Entrepreneur contributors do not necessarily agree with the opinions expressed.
A website is fundamentally your most powerful tool. It can evolve as your business grows, and it's a tireless worker. Websites are the most powerful tool on the planet. They can be accessed 24/7, 365 days per year. It does not need to sleep, is never sick, and doesn't require any time off.
The website is the most overlooked opportunity for businesses. They don't work a lot of the time. If someone claims that their website is useless, it boils down to sales.
This is how it would look: You are trying to speak to a salesperson but the person you are speaking to only stares at your face. You get a repetitive response from the salesperson every time you ask a question. It is a series of sentences that contain very little information. This person is not a prophet.
For a sale to take place, communication is essential. Your website can be used to communicate digitally. Websites communicate like creepy salespeople who repeat the same vague information. It is the reason why most businesses fail to have websites.
Many businesses don't know where to concentrate their money, so they try to fix it by spending money in all directions. They would probably get two, but it would be difficult to get them both.
What are your key points to making the website more effective?
1. Your website is not finished
Websites offer endless possibilities in terms of what they can accomplish. Problem is, people tend to complicate and overthink websites. People will look at websites of their competitors and assume that it is working well for them. They then want to duplicate or copy everything. People end up focusing on the small details for months, sometimes even years, as they assume that it is done once it is done.
Do not put too much pressure on your self. Instead of thinking of a website as finished, consider it a continuous work in progress that grows with your business. There will always be flaws in a design. Instead of striving for perfection, adopt a mindset that encourages testing and improvement.
Experienced web designers will give you a head start that will allow you to start the race halfway to victory. This is at a fraction the cost of figuring out how to get there. To win, even with the headstart, you still have to race the race. Many times, people hire designers believing that they can solve all problems on their own. They never run the race.
Related: 3 Reasons Why Your Website Will Never be Complete
Website design and content are how websites communicate.
Websites are often too complicated. This makes communication difficult and costly. Keep it simple. There are only three core pages you will need: the home page, the about page and contact.
Design should be simple and clear. Too many websites put too many things on one page. It's almost like an empty countertop that is begging for clutter. Consider this: Would a clean countertop or a kitchen filled with old dishes look better to guests?
Your content creation is easier when you have a simpler design. The website is constantly in development and can be expanded.
Writing is still the main way that people consume online content in today's media-rich world. Your website speaks to customers through writing. Your customers will think you are also boring and generic if your content is bland.
Let me give you an example. Instead of listing products and services in industry terminology that is difficult to understand by your average customer, show the problem you solve and the implementation process.
People purchase based on the ability of the product or service to solve their problem. Using features to compare services is not a good idea. You can make your customers feel more confident in your company by walking them through the entire process and explaining how each problem is solved.
Related: How to make your website your best salesperson and not your worst money pit
Analytics is essential to understand these core stats.
Websites change constantly and are always evolving. After we have our design, it is time to evaluate how effective the communication is. This can only be done by understanding what visitors do when they visit the website.
Google Analytics is the most widely used of all free analytics tools. There are many useful stats available, but the majority of our analysis boils down to two things: average time on page (also known as average engagement time) or users.
These two statistics are the basis of most decisions when deciding how to improve a website. These stats are not difficult to understand if you're not a tech whiz. You can view them in analytics if you have access to it.
The average time spent on a page will tell you how effective your website communicates. You will be more productive if you spend more time on the page. Although situations vary, the general rule is that people who spend less than 30 seconds are more likely to be successful. If people spend 1.5-2 minutes or more on your website, you are doing pretty well. These stats will help you understand the problems with your website. It is not often possible to make a decision about what needs to be changed. This is why most businesses waste money on website upgrades that don't solve the problem.
If you purchase a service such as SEO, leads, or ads and people only spend 10 seconds on your site, it doesn't matter how much you spend. In fact, more SEO is based upon how long people spend on your website.
It is also possible to do the opposite. The reverse is also true. If people spend five minutes on your site and only two people visit it, the redesign will not solve your problem. You need more people to see your site.
Remember that your website does not have to be perfect right from the beginning. It is possible to make any changes you wish at any time. However, the goal must be constant improvement based upon the problem. To win in the website game, you only need to make small and easy changes based upon customer statistics.
Related: A Small-Business Guide to Google Analytics(Infographic)
