Three Website Must-Haves

by Ryan McMullen

I recall a day when putting together a company website was relatively simple. All you needed was a header with your company logo, a few pages talking about your company and your services, and a phone number so you could be contacted. With the evolution of technology and consumer savvy, those days are long, long gone.

These days, your website has become your No. 1 salesperson and just like a live person, consumers expect a good experience. Here the top three things your customers are expecting from your website:  

Mobile
Your site must be optimized for mobile devices. Also known as responsive web design, it means that your website is going to look just as good on a desktop computer, smartphone and tablet. According to Televox, across all industries, mobile visitors increase by 3.5% each month. Mobile-optimized websites have now become mandatory, so give your customers what they want.

By the way, this is the biggest boom in web design since 1997, so you can bet your competitors are optimizing their websites.

Video

In Internet terms, using video has been around forever, but for a number of reasons there has been a real resurgence over the past year. Since its inception, video has been the most engaging of all media, but now more mobile devices are video-friendly and the search engines love videos.

Again, customers expect you to make it as easy as possible for them to find what they’re looking for on your website. If your customer can get what they’re looking for more efficiently and entertainingly from your competitor, that’s where they’re going to go.    

User-Friendly Design
In addition to being your top salesperson, your website is also your online showroom. It’s usually the first interaction people have with your business, so what message are you sending? Just like physical locations, there is an art and science behind designing a website.

I often tell people to think about their website like a grocery store because they have their layout and design down to an exact science.There is a reason that the cheap cereal is on the bottom shelf and why it’s virtually impossible to get out the front door without buying something.

Web design should be no different. There are very specific design elements that are put in place to ensure your visitor has a good experience and to increase the number of people who respond to your call to action.

We live in an attention economy and it has become too easy for your customers to shop around. Now, your competitors are just a click away. The good news is that most small businesses are well behind the curve, so if you can provide your customers with an online experience that far exceeds their expectations, you will separate yourself from the rest of the pack and your bottom line will skyrocket.

Ryan McMullen (ryan@stlouismarketinglab.com) is the owner of St. Louis Marketing Lab.