Websites, like the individuals that create them, have a purpose. When the purpose of your website is to make you money it must be seen to be as professional as you are when meeting with your most important client. Here are 5 tips to make sure your website is as professional as you are.
It's amazing how often I see folks looking to expand their business online yet they're unwilling to invest even a few dollars a month for descent hosting. If you are trying to make money from your website then the host you use holds the key to your business. Simply put if you pinch pennies on hosting and your host goes down then your business effectively goes down with it. Investing a few dollars a month on a host that will keep your site running can pay back quickly when your customers can find you at any given time without worrying that the site might go down while they're trying to make a purchas
Don't forget, as your site grows so must your host. Here's a quick primer on the different kinds of hosts and where they are best.
The fastest host in the world can't help you if your design isn't up to par. Not only must your site look professional, but the design must allow your customers to find the information they need and interact with you using as little effort as possible.
Making an investment in your site's design upfront will make sure that your customers can not only find what they want the first time they visit your site, but it will make sure that their experience with you is positive enough that they want to come back for more.
So your website sells a service. That's nice, but what sets your site above your competition? The answer is content. For example, I wouldn't be inclined to buy a financial service when the only thing I know about the agency is the single paragraph they list on their site's service description. They need to tell me more and prove to me they actually know what they are talking about.
Whether you're selling financial services, travel services, or dog training starting a blog can be one of the most valuable features you can add to your website. It shows customers you know what you're talking about and it shows search engines that your site is always fresh and, as such, they should send you more visitors.
Bonus points, it's really not hard to add content to your site. A few well-thought words a couple of times a week will go a long way into building your reputation as a professional in your field. Try it, you won't be disappointed.
Your customers have different needs and your website must reflect this. Design your site so that everyone can access your content regardless of education or, more importantly, disability.
There are two areas that you can make instantly accessible to everyone without much effort. First, and most importantly, is your forms. Can someone with a screen reader (probably an individual with a vision impairment) get through your forms? Well designed and accessible forms can make sure that no matter who your customer is they can still give you their money. Second is multimedia (video and audio). Have you captioned your video and audio for the deaf? Not only could this make your site available to more people but it could also make it easier for search engines to read your content and send you visitors accordingly. Best part, you can hire a service to caption your content for only a couple of bucks per video/audio file. If it brings you just one more customer then it has paid for itself and, most importantly, shows your site is as professional as you are.
For more on accessibility take a look at this article.
So you built a great site. You paid top dollar for your hosting, your design, and your thousands of pages of content can be read by anyone yet you don't have any visitors. Your site is not the Field of Dreams. You need to tell people you are there.
Make sure your site makes use of the latest Search Engine Optimization (SEO) techniques and, most importantly, that you tell Google and the other search engines about it. If you have a marketing budget you might even want to pay a few dollars to have your site appear at the top of targeted Google searches no matter what Google knows about it.
It doesn't take much to get the word out about your site yet it must be done. Proper SEO can be the difference between an amateur hobby and a true professional website.
There is a fine line between a professional and an amateur website but it won't take much for you to show your customers where your site stands. Make sure you host your site at a reputable host. Make sure your design allows customers to find what they need easily and that it is accessible to all. Make sure there is enough content for your customers to know that you know what you are talking about and, finally, when it is all said and done make sure you tell Google and other search engines about it.
When you follow these tips, all of which Splattered Ink can help you with, I can promise you that your site will prove to the world that you are a true professional. Then you can start making some real money on the web.
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