Essential Features of a Customer-Centered Website
Before you even start to think about potential customers who visit your website, think about your online habits. What websites speak to you? Are there any websites you’ve visited recently that were so easy to navigate, eye-catching, and expertly designed that you found yourself making a purchase within a few minutes of reaching the site?
While it’s not necessarily “easy” to create such a website, it is achievable for any business. In this article, we’ll review the must-have features of websites that we, as the premier web designers in Vancouver, ensure are present and expertly implemented in all of our clients’ websites.
1. An Explanation of What Your Business Does
Within the first few seconds of opening your website, it should be immediately obvious what your company does. In this day and age, people are busier than ever. No one has the time to sift through paragraphs of preamble to find the information they’re looking for.
Clever design using pictures, text, and other methods will immediately orient website visitors to the purpose of your website and your company in general. Before you start building your online presence, ensure that your website reflects exactly what it is that you can offer to your customers.
2. Mobile Device Capabilities
Most people now choose to complete all of their web surfing on a phone or other mobile device. While computers are by no means obsolete, optimizing your website for mobile devices rather than larger-screened computers will make the site cleaner and easier to use on a phone. Furthermore, Google prioritizes websites which are optimized for mobile. Therefore, if your site isn’t designed for use on a mobile device, your search rankings may be diminished.
As the top web development company in Vancouver, we understand the importance of having a website that is going to reach your customers through their preferred medium. We’ll ensure that your website is both mobile and desktop friendly so that no portion of your customer base has an unpleasant experience while visiting your site.
3. Prominent Call to Action
Your website should provide value to your customers and help them to solve a problem. But in the end, in order for your business to make money, you need your customers to buy your product, subscribe to your service, or otherwise sign up with you.
For this reason, there needs to be an obvious and prominent call to action on your website. This can be done in a variety of ways, but if you’re receiving a ton of traffic on your site, with few conversions, it may because you are lacking a clear call to action.
4. About Us Page
Customers prefer to work with companies and brands that seem like real, approachable, dependable people. you’ll want to be sure that your about us page shows that you are a genuine person who cares about his or her customers. Further, you may even want to show that you have interests outside of the business in question. Again, people like to connect with businesses on a personal level. In this way, it feels more like working with a friend or acquaintance rather than a faceless entity.
Our custom web development capabilities have served the Vancouver area and beyond for over 18 years. We understand what our customers want and strive to develop long term relationships with every one of our clients.
5. Contact Information Featured in Multiple Locations
Prominently displaying your contact information on each page of your website can serve as another form of a call to action. When site visitors see a number or an email, they can immediately follow up with you about any questions or needs they may have. You’ll want to make sure that if customers want to reach you, they can do so easily.
Beyond a phone number and email, you may also consider investing in a chat service through your website. This way, customers can immediately ask a question which can either be answered by an automated messenger service or a representative. Personal touches such as this allow you reach more customers, especially those who might be on the fence about using your service.
6. A Regularly Updated Blog
Having well-crafted, easy-to-read blog posts that cover current events and topics related to your industry is a surefire way to drive traffic to your site. The content doesn’t always have to be overly technical, but it’s a good idea to occasionally features some guest posts which go in-depth about industry topics. Additionally, you’ll want to post regular blog content such as how-to posts, listicles, and other similarly styled articles.
Luckily, it doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg to find bloggers who can provide content for your site. You can find affordable bloggers all across the web who require only a few items such as an outline, a topic for the post, and some keywords that you want to have included in your posts.
7. Links to Social Media
There are literally billions of people who have at least one social media account. In fact, most people have more than one account across sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Therefore, you should maintain social media accounts for your business which serve to direct your followers toward your website.
At the same time, having links to your social media accounts on your website will help to increase your presence on those social media platforms, improving your ability to reach new and existing customers.
Having multiple areas in which you promote your business is always a good idea. Best of all, social media accounts are free to open and use.
Conclusion
There are many other features which should also be considered when creating your customer-friendly website. It’s understandable if you feel overwhelmed by the web design process, but fear not! We are here to help.
Ancell Marketing is a web design company based out of Vancouver and is ready to help you launch the website of your dreams. Your customers are out there right now, hoping to find a great service just like yours. Contact us today to get the website building process started!