How to Build a Successful Website
As a full service Atlanta advertising, marketing, and public relations firm we are often presented with the task of “cleaning up” websites done without the thoughtful construction really required to create a website that will draw and retain customers. There are plenty of fly-by-night SEM and SEO companies who advertise promises to get your website on the first page of search engine result pages (SERPS.) Sounds too good to be true right? Well, it typically is just that.
While optimizing your website for search engines is certainly an integral step in website development and web maintenance, it’s important to remember there are other factors involved. Because website design and digital advertising lingo can get a little technical, we’d like to equate the subject to something in which everyone (typically) can relate- FOOD! Ensure that your marketing or web design company adheres to the following recipe for a successful company website.
Blue Ribbon Websites
Ingredients: market research (know your clients and their business); fresh ingredients (identify what your company is offering that none of your competitors are currently and highlight that); a splash of aged, red wine (stress your professional experience. Without proof of “where you’ve been,” customers will not be as likely to allow you to see them into the future).
Begin this delectable creation by formulating a vision for what you’d like to create. Do you want your site to have online shopping capabilities? Is your site designed more to educate your clients about the expanding menu of services your company offers? Is your site more of a visual experience to showcase design work or photographs? Once you’ve decided on the features you’d like to highlight the structure/ layout to pursue will become more apparent.
- Wash and clean ingredients (gather old works, spruce up what you do offer, make changes with research findings.)
- Let ingredients simmer in red wine and season to taste (add your brand personality to the language of your site. The more relatable your business is and the more genuine you remain to your ethics and ideals as a purveyor, the more customers will trust you with their business.)
- Preheat oven to 350 and allow mixture to bake on low. Website design can be done speedily, but it’s really more advantageous to take the time and test/ preview material before it’s launched publicly because digital mistakes are all but impossible to erase from search engine caches very quickly.
- Once website casserole has reached an adequate internal temperature (i.e.- all of the webpages and components have been constructed and thoroughly tested for any bugs), remove from oven and promptly serve to as many as you can from your target audience.
- Monitor your site’s results and ask your taste testers for suggestions for the next batch. (Because of technological advancement and the ever-changing needs of consumers, website design and SEO are ever-evolving. Monitor your site’s progress and search engine results to track what you’re doing correctly and areas that might need attention. Don’t be afraid to ask your patrons what they think of your website, ways you could improve, and things you might add to better fulfill their needs.)
For more tasty recipes for print advertising, brochure design, and website design visit our website and continue to read the McCauley Marketing Services blog.