Top 10 Things your Website MUST HAVE

1. Mobile Responsive Design

If you want a piece of the action online, your website must be responsive for viewing on smartphones!

Mobile web browsing continues to be a key area of growth, with the percentage of all global web pages served to mobile phones over the last decade increasing from just 0.7% in 2009 to 52.2% in 2018. Yowza!

What this means for YOU is that it’s becoming more and more important to ensure your customers can expect a great browsing or shopping experience when viewing your website on mobile. In fact, a recent Google study found that 96% of consumers have encountered sites that weren’t designed with mobile in mind, and that when this happens, it can be bad for business — with 48% of respondents reporting feeling frustrated and annoyed.

Google estimates that 67% of mobile users are more likely to buy a site’s product or service if their website is mobile-friendly, so ensure this is HIGH on your priority list.

2. Clear & Compelling Homepage

Did you know you have around 7 seconds to capture the attention of your customers when they arrive on your website? That timeframe is even shorter for mobile users – which means you have only a few seconds to compel them to stay before they’re lost to the dreaded ‘bounce’.

To grab your customers’ attention, let them know HOW you can help, and compel them to explore, make a purchase, or contact your team, it’s VITAL that your homepage combines great design with all of the important information those customers will be looking for within the first few seconds of arriving on your website.

People work with and purchase from businesses they KNOW, LIKE and TRUST, so be sure to include details on…

• Who YOU are
• What you OFFER
• What makes your business SPECIAL
• WHERE you’re based
• How they can CONTACT you

BONUS POINTS if you can include REAL photos that show you and your team in action to further build trust and a rapport.

3. SSL Certificate

While SSL Certificates were once rarely needed for websites without online shopping functionality, they are now vital for everyone.

If you missed our blog post explaining the importance of SSL certificates in the wake of Google’s recent security update, check it out for the background info.

In short, HTTPS is now being recognised as the safety standard on the web, and HTTP sites may soon be penalised be search engines in rankings. If you want to ensure your website continues to rank in search results — and give your customers confidence your website is safe to use — adding an SSL certificate is a MUST.

4. Keyword Rich (But Human Focused) Content

If you’re at all familiar with the importance of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) for your website, you’ll know that keywords are GOLD when it comes to making your business ‘findable’ online.

Search engines like Google are continually updating their algorithms to ensure the best search experience and results for users. This can make SEO a bit of a moving target — and something that requires sustained effort rather than a set and forget approach — but it also ensures genuinely hot leads land on your site, primed to buy, enquire, or sign up.

To help search engines understand what your business is all about, be sure to include keyword rich content! This means integrating targeted keywords into your copy, as well as image and video titles and alt text.

While 10 years ago adding LOTS of keywords into your website worked a treat, this is no longer the case. Nowadays, Google rewards copy written for ‘humans’ and actually penalises websites it thinks are ‘keyword stuffing’ for the sake of SEO — so keep your copy natural, readable and written first and foremost for your users.

5. Unique Meta-Data

Speaking of SEO, a common mistake we see when auditing websites is poor, replicated or — worst of all! — missing metadata. Metadata is vital for SEO because it’s one of the first indicators Google and other search engines view to understand what your website is all about. They are also usually displayed in search results, so should be written with the aim of being clear on what each page is about, and compelling users to CLICK to view.

Your metadata consists of a meta title and a meta description, and each of these should integrate your primary targeted keyword for that page, and clearly state what that page is all about.

It’s VITAL to make the metadata for each of your website pages unique. Using the same keyword/s in the metadata for every page of your site can actually ‘confuse’ Google and make it unclear which of your pages to rank in search results.

6. Your Phone Number

It may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how many businesses fail to list a contact number on their website, or have their number hidden away within the depths of their website where users struggle to find it.

Listing your phone number not only enhances the user experience and makes it easy to solve customer issues quickly and efficiently should they need help — it ALSO goes a long way in building trust and positioning your business as reputable for web-wary users.

Have your number listed on your contact page and in the footer on your homepage. BONUS POINTS for ensuring that contact number is clickable for mobile users!

7. Contact Form on the Homepage

If you’re keen to generate leads and enquiries, we highly recommend including a contact form on your website’s homepage! Like displaying your phone number, adding a contact form to your homepage is about making it as quick and easy for people to contact you as possible. Making it easy for people = increased leads. SIMPLE.

If you’re not keen on the look of a contact form on your homepage, a good alternative is to include a CONTACT button and call to action, encouraging users to click through to your contact page to enquire or learn more. Remember to make the process as streamlined as possible – the fewer clicks a users has to make on their journey to getting in touch, the more likely they are to do so.

8. Calls to Action

Again — it seems obvious, but it’s something people frequently forget to add to their websites!

A CTA or call to action is a great way to prompt users to take the next step in the process and complete an action you want them to take on your website. It could be making an online purchase, signing up for your emails, downloaded a free product, or contacting your team. Whatever action you want people to take on a specific page — make it OBVIOUS! A gentle push in the right direction can seriously increase conversions.

9. Internal Links

Guys, internal links are still important! Not just for SEO, but also usability.

Google’s spiders need to CRAWL your web pages before they can index them, and — just like the webs real spiders use to get around — Google’s spiders crawl from page to page using internal links. This means internal links are vital to help your pages get indexed and, then, ranked in search engine results.

In terms of usability, providing handy links (either on text or in buttons on your pages) to relevant sections and pages is a great way to help users find what they’re looking for, and encourage them to continue browsing. More browsing = greater engagement = a higher retention rate and opportunities to convert.

10. Social Links & Feeds

If someone arrives at your website via search and is discovering your brand for the first time, how do you think they’re going to decide if they want to do business with you or make a purchase?

You can TELL them how amazing your products and services are on your website, but they’re going to want proof… and to get it the majority of users are going to want to head straight to your social media pages to find it. They’ll have a gander at how many people follow you online, what people are saying in reviews (and how your brand responds), and what you share online to get a sense of whether they feel they KNOW, LIKE and TRUST you.

Remember — making it EASY for your users is key, so be sure to add links to your Facebook and Instagram accounts in obvious places (above the top navigation and in the footer are great options) and consider adding social feeds to display that content as well.