Domain names are the digital real estate of your company. What does this make your website? Your business’s front door step. This is what communicates the essence of what makes your company special. It is the finishing touches – the welcome mat and fresh flowers that welcome your customers home.
A website is one of the first places customers look at when they hear about your company. Customers rely on company websites to get their first glimpse on the product or service that is being offered. They want to see professionalism, dedication to customers and feel your brand when they enter your site. It is crucial that your website is set up to be the perfect bridge between you and your customer.
In this article we will discuss what customers look for when they go to your site. Furthermore, what you can do to make your customer experience better. Here are Saw.com’s characteristics of a strong business website.
What Makes a Great Website?
Your first step as a company should be to buy a domain that fits your company and your brand. At Saw.com, we recommend a premium, one word domain that is memorable and easy to spell. However, we have three keys to success when buying a domain name for your brand.
Once you have the domain name you want, the next step is making it yours. Your domain name is there to help people find you online, once they have found you, what’s next? Well, you need to design your website to properly convey your brand to customers. These are our steps to creating a great website:
1. Design the Website to your Brand
Your website is a reflection of your company and your brand. It should showcase both your product or service and your company as a whole. Successful websites present their brand, i.e. their vibe, look, feel of their company, but also keep it professional.
However, this does not mean plaster your logo and company name all over the site. Be professional and tasteful. Make your website visually appealing, with the colors of your brand or colors that are complimentary to your logo. Keep your site balanced with short, easy to read excerpts and break up writing with quality photographs. Keeping balance and spacing in mind makes your site easier to read for customers.
According to Hubspot website statistics, 38% of your visitors will stop engaging with your site if its layout is unappealing. And 66% of your visitors prefer to read beautifully designed content, not plain looking content. Well designed, visually appealing content is the key to building trust and credibility with customers, as well as keeping them on your site longer.
2. Make it Easy to Use
Think of your customers’ user experience. Nowadays people want accessible, quick, easy to read information right at their fingertips. The longer it takes for customers to find the information they want, the more likely it is for them to leave your site. Design your site so information is easy to find, and easy to read. Create obvious tabs and organize your site in a way that makes navigation extremely easy. By doing this you can maximize readership and minimize website standstills.
3. Performance and Speed
What is worse than not being able to find information on a site? A site that is slow.
Build your website to common website standards and make sure you are regularly testing your site for speed and functionality issues. This includes mobile, tablet and desktop users. Mobile devices now account for nearly 2 of every 3 minutes spent online.
Additionally, 13% of adults access the internet via mobile only while 11% access the internet via desktop only.
The speed and performance of your site on both desktop and mobile phones could be the difference between a customer staying on your site or closing the tab.
4. Keep Site Content Updated
Keep customers interested by keeping content fresh. A constant flow of interesting, new content will keep people returning to your site time and time again. It is important to be creative and original. Additionally, keep content relevant to what is going on in the world.
This will also help with SEO, or search engine optimization, strategy for your site.
5. Call to Action
Ask your customer to get engaged! Although sometimes it is hard to add a call to action on each page of a site, try to incorporate a way for a customer to engage at least a few times. Ask them to join a mailing list, follow you on social media or invite them to a forum to ask questions. You could also provide internal links for more information or offer a signup for a free trial or consultation. By asking the customer to do something on your site, it gets them thinking and actively engaging in the content. Thus, making your site more memorable to them.
Start with Buying a Domain
Saw.com wants to see you build a strong business website and meet your company goals. This starts when you buy a domain. Our domain brokers share extensive experience in the industry and specialize in domain acquisition, appraisal, branding, brand protection, portfolio management services and more.
If you are interested in speaking with an expert from our domain brokerage service, please contact us for a free consultation.
