Top tips for creating a successful website

A good online presence is vital for any business no matter how big or small, so it's worth getting it right. If you are planning on having a website built or even updating your current site; here are our top tips for creating a successful website.

Know your audience

Before you begin the build of your website you need to establish who your audience is. The content and design of your website needs to be targeted, so make sure you know who is going to be using it. If your website will be used by more than one type of customer, you should consider creating different pages for the different types of customers. For example construction companies may do work for domestic and commercial clients, but their needs are going to be very different, so your website needs to cater for both.

Give your customers what they need

Before you give your web designer your brief you need to think about what information your customers will be looking for when visiting your website. You are the expert in your line of business so things that may seem straight forward and basic to you may not be for your customer. So put yourself in their shoes and try and establish what information they will be looking for, then break it down into small, jargon free chunks.

Check out your competitors

It is always useful to see what your competitors are offering so you can ensure that you are offering the same level of service or even better! Have a look at a range of competitor’s websites, pick out things you like and things you don’t and then make sure that your site looks better, is easier to use and has more interesting content!

Navigation – keep it simple

A common mistake when creating a website is to put too much focus on making it look nice and not enough focus on making it easy to use. Most people today have very hectic lifestyles so if they have to spend 1more than a few moments trying to navigate through your site to find the bit of information they need; you are going to lose them. So keep it simple and easy to use, the fewer clicks that a customer has to make the better!

Make your website Search Engine friendly

Every business wants to be on the first page of Google but the reality is not everyone can be. It is important when writing and designing your website that you make it as search engine friendly as possible. There are many things that you can do to optimise your website, some of the basics include choosing a domain name that includes keywords (for example the B&Q website is www.diy.co.uk), give each page of your website a relevant title tag and make sure that you give all images on your site an alt tag.

If you are thinking of having a new website, would like to make changes to your existing site or would like more information about Search Engine Optimisation please contact First Impression on 01457 857111 or email us at Send us an Email.