Having a great website is step one of many.

I’m confident you know that having a website is a first step for any business and its marketing. A website gives you a place to showcase and prove your services, share the businesses’ story, and work to build and establish credibility. As important and required as a website is, here’s the hard truth—just having a website isn’t enough to get you more customers. Having a great website is step one of many.

If your website isn’t being found by users, if it isn’t engaging visitors, or isn’t converting leads, it’s just sitting there and collecting digital dust. There are a number of key things you can do to help turn your website into a customer-generating machine.

A Website Needs Traffic an SEO Can Help

A website that isn’t getting any traffic (users coming to it)  is about as useful as a billboard in the middle of nowhere. If people can’t find your website, they can’t do business with you. That’s where Search Engine Optimization (SEO) comes in helpful.

How to Improve a Websites SEO:

• Use the right keywords. Finding the terms your customers are searching for and including them in your website is the cornerstone of SEO.
• Optimize the website structure. Make sure that your website is easy for users to navigate and browse. Be sure that it is fully responsive and mobile-friendly, and that it loads quickly.
• Create great content. Be sure to regularly publish new blogs, FAQs, and case studies on your website. Doing this will help keep your site relevant to search engines and users.
• Claim and optimize your Google Business Profile. Formerly known as Google My Business, this is an absolute must for local small businesses to show up in local SEO based searches.

Capture Users Attention

Just like in real life, first impressions on a website happen in seconds. If your website is too cluttered, outdated looking, or simply too difficult to navigate and take in, visitors won’t stay on the site for long (much less do business with you). A well-designed website must keep users engaged and encourage them to take an action step.

What Makes a Website Engaging?

• A clear value proposition. Let your website visitors know not just what product or service you offer, but why they should care.
• A modern, user-friendly design. A website designed with simple and easy to use navigation, mobile optimizations, and quick load times will make all the difference.
• Strong calls to action (CTAs). Be sure to help guide visitors toward the next step they should be taking be that scheduling a consultation, requesting a quote, signing up for your newsletter, or maybe purchasing a product.

Conversion Optimization is Key to Leads

Even if your website is getting great traffic, it won’t mean anything to your business if visitors aren’t converting to leads or customers. Getting people into your store is one thing, getting them to go through the cashier line and buy items is another. 

How to Improve Conversions:

• Use clear and compelling CTAs. Make sure that any buttons like “Get Started” or “Schedule a Call” are visible and persuasive.
• Offer lead magnets. Things like free guides, consultations, or even discounts if needed can help to encourage visitors to engage with your business.
• Add social proof. Use testimonials, case studies, and other trust badges to help build credibility with your visitors.
• Simplify contact forms. Nothing is worse for converting users than a complex form. The fewer the number of fields on the form, the better. If a field isn’t absolutely 100% needed, get rid of it.

Marketing is a Must

Even with the single greatest website design in the history of the WWW won’t magically bring in visitors. You need to actively, diligently, and regularly be working to drive more and new traffic through various marketing efforts.

Ways to Drive Traffic to Your Site:

• Content marketing: Blogging, videos, and downloadable resources are just a few ways to keep your site fresh and attract more search traffic.
• Social media marketing: Regularly share and publish valuable content and engage with your audience on platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram. Your posts can build the confidence in your brand and work to bring users back to your site for better conversions.
• Email marketing: Don’t let your customers forget about you. Keep in touch with both potential and current customers through an active monthly or bi-weekly newsletter.
• Paid advertising: Paid ads might not be right for every business, but Google Ads or social media ads can give you an extra boost in traffic.

Don’t Let It Go Stale

Ever driven by an old abandoned store that hasn’t been used for years? If you don’t keep making updates to your site, Google will look at your website the same way you look at those abandoned stores. If your site looks abandoned, visitors (and Google) will take notice-and not in a good way. Regularly updating your website with new and fresh content, offers, and technical maintenance is crucial to keeping your website from going stale.

How to Keep Your Website Fresh:

• Publish new blog posts or case studies: This can help prove to Google and users that your business is open, active, and a great fit for their needs.
• Update images and service pages to reflect what’s current: Outdated photos never look anything but outdated. Keep photos fresh and relevant to help build credibility.
• Ensure all links, forms, and features are working properly: When uses come to your site, broken links and features not working correctly will significantly affect conversions and can even ruin your credibility.
• Stay on top of security updates to prevent issues: Keeping your website up to date on security notices protects not just your website, but your business and your users.

A Website is Just the Start

Your website is the cornerstone of your business’s online presence. Your website needs strategy, marketing, and optimization to help convert visitors into customers. If you’re not seeing results from your website yet, it’s likely time to take action. A website is a great first start, but it is just that, a first step. There are many other key steps to keep taking with your website and marketing success.