11 Things Your Website Must do to Survive in 2018

The world is changing fast, and it is easy to be left behind when technology is making leaps and bounds every day. As all businesses make a transition to some kind of online presence, it is important to stay ahead of the curve. This is a comprehensive list of 12 things to focus on to help your website not only endure the coming google storms but to thrive during the modern era.

  1. Conversion

It is one thing to get people onto your website, but you need to focus on turning those visits into sales. Other than creating an aesthetically pleasing website, nowadays you must implement a web strategy to drive sales. This could be an emphasis on SEO (search engine optimization) or PPC (pay per click)-based marketing, or a combination. By developing a site that is easy to navigate, informative and provides competitive options for services and products, you can greater enhance your chances of turning an organic visit to your site into new business.

Using Facebook retargeting you can capitalise on the visitors to your website who may not have completed a purchase, but came close. Using methods such as this is a great way to convert curious visitors to your website to sales, by continuing to pitch offers and deals to them in their recreational feeds. This is a cost-effective option that works efficiently in cohesion with an SEO strategy.

  1. Answer the Questions

The internet is the main place people are going to ask specific questions. It is important to think about the customer, and what information they might want to know regarding your business. Something you should consider for making your site appealing to web users is focusing on the kinds of questions that are being asked by the public in search engines relating to your industry and location. This is how SEO works - making it the most customer-centric model of web marketing available.

SEO-based web development uses industry knowledge to determine these terms and questions that are being constantly asked by the general public. If your website curates content that answers these questions, you will increase your credibility and search engine position. Focusing on effective content also leads to becoming a more consistent landing site for the people searching terms within your industry.

  1. On page SEO

SEO is one of the many new approaches used to increase search engine positioning and the creation of content that is beneficial to the users. The benefits of SEO are obvious, and the service can directly increase the performance of your website and therefore your business. Many business owners are using the strategy to remain competitive in 2018. However, it is easy to get caught in a trap with this kind of marketing. You can be focusing solely on headings that are based on search queries, rather than the actual content.

Something that contributes to your website's position in a search engine is your on-page SEO. This is the appearance of keywords and phrases throughout the content on your site. It's a fine line, and you can easily over-mention these words which Google can notice. Never fear though, a reputable SEO company will be able to determine the most effective balance, and ultimately help you create a blog or a content section that is appealing to search engines.

  1. Content

Maintaining the frequency of traffic on your website is an absolute must. There are several ways to keep your site new and exciting to the public, and one of the most popular ways is to develop a blog. If you are posting SEO-based content which is curated to the needs of the public, it is pivotal to keep up with the changes of the industry and search trends to ensure your content remains relevant. If you produce engaging content that is answering the questions of the public, you should continue to do this for the duration of the year.

If you fail to consistently produce content, you also run the risk of being left behind as you can almost guarantee that your competitors know that content assists in a good seo strategy. So, don’t stifle your search engine prospects, and let your positions slide. This may also lead to a decrease in the credibility you have earnt through the initial blog posts.

However, if you implement a web-based strategy regularly, you are more likely to consistently draw prospecting clients and customers to your website.

  1. Match competitors

One of the best things you can do for the longevity of your website is to keep an eye on other industry leaders effectively using the internet as a marketing tool. If you want your website to continuously draw in customers, you must ensure that you beat competitors with similar business prospects.

If a rival company’s site has 20 webpages worth of engaging content, and your site only has five, not only will their site most likely appear higher in search results, but there is a higher chance that customers will find more answers within their content. This will lead to other users not only landing on an opposing site but remaining due to the density of information they offer. This is also a good way to gauge what offers other businesses in your industry use, and the level of interaction they get compared to your own.

  1. Relevance

Once again, in 2018, you must ensure that your information is comprehensive and cohesive. While you may offer a specific product, it always pays to be incredibly specific in your content, as Google takes into account relevance when they make suggestions to users. The more specific you are with synonyms, language and linking information, the more credible your site becomes in the eyes of Google’s algorithm.

