5 Essential Things Your New Website Should Have
There’s more to running a really great website than just throwing a few pages together and calling it a day.
Whilst you may well have the basics down, such as web hosting and securing your own domain name, there’s a lot more you can do to ensure that your new endeavor is a resounding success.
Like what? Well, here’s just five things which are essential to any good website.
Mobile optimised design
These days, there are just as many Internet users checking out websites on their mobile phones and tablet devices than there are using laptops and desktop computers. With that in mind, it’s important that your website looks great and provides all the functions your visitors need to use your site successfully, no matter which device they use to view it.
Whilst tempting to think that this will automatically ‘be the case, the truth is that not all websites are, so it’s important to check that your new website will be mobile optimised, that is, they’ll be just as good on an iPad as they will on your office computer.
To ensure the best possible browsing experience for your visitors no matter which device they use, your site should have a mobile optimised design. If you’re using a leading website building platform or a popular CMS like WordPress or Joomla, you’ll find a range of mobile responsive themes at your disposal. All you need to do then is select the right theme for your site, and you’ll be well prepared to provide a great experience no matter which device your visitors choose to use.
Fresh content, and lots of it
It was Microsoft head honcho, Bill Gates, who first uttered the immortal words ‘Content is King.’ Since then, the phrase has become a mantra for online marketers the world over, and for good reason.
A regular stream of new content uploaded to your website will be key to your online success. Not only does it play an important part in your Search Engine Optimisation efforts and help drive your site up search rankings, it’s also the most powerful tool you have available to drive visitors to your site and compel them to take action when they get there.
Google Analytics
Knowing how many people visited your site, how they found you and what they did when they got there can be immensely valuable when it comes to growing your site and attracting even more visitors.
With site analytics tools like Google Analytics, getting your hands on this kind of data is no more difficult than adding a little piece of code to your website and tracking the incoming data through a separate user interface.
Contact form
Integrating a working contact form into your website no longer requires the mass of complicated coding it once did. With free services like Jotform available, building a form, adding it to your website and receiving completed forms directly to your email account couldn’t be any simpler.
Marketing tools
Once the initial hype surrounding your newly launched website dies down, you’ll of course want to keep attracting new visitors and, if you’re in the eCommerce game, converting those visitors to sales. To do this effectively, you’ll need some form of marketing in place, constantly keeping your site at the forefront of people’s minds and compelling them to stop by.
This doesn’t have to be anything complicated, or even expensive. Setting up an email newsletter, with sign-ups done right from your site, or promoting all that lovely new content you’re posting through social media sites like Facebook and Twitter can be done completely free. If it does sound somewhat daunting, don’t worry. The web is full of helpful tools and easy-to-follow tutorials to help you create marketing tools that really work to ensure your website is as successful as you always hoped it would be.
