The internet went live in 1991. Since then, websites have grown to become one of the most influential marketing tools for businesses. For many consumers, they’re often the first brand touchpoint – helping prospects learn more about your products and services, ultimately impacting their final purchase decisions. But more than that, your website helps determine your level of success.
According to an Adobe Consumer Content Survey, “2/3 of consumers won’t purchase from a brand if any of these annoying situations occur regarding content:”
- Too wordy or not written well
- Lack of relevance
- Poorly designed
- Not optimized
- Too much personalization
- Lack of imagery or video
But to avoid these mistakes and build the most effective website for your brand, you’ll need a purposeful plan by way of strategy and resonating content. Your design must also include an eye catching layout and structure.
Your Website and its Role in Brand Presence
There are over 5 billion people online today, and the majority use online searches to research businesses before making purchasing decisions. But they’ll need your website, or a tangible element of your brand in action, to discover you.
Brand presence is how you put your brand to work. And your website is one of the main elements of brand presence. It is an opportunity to deliver a piece of your message and story to your audience, building trust and establishing authenticity. Not only that, other benefits of a website include:
- Establishing professionalism
- Playing a crucial role within the customer journey and sales funnel
- Increasing visibility
- Providing social proof and testimonials
- Offering lasting value
- Giving you complete control over your internet real estate
Your website can be as effective as you want it to be or as ineffective as you allow it to be. But how do you craft a website that will bring your business to life while setting you up for success?
How to Create a Successful Business Website
Strategy First
Brand strategy is often overlooked, especially in the branding world. Yet it not only establishes where your brand wants to go, it outlines how it’ll get there. A critical component of strategy is discovering who your target audience is and then developing a message that’ll resonate with them. Learn more about developing a successful brand strategy here.
Once you’ve established your brand, it’s time to put that brand to work through your website. First, you’ll need to create a sitemap.
Basic Website Sitemap Elements
The following are basic website sitemap elements you should include in your website:
- Home page, or “why” your audience should hang around
- About Us page
- Services or Product page
- Contact Us page
But keep in mind that you don’t have to put everything on your website. Think of your website as bite-size messages.
After you’ve outlined your sitemap, it’s time to start writing!
Content: Words are Powerful
With a brand strategy in place, you can use your brand message as a basis for your content. The best part is you already know who your audience is and what to say to them. Your website content should also be:
- Clear
- Catchy
- Consistent with your brand voice and tone
- Simple
- SEO-aligned
- Resonating with your audience
It’s important to note is that the Adobe study (previously mentioned) revealed that baby boomers prioritize informative, simple, and valid content, while millennials favor content that’s entertaining and beautiful. So keep that in mind as your creating your website content.
With your brand strategy, basic website elements, and content in place, you’ll now need an attractive design, crucial for customer experience and usability.
Website Design and Style are Key to Success
One study found that over 45% of consumers determine the credibility of a website based on visual appeal and aesthetics. Another study determined that over 90% of first impressions are based on design.
An unattractive website design can cause people to leave your site quickly, signaling to Google that your website isn’t what customers want, which ultimately affects your rankings.
Website Layout and Design
Your website is the doorway to your brand. So you’ll need to make sure your audience is going through that door and will stay engaged with who you are and what you’re offering. The following are characteristics to consider when designing your website:
- Space to breathe – People today don’t read; they scan
- Visual, on-brand appeal
- Formatted and efficient content – How can we make scanning quicker and easier? Think headings, bulleted lists, bold ideas, and removing unnecessary words
- Familiarity and accessibility
- Simplicity
- Inspire action by way of your Call To Actions (CTAs)
At CreativCat Design, we are your go-to, custom website design and content studio. We create eye catching, effective, and engaging websites with a message that speaks directly to your audience. Your brand combined with your website can help determine your level of success. Are you ready to climb to the next level?