Imagine if I told you that you could have a place that could be open 24/7. Not only that, it can be staffed with the most intelligent and helpful people so potential customers would be able to have any questions they may have answered. This place would work so well, it would generate leads and revenue on its own. 

Best of all this place would not be cost prohibitive. You could easily fit this within your budget. 

You would very much be interested in a place like this wouldn’t you?

Well you can have one of your very own. 

That place is a website. 

Done properly a website can serve as an office that never closes and as an employee that always wins Employee of the Month for stellar customer service. 

Too many small businesses think that all they have to do is put up a simple home page, a menu of offerings, and a contact page and the job is complete. That might have worked in the year 2000, but it is 2021. For your website to be truly effective, it takes a little more. 

Let’s examine the website essentials for 2021. 

Mobile Friendly

This has been true for quite some time, but it’s worth mentioning again. Your website must be mobile friendly. In 2021 so much of marketing is creating a pleasurable experience. If a visitor to your website cannot properly view your website because it does not show up correctly on their phone or tablet, they are not going to have a good experience. 

This will lead to them leaving your website and potentially telling others about their bad experience. With so many people using mobile devices to access the internet, having a mobile friendly website is no longer optional. 

Fortunately many site builders have this functionality already built into their platforms. The only thing you have to worry about is how things actually look in practice. Sometimes things get misaligned or look differently on a phone or tablet. 

It helps to actually use your phone or tablet to go through your website to ensure that everything is working and looking as it should. 

Intuitive Navigation and Architecture

This is another one that goes towards creating a better experience. You can have the best website with the most helpful information that leads to visitors making wise buying decisions. If your website is constructed poorly or people cannot understand how to navigate it, this will lead to bad experiences. 

As you outline your website, envision how you would like someone to arrive at the website and where on the website you would like them to go. Think of the most important pages, those should be in the top navigation. Your contact information should be easily accessible. 

In short, people should be able to get the information they need quickly and easily.  

Effective Home Page

Part of delivering information quickly and easily is having an effective home page. For many reasons that we won’t get into, people have shortened attention spans. 

This means that when someone lands on your website, they must be able to understand who you are, what you do, and how you can help them. And they must do it quickly. Some say they have to understand all of this in under ten seconds. 

To do this you have to understand what your unique value proposition is and how to convey it in a compelling way on your home page. This might take some trial and error, but it is something that you must do. 

Clear and Visible Calls To Action

This is a subset of the navigation and architecture, but it merits its own point. Your website should either be designed to generate leads or convert leads into sales. Anything else is just a vanity project. 

For you to make the most of your website, you have to direct visitors to where they need to go. This means having clear and visible calls to action. If you want someone to download a free resource like an eBook or whitepaper, schedule an appointment, or give you a call then create calls to actions that stand out that direct your visitors to take action. 

Part of A Larger Picture

To truly make the most of your website, we advise to make it part of a larger picture. By this we mean use a website as part of a multi-channel approach to marketing. 

Use social media posts to point to blogs or landing pages on your website. Have your website collect names and addresses for your email marketing campaigns. Include links to your social media accounts on your website. 

Using a multi-channel approach allows you to use your marketing content and assets together to present a more comprehensive and appealing message. 

A website is your opportunity to carve out some digital space to define yourself and your business. With some time and attention, you can create a true asset that can help you generate more revenue and grow your business. If you would like help understanding how to build a website for your business, please contact Beacon Marketing today.