Congratulations on having a website for your company because this is one of the most important things you can do for your business, no matter what sector you might be working in. A business that does not have a website is already fighting a losing battle when it comes to making itself seen and becoming more and more successful.
However, since most other companies will also have a website, it is not enough to just buy a domain name and put some content on a quickly designed website. To be the best, you must ensure that your website stands out and generates revenue for you, allowing you the chance to boost your business. Here are some additional features to consider including to help you accomplish exactly that.
Splash Header
The splash header is an excellent way to immediately impress your website visitors, whether they have come to you for a product, a service, or simply for information. The splash header is a method of directing them in the direction you want them to go (for example, towards a specific item for sale) without taking up a lot of space on your homepage (which, ideally, should be kept nice and simple). In addition, having a splash header means you can easily swap it out for anything different if you want to, quickly changing the appearance of your website without confusing (and potentially alienating) frequent users.
Make Use of The Footer
If you’re making the most of your website’s header, why not do the same with the footer? Don’t assume no one looks there; many people will scroll all the way down to look for contact information or other navigational elements. Because of this, the footer can be a lot more important than most people give it credit for. So, clean it up and make it appealing to those who do go there to see it.
To make it look good, you can include pictures, animation, and even more information about special deals and codes that only the savviest and most inquisitive consumers will be able to discover. This makes it even more fun and could bring new visitors to your site as word gets around.
Related Posts Feature
If you have a blog (hint: you should have a blog), directing people to it is a good idea because it keeps people on your site longer when they read the content (which boosts your SEO rankings), and it provides them with information so they can make an informed decision about whether or not to use your business.
However, to really optimize your blog, you need to include a related posts feature. Your readers will see this and show them what other people read after seeing the current post. It will also display which posts are related to the current one. By providing more information like this, visitors will stay longer and be more likely to buy from you.
Popular, Breaking, and Featured
It’s easy for a blog – or a website in general – to get crowded, which isn’t ideal if you want visitors to enjoy their time on your site. To keep things clean and simple, you may need to limit the number of blog entries you display at once. This is where a widget on your sidebar that allows visitors to quickly access the most popular blogs, breaking news, or highlighted and featured articles comes in handy. It gets visitors to where they need to go considerably quicker and keeps them from leaving in frustration. A managed IT company can help you ensure that everything works well on your site, so hiring one can make a significant and positive difference.
Sliders
Sliders at the top of the page can perform a similar function to that detailed above. Choose three of your best articles and let the main picture and link slide across the page. As long as it doesn’t interfere with the main body of the website, this can be a helpful tool, providing you more areas to experiment with and more room to add additional blogs later on. It also indicates which articles are most important.
Bios
If your blog articles are written by a variety of authors, it’s a good idea to include a bio for each one to let readers know who authored it. This gives the site a human face, which is essential in any sales or commercial transaction. You can even include a tiny avatar so that people know exactly who they are talking with, even if there is no real communication. The more human aspects you can fit into your website, the better – it leads to more sales and happy customers.
Customized Font
Instead of looking like every other website, you can use an online tool to design your own unique typeface or font. This will not only make your site more memorable, but you can also utilize the font on the rest of your marketing, giving you a clear, unified brand and message that will make people trust your business and want to use you.
Connected Sites
Many business owners overlook the fact that their websites are not stand-alone entities and that they must be linked to their social media accounts to be effective. The three most popular are Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, but it is critical to choose the one (or ones) that are going to perform best for your company. This is where market research will help you.
Of course, you’ll need to be able to manage and maintain those social media accounts, so keep that in mind; the more well looked after your accounts are, the more confidence you’ll inspire in potential buyers. In addition, customers will be able to immediately like and follow you if you have the linked social media symbols on your website, expanding your company’s reach online.
Background Collages
Your site background is something that will truly stick out when people go to your website, and it should be something that leads them to stop on your site long enough to want to buy something or contact you if you do it right. A college background can be especially effective for this purpose, as long as it is kept neat; a distractingly crowded background will detract from the text, which is not the intention.
