Successful Websites Have These 5 Things in Common

With a well-designed website, you can effectively generate leads and position your company as a leader in your industry. According to Capital One, only 56% of small business owners even have a website, so you’re already ahead of the competition if you have one. But you shouldn’t stop there. It’s also important to ensure your website is performing well and helping you achieve your marketing goals.

To better understand what constitutes a successful website, we’ve compiled a list of things high-performing websites have in common. Review the factors below and build a plan to optimize your website and begin to see improved results.

1. Great Design

The design of a website is the first thing to make an impression on your visitors. What’s more, 75% of them will make judgements on your company’s credibility based on its website design. The page layout, navigation menu and buttons, color scheme and all the other design elements must work together to represent your brand in the best light. If your visitors dislike your site design, they are likely to quickly hit the “Back” button and continue browsing other websites.

2. Mobile Friendly

Even with easy access to a desktop computer, Google reports that 77% of people will still browse online using their smartphones. Unless you want to risk the chance of missing out on capturing the attention of these users, a mobile-friendly web design is a must. Although they are on their phones, people still expect websites to offer a responsive browsing experience with full functionality. Google demands the same or they will down-rank your site in organic search results until you fully optimize its performance on mobile devices.

3. Quality Content

On the content side, similar expectations exist from your visitors and Google alike. Your website content should provide visitors with the information they need at the moment in their buyer’s journey in an easy-to-read format. Your content should also educate and entertain, as 84% of people expect brands to provide content that entertains, tells stories, provides solutions and creates experiences. Google also demands quality content as a sign of credibility or down-ranking will occur.

4. Search Engine Optimized

Although quality content matters above all, search engine optimization (SEO) tactics are still in play, perhaps more than ever before. Although the natural infusion of effective keywords remains a priority, SEO goes much further than that these days. You must also customize your content to speak directly to your target audience and their pain points to ensure its both useful and useable. To accomplish this feat, you can leverage buyer persona and journey information to build a strong keyword strategy and apply it to your content.

5. Built for Conversion

Even with an awesome web design and all the right SEO content, your website could fail to perform as expected if you do not build it for conversion. Your website should always work toward collecting qualified leads and supporting your conversion efforts, after all. You can ensure it does with the strategic placement of calls-to-action (CTAs) and contact forms. The integration of email or newsletter signup forms can also go a long way in optimizing your website conversion rates.

Represent Your Business with a Professionally-Designed Website

By incorporating these factors into your website, you can ensure you have a strong online presence that drives traffic, engagement and conversions for your brand. You can enhance your website on your own or enlist the help of a professional website design team, like Hubbard’s digital marketing agency 2060 Digital. A qualified team will work to optimize your site to best represent your company and support you in reaching your marketing goals.