Online marketing is necessary for every business, but not all businesses manage to get it right.
A good website is the best place to start. It’s often the first impression a potential customer has of your business. Many people will look up your website on the internet just to get your phone number or find out where you are. Now that they’re there, your website should be enticing enough to make them look around and see what you have to offer.
Take a look at your own website and ask yourself these questions.
1: Does your website accurately reflect your business and brand?
Perhaps you’ve taken over an existing business and haven’t quite updated things. Or perhaps the business has evolved and your website hasn’t. It’s important to keep branding consistent, both offline and online. This helps to jog customer recall, keeping you top of mind for their next purchase. Branding includes logos, fonts, colour scheme, and business tone. Everything should work in harmony.
2: Is your website easy to use?
A user should find your website easy to navigate, easy to read, and easy to find what they’re looking for. Keep in mind the target market of your users. A younger market may be more tech-savvy and have less patience for older-style websites. Video is the fastest growing marketing tool you can use – are you using it correctly or at all? The design and layout of your website is critical. If it’s too slow, too hard and takes too many clicks, potential customers will be put off.
3: How does your website look?
As discussed previously, your website should reflect your brand. But it should also be aesthetically pleasing to look at. No matter what product or service you’re selling, your website should be fun, welcoming and enjoyable to use. You have less than 5 seconds to engage a potential customer’s attention before they get bored and click off. Your home page needs to pique interest while immediately making it clear what it is you do or sell. Is there too much text? Are your animations taking too long to load? Are the buttons too small and the banners too big? Design and function are equally important.
Remember, your website is a direct reflection of your business. It needs to be easy to use as well as being easy on the eye. And it must do what you need it to do. Take a long hard look at your website. How does it stack up?
Of course, not everyone is a website design expert. However, Casie from Design Garage is. She can update your existing website, or create an entirely new one.
To check out Design Garage’s website portfolio CLICK HERE
www.designgarage.co.nz | 027 934 3509 | contact@designgarage.co.nz
