How to Make a Website Successful: Web Design That Works

It takes 0.05 seconds for a visitor to your website to form an opinion about your business that will determine whether he buys or not. When that window shuts, it will be more expensive and strenuous to win the trust back. This shows how much attention you should give to your website if you desire to win the digital marketing battle.

What should you do?

The best websites for business are sometimes the simplest of them all. However, that simplicity is always deliberate. Top websites take continuous and deliberate steps to keep their sites on top. You must understand that a successful website requires a cocktail of actions to get it to the top. Further, you must constantly reinvent your strategies so that the website maintains the top position.

Here are a few pro tips on how to develop and sustain a successful website.

Start With the Best Domain Name

A domain name is also called a web address. It provides an address to visitors, indicting where they should find you. It is crucial that such a domain name be attractive to your target customers.
An attractive domain name has nothing to do with fancy names or tag lines. It should be a name that sells your business even before you even mention it. The name is crucial for search engines as well as customers looking for products similar to what you offer online.

Here is the idea.

If you are looking for a man named John in a crowd, several of them will raise their hands. What if you call for John from Texas? The number reduces. As you narrow down, the specific John will emerge. The same case applies to domain names. Make it as unique and specific as possible so that it is easier to find you and your business.

There is more to choosing a domain name.

• Make it easy to spell- your visitors will not be misdirected or spend the entire day trying to type the right name.
• Keep it short- the trick also applies during product branding. A short name is easier to remember, search and pronounce. Always remember the value of time when a customer is making an online search.
• Numbers and hyphens are a no- they are confusing and difficult to remember. Customers do not like such a bother.
• Choose an industry or brand-specific name- the name should say something about your product or industry. It makes it easier to appear top during searches.

The domain name is available and assists in selling your website to potential searchers and search engines.

Link the Website to Your Business Processes and Structure

A business website is like the physical office, only this time it is online. As such, it must simulate what happens in the physical office. 

Here is the thing. A person landing on the website should find a clear map of different aspects like an invitation to the website which is the ‘reception’ in a physical office, introduction of what you do which is the ‘About Us’ page, and specific ‘offices’ captured in ‘services’ portal, among such other similarities.

A navigation map helps to sends you to different pages once you land on the ‘Home’ page.

Here is the interesting bit.

Have you seen websites with auto-chats that pop up immediately you land? That is the receptionist who acts like an usher during an event and is always ready to assist. That is what it means to mirror an actual office.

The architecture of the website should help you to achieve the business similarity. If you offer particular services, they must be listed on the website. Use similar colors, logos, and images, among other elements on the website so that it does not appear like you are running another business.

Consider Your Target Audience

Every website is built with a specific audience in mind. Notice the difference between a website offering health advice and one selling gadgets. The former is minimalistic, conservative, and straight to the point while the latter is flashy, inviting, and involves a lot of exaggeration. The developers of these two types of websites have their audience in mind.

The audience determines the architecture of your website. They also influence the graphics and images added to the website. They must find a home in your website through elements that are easy to relate.
Beyond the architecture, consider the manner of engagement. Will they be accessing your website through native search or via social media? If you choose social media, what platform will you advertise the website?

Choose A Responsive and User Friendly Design

A visitor landing into your website should find it easy to access information and interact with different pages. A user friendly design enables visitors to spend more time on the website. As a result, they explore more goods and services, increasing your chances of selling.

Here is the point.

Think about the buying process and how to make it seamless. For instance, if a visitor is looking for thesis help, what design suits him best? How many pages should the website have? What is the process of moving from the homepage to the services page?

Remember, visitors return to and recommend websites with a great user experience. Recommendation counts as free marketing and will sustain traffic even without future marketing expenditure.

Befriend the Website to Search Engines

The success of a website goes beyond the visitors. Ranking has a lot more to do with how search engines view and perceive your website. The secret to top ranking is to understand the language of search engines and align your website the algorithms used by these search engine spiders. 

Here are a few tricks to befriend search engines.

• Domain name- it should reflect the common names and phrases used by your target market during searches.
• Titles and subtitles- use keywords in your titles and subtitles so that they are captured by the search engines.
• Keywords in your articles- strategically place the commonly searched keywords in your industry within your articles.
• Lighter design- the architecture of your website makes information easier to extract, helping you to rank higher.
• Hosting- the host determines availability, loading speed, and such other aspects. Choose a host who makes your site more accessible.
• Visitor engagement- prepare content and develop a design that causes visitors to spend more time on your website. Search engines see that as a mark of quality and will, therefore, rank you higher.

Follow search engine optimization tricks to improve your ranking. Since the algorithms change, you must constantly hunt for the latest tricks. It is a continuous battle to keep your website at the top of search results.

Work On the Quality of Your Content

A successful website not only ranks top but also meets the needs of your target audience. Always remember that visitor come to your site looking for information or goods. Endeavor to meet their needs during every visit. It will only happen when they find quality content.

Quality content is relevant, concise, and timely. When the same visitor is returning tomorrow, he should find fresh and exciting information. This is the way to build the confidence of your target audience and visitors in your website or blog. You assure them that the information will always be available whenever they visit.

Use Analytics to Constantly Improve the Website

Today, digital marketing and web presence is no longer an issue of guesswork. Technology has enabled web owners to collect data on visits and activities on their websites for use in informing future engagements.

Analytics will tell you where traffic to your website is coming from. You also learn the popular pages on your site, how long visitors stay on your website, and the most popular days or hours for visitors, among other crucial elements. Use this information to shape future campaigns.

Choose a Reliable Host and Hosting Package

Consider web hosting to be the location of your apartment. Is the location secure to protect your assets? Can you access your apartment anytime? How many people can use the facility?

Such scenarios play out when you are hosting a website. A web hosting service may expose your website to hacking or cyber attacks. If you have huge traffic, a lower hosting package will cause the site to collapse. If it is constantly down or out of service, your visitors will not find you or will lose confidence in your brand.

Choose a hosting service that supports your user experience, especially the endeavor to make the website accessible.

Utilize Social Media

Social media is outside your website but a crucial part of success for every business owner.
Here is the thing. Social media is a great source of traffic to your website. It is also a great branding tool that will send people to your website.

 
So, how do you use your social media to get a successful website?

• Direct traffic- create social media posts that will cause interested visitors to click onto your website and view your content.
• Engaging potential visitors- create content that raises debate about your products and services, consequently sending visitors to the website.
• Analytics- use social media analytics to learn more about your audience and how they engage with your content. It helps you to improve future campaigns.

Social media is easier to engage than many other platforms. It also helps you to generate traffic. Choose the right social media platform to support your digital marketing strategy.

 
A successful website must add to your bottom line. It either helps you to sell directly or supports your campaign, and in the process increasing your sales. Pay attention to the different elements of a successful website to produce long term digital marketing success through your website.