While this post only scratches the surface and suggests the items you should optimize on your website, these 5 things are major factors that can greatly influence the effectiveness and profitability of your business website. If your website is lacking in any of these factors, you are missing tremendous opportunities. With that said, let’s take a look at these 4 critical features to a successful business website.

1. Quality Content

When a visitor arrives at your website, you must give them exactly what they are looking for.  All too often, businesses lose potential customers because they arrive on the page and click ‘Back’ in frustration because the solution they are after isn’t visible.  Make sure your pages are well written, contain useful information and are targeted to your niche.  While there are many other factors that impact how a website is ranked in search engines and its ability to convert visitors into paying customers, it’s important to opt for clear, concise content over techniques that might give you a short-lived boost in rankings at the cost of usability.

2. Search Engine Optimization

I cannot stress enough how vitally important it is for local businesses to develop a long-term SEO strategy for their website.  SEO is the process of optimizing your site so that it ultimately ranks well for high converting keywords (keywords that result in the most calls/sales/customers).  If you were to search ‘hdmi cables‘ in Google, for example, you can see the paid listings as well as the organic local results.

In cases where it can cost upwards of $9 per click on paid advertising in Google search results, investing in SEO and ranking well organically is a cost-effective measure (mainly because you don’t have to pay Google for every click you receive).  However, SEO cannot be a one-off process.  To continually make improvements, or even maintain rankings in search engines, you have to be taking measures to ensure your website is seen by Google as the highest authority website in its field..  The truth is, if you aren’t actively pursuing SEO right now, especially if you aren’t on the first page for your target keywords, you are missing out on an increasing market of potential clients who look for services online rather than through conventional (a.k.a. Old School) methods.

3. Call to Action

So your business website is on the first page of Google for several niche keywords, and your pages are filled with beautifully written content that answers visitor questions … Why is your phone not ringing?  I can promise you it won’t be ringing as much as it should be unless you encourage your visitors to take action.  It can be as simple as asking them to enter their email address to join your monthly newsletter or listing a phone number for them to call for more information.  Give your visitors a next step, make it clear for them so they do not assume what they need to do next.

For example, if you are a electronics company that specializes in hdmi cable sales, you should already have a quality article written to answer several common questions about hdmi, such as uses, affordability, etc.  Any visitors to this page are definitely interested in hdmi cables and you should provide them with that next step.  Add a ‘Call For More Information’ button below the article, or offer a free “3 Simple Tips to a better HD picture” eBook for joining your newsletter.  The key is having a well defined goal for your visitors, and creating a ‘funnel’ through which you can transform these visitors into clients calling your phone.

4. Social Media Integration

Most businesses generally go about Social Media the wrong way if they pursue it at all.  Interactive websites like Facebook, Google Plus, and Twitter, offer a truly remarkable way for businesses to connect with their clients on a personal level, turning one-time clients into regular customers.  And just what is the ‘right’ way to go about social media?

Take a recent client’s Social Media presence that I manage for example.  Bob Daniels has a conventional web presence through their website, Bob Daniels Insurance.  However, if you take a look at the page, you’ll notice links to their Facebook and Twitter profiles featured on the right hand navigation.  When you visit their Facebook Fan Page, you’ll see that they are able to reach out on a much more personal level with her clients. Past clients are able to give feedback and potential clients are able to ask her questions in a way that is much more accessible for some than a conventional website.

While someone may keep up with their work through their main website, fans of their Facebook page are much more likely to be reminded of their services and be easily alerted to any specials or promotions.  Similarly to a newsletter, any update posted to their Fan Page is visible to her hundreds of fans at the click of a button.

Motivated Yet?

If you’ve paid attention to number 3 in this post, you’ll realize that this is a Call to Action.  I urge you to take action and get your website up to date with these factors.  You might not know the first thing about websites or SEO and that’s ok.  It just so happens that I can implement all 4 of these aspects into your business website and help you maximize the profitability.  I encourage you to click the button below to contact us and share a little about your business website. We can transform your website into an online sales tool that works for you 24/7, getting you more clients and making your phone ring.  Take action right now and boost your sales.

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