(Newswire.net — February 9, 2021) — Following the world-altering changes introduced by the COVID-19 pandemic, more businesses have come to recognize just how important it is to have a strong online presence. When going online, every brand must start with the foundation of a great website.
Unfortunately, many — particularly the small local businesses that have been hardest hit by the pandemic — still do not have a quality website in place. Many do not have a website at all.
This puts them at a distinct disadvantage that is bad enough during normal times. But with e-commerce growing over 30 percent in 2020 and traditional retail suffering significant losses, the lack of a quality website can be disastrous. But not if Ryan Chaffin, founder of KAHA has anything to say about it.
Not All Websites Are Created Equal
In their rush to get on the web, Chaffin worries that many companies are settling for less-than-ideal website solutions. “One of the biggest problems we’ve seen is that many companies essentially just sell website templates, rather than doing custom design work for their clients,” he notes.
“This results in a lot of cookie-cutter websites that aren’t really distinguishable from one another — and sometimes they’re even direct competitors! Or the website provider focuses exclusively on design, without taking performance into account. A website that looks great but has abysmal performance won’t keep customers’ attention for long.”
Indeed, research from Kissmetrics shows that today’s internet users expect websites to deliver on both looks and performance. Forty percent of web users will abandon a website that takes longer than three seconds to load. For each one-second delay in loading, a website typically sees its conversion rate drop by seven percent.
“Designers only care about design — they often don’t even consider performance,” Chaffin warns. “Sometimes, this may even mean they plan for things that can’t be coded into the website, resulting in last-minute redesigns or other problems. No business that is trying to get online should have to deal with that.”
Creating an Online Business Hub
Indeed, Chaffin’s agency was formed in large part as a response to the low-quality web design techniques he had observed among other design agencies. While the “template”-style results were serviceable, they were hardly going to make an impactful difference for their clients.
“Your website is really your online business hub,” he explains.
“It’s what gets all the efforts of Facebook Ads, PPC campaigns and so on to pay off with leads and conversions. This means it needs to be custom-built for your needs. It has to look the part to fit your branding and provide a memorable, positive experience for your customers. Really, you have to look at it the same way as if someone was coming into your brick and mortar location. You have to provide something unique that gets them to want to come back.”
Of course, Chaffin was quick to note that this entails much more than a good-looking site. Factors such as SEO and creating a streamlined checkout process for e-commerce sites also play a vital role in helping customers discover the website and have a positive experience.
Ultimately, brands need to determine which features are going to best serve them and their customers. A robust FAQ page may be a top priority for some brands, but be nothing more than a distraction for others. Companies should only invest in features and site attributes that make sense for their brand.
Continued Optimization
“A website is not a ‘set it and forget it’ part of your digital marketing. It’s not a static brochure,” Chaffin says. “It needs to be a living thing that is continually improved. This means regularly updating your content to keep it fresh, while also routinely evaluating site performance and other metrics to ensure it is delivering the results you need. Things like SEO best practices are constantly changing, and you need to stay on top of such issues if you want to maintain a high search ranking.”
Setting optimization goals can help brands track key performance metrics to determine which aspects of the site are performing well, as well as which elements need further refinement. Focusing on attributes that influence visitor behavior, such as quality testimonials and call to action copy, can have a profound influence on how users behave after arriving at your site.
While a site that is properly built to start with shouldn’t require any major overhauls, even the best-designed website will need some tweaking and refinement over time. This shouldn’t be feared. By making these updates as needed, rather than putting them off, brands can keep their website performing at a high level.
Better Websites for Better Results
“No matter what type of business you run, you need to care for your website the way you would a brick and mortar store,” Chaffin says. “This tells your visitors so much about your brand — whether you’re modern, up-to-date and convenient, or outdated and stuck in the past. When you ensure that your website truly caters to your target audience, you’ll be able to drive meaningful business results through your online presence.”
Brands that prioritize their website design to create a quality digital experience will keep customers coming back for more — and blow past their competition.