you’re wondering whether it’s time for an upgrade for your company website, here are some questions to consider:
If you are hearing customer complaints about how tough it is to use your website, or to find the information they are looking for, it might be time to invest in a new one.
Limited functionality makes a website almost worthless. Your website should clearly describe what you do, with plenty of well-written content that is organized in a way that is easy to navigate. It should make it simple for people to contact you, it should answer common questions, and give them a reason to choose you over your competitor.
It should include basic elements, too, such as your contact information, a map to your location, and a listing of your business hours. If these elements are missing, your customers will be frustrated and often go to your competitors instead.
Here at Be Locally SEO, we work hard to make our clients' websites easy to navigate. Our professional writers have the expertise to give you plenty of informative, helpful, and SEO-friendly content to describe your main services and products.
We also build contact forms which we include on many different pages of your site, to make it as simple as possible for potential customers to contact you. We add maps and clickable phone numbers to make your storefront easy to find and your sales team easy to reach.
Often businesses change. They grow, add new services, or improve their processes. Other times, they remove underused products, or downsize to make the business sleek and profitable. If your business has made changes since your last website purchase, think about a redesign.
For small changes, you may want to just update your current website, but larger changes in the company structure or culture may necessitate a complete redesign. Our website team can talk to you about your most important services or products, and design a site that highlights your business while maintaining the corporate tone and culture you want to project.
This is a common problem we see. Many websites are too small, or don’t adequately describe what you do.
Websites should have plenty of content, in the form of written words. This content should describe your main services or products, and lead readers to the contact forms or appointment buttons. It should highlight the principles that drive your company, and give people a reason to purchase from you. Websites are organized around this content.
If your website doesn’t clearly represent the scope of your work, you can update it with fresh content and images, but if the need is extensive, it’s probably time for a new website.
At Be Locally SEO, we have a team of professional writers trained to create a good amount of customized, researched, and well-written content to support your website. Our designers can create custom logos, images, and infographics. These elements help your website perform better in search results, and help turn readers into loyal customers.
Just like the avocado-green stove in the kitchen and the bell bottom pants in the back of the closet, your website occasionally needs a design update to keep it looking current. Dated or ugly websites can signal to prospects that you don’t care about your business, and that you don’t adapt to meet customer needs.
Research suggests that people make an instant judgement about your business when they look at your website. Make your online presence look professional with an expert website redesign.
At Be Locally SEO, we strive to stay current and keep up with website design trends. We study User Experience (UX) considerations and build good functionality into our designs. We offer you choices about what style of website you prefer, and our experts can make suggestions based on your needs.
Losing website access is more common than you might think.
When you are getting a new website for this reason, it is a good opportunity to re-evaluate your needs, update your design, and improve functionality and SEO elements.
If your website has a good structure, we can often update it without a complete website re-design. Elements we commonly upgrade include:
Smaller changes like these, done regularly, make your website last a long time. A good website should last your company for many years if regular updates are performed.
All of our websites are custom built, so our prices are customized as well. Our sales team can create a plan that will work perfectly for you.
Before we can create that plan and give you pricing, we will need to consider a few options:
Once these questions have been answered, we will have a much clearer idea of what will be involved in the creation of your new website. Most websites can be completed in 6 weeks or so, if they are simple and we have plenty of client communication.
For general price considerations, read our Website Pricing Guide. For a specific quote for your website, please contact our sales department for a free consultation.
Your website says something about you. It tells people what to expect, it sets the tone for their interactions, and lets them know whether what you offer is what they are searching for. It can be your best (and cheapest) salesman.
When you are putting together a company website, do it right! Trust the experts at Be Locally SEO to create a beautiful custom website for you that will give your customers a good experience and bring you more business. Contact our sales team today, and ask them to put together a quote for a customized website for your business.
Want more? Our expert recommends:
How Much Does a Website Cost? Online Pricing Guide
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