These days, having a presence online is vital for any business, including the brick and mortar stores that don’t sell products or services online. Recent studies have shown that 97 percent of consumers search for local businesses online, while 94 percent of B2B buyers go online to research a company first, according to Accenture. Creating a successful website isn’t too challenging, but with these four powerful tips, you can build a successful website in 2019.
Design for Speed
A recent study released by SOASTA found that 88 percent of people surveyed said they have negative associations with companies whose websites and apps are glitchy, and 83 percent said that slow websites create an adverse reaction to a brand or company. Another 28 percent of respondents to the survey said they would go to a competitor’s site if the first site they visit takes too long to load. This is why it is critical that you ensure your site runs smoothly and load fast by using a website host that can handle your bandwidth demands.
Make Your Site Mobile Friendly
Out of all of these trends for making a successful website, making it mobile friendly is at the top of the list. With more and more people using their smartphones to research and buy products online, it is imperative that you create a website design that works across a variety of devices, especially mobile. If you plan on having a successful eCommerce site in 2019, then you have to know how to cater to mobile users, because if you don’t 40 percent of consumers say that they will shop at a competitors website if they have a terrible experience with a mobile site.
Place Your Contact Information Where It’s Easy to Find
If your business depends on your customers being able to contact your or reach out to your sales team, then you need to be sure you place your contact information where it will be easily found. Your contact information should be visible at the top of the homepage. This way visitors don’t have to search for a phone number or address if they want to get a hold of your business. If you use different social media to connect with your customers, you want to make sure that the links to your social media pages are at the header or footer, where they can be easily found.
Keep Your Pages Uncluttered
Readers need to be able to put the information you provide them into context. If your site is too overloaded with information, it will quickly overload your readers’ minds, making it almost impossible for them to retain the new information they’ve gathered. To create a successful website, you need to make sure your pages are balanced with text and images and that they present a clean page. One way that you can accomplish this is by limiting the social widgets. The basic rule of thumb is that if your social widget, like your Twitter feed, doesn’t support the purpose of the page, get rid of it.
If you want to remain competitive, then you need to ensure that your website is engaging and works as expected. If you can create a seamless and enjoyable user experience, you’ll be able to reap the benefits.