An example of this is if you offer a roofing service - you must ensure that your information presented on your website goes into detail about what material is used to do so. Similarly, your social media accounts that are linked to your website should also be diligent and specific in their posting, as this is another component Google takes into account.

  1. Load Speed

People can be impatient, and in today’s society, people are accustomed to receiving the information they are seeking instantaneously. The rate at which your site loads affects how high your bounce rate is (a number of people who are leaving your website quickly). There are many things you can do to speed up the loading process for your website which will lead impatient users to stay put and consume the information you offer. As the majority of web home pages are plastered with images detailing the products or services the site offer, it is important that these images are ‘crunched’. There are free services available to decrease the size of the images which equates to the overall speed at which your site loads. There are also numerous tweaks that an experienced web developer can make to the overall scheme of your site increasing the loading efficiency of the pages.

Not only is decreasing the load speed beneficial to the users, but it is also preferable to Google’s algorithm. The search engine will take into account the speed at which your site loads and use it to rank you among competitors.  

  1. CTA

If your website is to convert visitors into sales in 2018, an absolute MUST is to have a clear and relevant call to actions throughout the site. Call to actions are a bridging tool used to prompt the prospecting client or customer into taking the next step toward commencing business with your company. CTAs come in many forms, some of these are phrases like “call now!” (in click-to-call format for mobile users) Or offers like “book now for a free quote”. These options will entice the visitors to your site into either establishing contact or seek your service.

In e-commerce, call to actions could be subtle offers for discount or shipping options. All of these are designed to attract the customer and encourage them to take the plunge into making a purchase. Adding a CTA to your homepage of your website is a must in 2018, as it can be the reason that people stay on your website initially.

  1. Security

With all of the positives that come through internet presence, there is also the looming prospect of hacking and other internet insecurities. The security of your site and the security of your customers’ personal information is paramount. If your site involves e-commerce, there are certain standards your payment system must adhere to. This ensures that there is a certain level of security for the customers who place inherent trust in your service when they make a purchase.

By implementing a secure connection between your site and your server, you’re protecting the client data that passes through your website. Using encryption software to transfer this data means that this personal information will be contacted within a server with the best 24/7 internet security available. If you are taking money from customers online, your website absolutely must have the best protection and internet security available.

  1. Show Testimonials

The human element is vital to making a user-friendly website. There are many ways to incorporate this into your website. By implementing the testimonials from former clients, new users will be able to refer to previous examples and anecdotes, making the prospect of working with your business a relatable one. It is important to show that your business has a solid work ethic in delivering upon its promises. This can be done with on-the-phone or in person interaction. If you offer a CTA for additional information, offer a phone number so the client can speak to you in person, where additional queries are more likely to occur.

Galleries incorporating high-definition images that involve an element of interpersonal interaction show the uncertain users looking at your website the professionals they may find themselves working with.

  1. Mobile Compatibility

Let's be honest, we spend a lot of our time on mobile phones. If you want your website to attract traffic these days, an absolute must is focusing on the way your website appears to mobile devices. There is a huge contingent of potential clients that are searching for products and service from the phones rather than their desktops during their day-to-day lives. By not pouring time and money into a successful development of a mobile website, you stifle yourself and potentially miss out on a large portion of the business.

Mobile compatibility works in cohesion with various click-to-call functions, and once again implementing these options together enhances the overall user-experience of the site. Put simply, the easier your site is to navigate from various sources, the more likely users are to stay on your site.

In 2018, it may be a bit of an effort to keep up to date with the latest trends in the digital marketing sphere, but it is also an exciting time. There is an abundance of tools available to make sure you are getting the best possible business opportunities as a result of your effective website.

If you want to start using SEO to get this process started, give SEO Marketer a call.

SEO Marketer | SEO Adelaide

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