What is a good website and what can it do for your business?

What is a good website and why is it important to have one?

It is, of course, subjective what makes a website good, but every good website should at least accomplish the goals it set out to achieve. If a website was created to promote and sell a product, you would expect to see an increase in sales through the website. If a website is there to answer clients' questions, you would expect to have fewer clients calling you and to ask those specific questions. No matter the design of the website, if a website is not accomplishing the basic goals it set to achieve, you need to explore what can be done in order to get it there! 

People visiting websites today take for granted that a company's website should answer any questions they may have. It is something that is expected of every website no matter the size of the business. If your website is unable to answer your visitors' questions, you risk them turning to a competitor that has answers easily available.

Are people even using websites anymore, what about social media? 

Nowadays it can be tempting for businesses to ignore their website and just focus on social media. One potential issue with that strategy is that Facebook and other social media platforms are not owned by you. They are owned by other companies who control the direction of the platforms. In contrast, a business website is a platform owned by you and where you are able to fully control your digital presence. While social media should be an important part of your digital presence, it cannot be the only part.

Did you know...

• Over 52% of all online traffic is done through mobile devices
• Around 57% of search engine visitors are using mobile devices.

Source: broadbandsearch.net

A checklist for buying or creating a new website

​​​​​​​Take a look at our checklist to help you when creating a new website!

A few more things to think about

Below are a few more things that you might want to think about if you are in the market for a new website. 

Who owns the images on your website?

If you get a website where some or all of the images are provided by the supplier be sure to check with them how you can use those images. Sometimes your rights to use them may end if you terminate your agreement. If you need additional images for your website, there are several resources online with free images for commercial use. 

Is it easy to update your website?

Keep in mind that a website needs updating. If you want to be able to update the information, make sure that you have an easy to use website tool. It can be time-consuming to always have to get in touch with your provider when you want to add new text or a new image to your website. Our advice is to always ask for a demonstration on how to update and change the website before signing an agreement. 

Statistics

In order to understand your visitors and evaluate your marketing efforts, it may be a good idea to have some kind of tracking on your website. How many visits a day does your website get? Where do they come from? What pages do they visit? Did a marketing campaign make a noticeable difference?

​​​​​​​A good tool to use is Google Analytics. It gets you all the data and statistics you need to analyze and develop your website.

Make sure your supplier is adapting to new technology

Technology is always moving forward. Make sure that your website is capable of adapting to new technologies. Examples of such changes are SEO requirements, responsive designs, and SSL certificates. Make sure that your provider is up to date with all the trends and upgrades your website when needed.  You don't want to be forced to buy a new website in a few years just because the industry is changing. 

Google My Business

Keep in mind that your website is also visible in search engines such as Google. Google My Business gives you control over how your business and your website are presented on Google. You can manage reviews of your business, add photos, post hours of operation, and many more things.