Another great year will be soon upon us, and as the annual clock readies to roll over it’s the perfect opportunity to start setting some business objectives. One of the easiest ways to begin opening up new avenues for collecting clients is to revamp your web design to capitalize on all of the online prospects there are out there for companies with something to offer. Consumers are savvy researchers these days, and most do a fair amount of Internet investigation before making a decision. Put your best foot forward with a strong, informative and attractive website and win the confidence of your next client.
- Have a good look at what your competitors are doing in Calgary. Study their web design with eyes wide open, so to speak, and take note of what you like and what you don’t. Also try to think about some favourite sites you have that have nothing to do with your industry. Is there a way to incorporate what makes them special into your own web design?
- Get your team to brainstorm ideas with you. More than one mind working on any problem exponentially increases your chances of coming up with a creative solution. Ask everyone what they would like to see in their new site and what functions they think should be included. Involve goal-setting in the process, and inquire about what people expect for the overall performance of your site and your company. If you haven’t already developed a “mission statement”, this is an excellent time to get it done. It can be very inspiring to discover what exactly it is about working for you and your company that they think is special.
- This is also the ideal time to set goals for your social media efforts. Of course you are going to want to feature your social media accounts prominently on your new site, and with that you are going to want to keep everything consistently updated. Social media can be very valuable to your business.
- It’s great to toss ideas about to see what comes out of the hopper, but some decisions need to be made strategically. Study the analytics from your old site and make note of what was working and what wasn’t. What was being clicked on? Which pages were the most popular? Then try not to learn from your observations. Always keep the user and their needs in mind and make sure they are being met at all times.
- Build a blogging content calendar for several months into the future and commit to meeting your deadlines. Constant content creation is one of the best ways to build your presence on the web, and by presenting original material that is useful to your client you help build trust in your company. Remember not to make your blog too “salesy”…it should be where you answer question often asked and clarify details about your products, not where you try to close the deal.
- As nearly everyone has their head bent over their smart phone every chance they get – especially while suffering through transit in Calgary – web designs these days absolutely must be responsive. If your site can’t be viewed on virtually every device available you will miss out on those surfing the Internet on their down time.
- Begin to filter down the most often-used search terms you think people would use to find you. Will they search by product or maker? Do you want to target a large market or only Calgary? The web design stage is when you should be testing and analyzing the best keywords to use for SEO purposes. Tools such as Google’s Keywords Planner can assist, as can Internet marketing companies like us at Emphasize!
