Your marketing should be working for you, not the other way around. And right at the centre of an effective modern-day marketing strategy lies your website.
Companies are constantly challenged to convert more leads into new business. A website can provide the answer online and a whole lot more, as it can engage customers at all stages of the buyer's journey.
In a world that is shrinking, thanks to the World Wide Web, you can also spread your brand far and wide, casting your net further. And thanks to the reporting capabilities which a website offers, you will have the opportunity to measure your progress and enhance your campaigns accordingly.
So, let's cut straight to the chase - how do you attract more leads with your company website? Sometimes, it can be effective to spell out what you should avoid right from the outset before getting into proactive steps you could take.
7 DON'Ts for Your Company Website:
1. DON'T be fooled by Flash
While it may be suitable for video-heavy websites viewed on a PC, Flash doesn't work on smartphones, making it a big no-no.
2. DON'T forget responsiveness
If you want to ensure your user experience is smooth on several platforms while encouraging visitors to navigate your site for longer, responsiveness is key. If you needed any more encouragement, Google penalises websites which are slacking in the responsiveness department.
3. DON'T accept poor website design
Your website should be structured in a way which showcases your services, but poor web design can mean that visitors never get to the pages which are most relevant to them and likely to convert.
4. DON'T get text-heavy
As a general rule, a property company website benefits from fantastic images - but not streams of text! So make sure that your website isn't drowned in text which might turn visitors away.
5. DON'T forget a call-to-action
While your website should not be a 'hard sell' it should certainly include many routes to enquire, and these can be positioned strategically in the form of calls to action. This is your chance to open up a whole new channel for leads, which can ease the burden on your marketing team.
6. DON'T use 'stocky' images
Impressive images can light up a property website, so make sure you invest in some decent ones. That can mean producing your own images, hiring professional help, or using an image bank online with plenty of choices, such as Pixabay or Shutterstock. Don't use the same old generic shots!
7. DON'T confuse your visitors
Your website should be as straightforward and distraction-free as possible. That means you can do away with pop-ups that slow the experience down and clean up any links that may be broken.
So, now we have the DON'Ts out of the way, how about a quick-fire list of DOs?
A list of DOs for your website:
1. DO cut out errors -
Your website should be regularly tested, including functionality, links, and plugins, and ensure there are no 404 error pages.
2. DO work on reducing your page loading times
Address your responsiveness first, and then set about reducing your page load times and conducting comparison tests with your competitors. There are some useful tools for testing website load speeds.
3. DO share
The world needs to know about your website, and you can make it the epicentre of your online activity by linking back to various sections from social media, marketing campaigns, and your emails, helping you attract more customers.
4. DO focus on credibility and authority
These are two ways to make your website in the eyes of both visitors and Google, which can boost your search ranking. You can do this with a sound internal and external linking strategy.
5. DO outsource
A marketing or design agency that understands the latest techniques and is able to bring your website to life can be invaluable. With create2Convert, it can work out to be more budget-friendly than adding a marketing professional to your team.
