How To Make Your Website One of Your Top Marketing Solutions
Published January 23, 2024
Would you buy your dream car if you COULDN'T drive it?
Imagine that beauty. Your favorite color, comfortable seats, outstanding audio quality, roomy, safe, and that refreshing new car smell--
But no garage, no driveway, no roads, no wheels -- something that makes it impossible to drive.
Would you still buy it?
It isn't a crazy scenario. Business owners "buy" technology they never use all the time, tanking their return on investment.
Let's be honest about your website.
Did you hire a designer to make it look beautiful with all the neat features of chat boxes, high quality images, and engaging videos -- but no way to make sure Google or other search engines knew what it was about?
Is your website one of your marketing solutions, or one of your marketing problems?
Is your website actually organized for lead generation and to generate revenue? Or is it collecting dust?
Here's a few simple questions that will improve your website so you know whether you're able to start your car or not!
Imagine that beauty. Your favorite color, comfortable seats, outstanding audio quality, roomy, safe, and that refreshing new car smell--
But no garage, no driveway, no roads, no wheels -- something that makes it impossible to drive.
Would you still buy it?
It isn't a crazy scenario. Business owners "buy" technology they never use all the time, tanking their return on investment.
Let's be honest about your website.
Did you hire a designer to make it look beautiful with all the neat features of chat boxes, high quality images, and engaging videos -- but no way to make sure Google or other search engines knew what it was about?
Is your website one of your marketing solutions, or one of your marketing problems?
Is your website actually organized for lead generation and to generate revenue? Or is it collecting dust?
Here's a few simple questions that will improve your website so you know whether you're able to start your car or not!
Question 1: What is the purpose of my website? (Hint: Marketing Solutions!)
Put one question first and foremost when evaluating your website:
What is the purpose?
If you're not sure what the answer to that is, it might be time for a marketing strategy session first and foremost.
You're sure to be one step closer to a website that runs like a dream if you start on the right foot: strategic planning on how you can leverage it the best to reach your target audience.
(It's more than a 'business card', it's lead generation!)
What is the purpose?
If you're not sure what the answer to that is, it might be time for a marketing strategy session first and foremost.
You're sure to be one step closer to a website that runs like a dream if you start on the right foot: strategic planning on how you can leverage it the best to reach your target audience.
(It's more than a 'business card', it's lead generation!)
Question 2: How do I track consumer behavior on my website?
Hopefully this also seems obvious these days, but if you want your website to do something, you need to be able to capture and analyze data.
Free tools like Google Search Console and Google Analytics 4 can follow your domain name and make sure that your purpose and your user activity are lining up...
Again, this might seem obvious, much like checking a car's speed with the speedometer -- but it was years before automobiles had speedometers by default.
Don't assume that your website is tracking what it needs to.
Discuss your goals and the metrics you need to reach them, and make sure that your team knows how to track them.
Free tools like Google Search Console and Google Analytics 4 can follow your domain name and make sure that your purpose and your user activity are lining up...
Again, this might seem obvious, much like checking a car's speed with the speedometer -- but it was years before automobiles had speedometers by default.
Don't assume that your website is tracking what it needs to.
Discuss your goals and the metrics you need to reach them, and make sure that your team knows how to track them.
Question 3: Is my information organized easily?
It's a skill to be able to organize your thoughts.
There's probably a lot to say about your products and services, whether you're in retail, financial services, the food industry, or anything else. What can you start with? What needs to be included?
And what's a natural, engaging way to lay everything out?
A drag and drop website builder usually makes this step very easy! Just roll up your sleeves and work on your layout.
When I taught writing, I would always recommend writing a draft first, and then outlining your main ideas. See if they need to be rearranged to flow better from one point to another. Build the connecting statements, and bam.
Headings and Pages on your website should also have a rhythm to make it easy for someone skimming to find what they need.
There's probably a lot to say about your products and services, whether you're in retail, financial services, the food industry, or anything else. What can you start with? What needs to be included?
And what's a natural, engaging way to lay everything out?
A drag and drop website builder usually makes this step very easy! Just roll up your sleeves and work on your layout.
When I taught writing, I would always recommend writing a draft first, and then outlining your main ideas. See if they need to be rearranged to flow better from one point to another. Build the connecting statements, and bam.
Headings and Pages on your website should also have a rhythm to make it easy for someone skimming to find what they need.
Question 4: Is my website mobile friendly?
This is the real kicker for search engine optimization.
I've seen many a pretty website account in no way for mobile responsiveness or different screen sizes. And I see it up close -- I usually work from a Mac laptop, with a web browser not maximized, and it is not a fun online customer experience.
It's the little things, sometimes, that drive your target audience crazy and convince them to hop to another website.
Especially if they're on their mobile device, in town, looking for a particular store.
Customer first means making it easy for them to find what they need, no matter where or how they're looking for it.
I've seen many a pretty website account in no way for mobile responsiveness or different screen sizes. And I see it up close -- I usually work from a Mac laptop, with a web browser not maximized, and it is not a fun online customer experience.
It's the little things, sometimes, that drive your target audience crazy and convince them to hop to another website.
Especially if they're on their mobile device, in town, looking for a particular store.
Customer first means making it easy for them to find what they need, no matter where or how they're looking for it.
Question 5: What information am I offering different from my competitors?
When you think about the vast ocean of knowledge available online, it's easy to be overwhelmed. Just think about all the blog posts you're scrolling through right now.
Your customers and clients feel the same way.
And so does Google.
So if you offer something different from your competitors -- topics that people aren't discussing, but SHOULD be -- it'll be easier to find.
You'll stand out and start ranking for that keyword phrase.
And then, as you build page credibility, you'll start to pull ahead in more common terms, too.
It's win-win.
Your customers and clients feel the same way.
And so does Google.
So if you offer something different from your competitors -- topics that people aren't discussing, but SHOULD be -- it'll be easier to find.
You'll stand out and start ranking for that keyword phrase.
And then, as you build page credibility, you'll start to pull ahead in more common terms, too.
It's win-win.
Question 6: Is my html done properly?
Coding can scare a lot of people.
But whether you're using a done for you, drag and drop website builder or building from the ground up with a hands-off web hosting service, there are a few very important html tags to pay attention to.
If you have a free SEO tool you can research it easily (although it's also available if you look at the source code of a web page! But be prepared to go cross eyed if coding isn't a comfortable thing).
Look at H1 and H2 tags specifically. Those are the main headings and subheadings, and Google uses those to make sense of your website.
In fact, some search engines won't even list a page if it has more than one H1 -- and I've seen many websites that do.
So have an expert take a quick look at the code -- or do it yourself -- and make sure it's logical.
But whether you're using a done for you, drag and drop website builder or building from the ground up with a hands-off web hosting service, there are a few very important html tags to pay attention to.
If you have a free SEO tool you can research it easily (although it's also available if you look at the source code of a web page! But be prepared to go cross eyed if coding isn't a comfortable thing).
Look at H1 and H2 tags specifically. Those are the main headings and subheadings, and Google uses those to make sense of your website.
In fact, some search engines won't even list a page if it has more than one H1 -- and I've seen many websites that do.
So have an expert take a quick look at the code -- or do it yourself -- and make sure it's logical.
Question 7: Is my location and contact obvious?
It's easy to underestimate how easy people want things to be found online.
It isn't hard to scroll to the footer.
But it's even easier to not scroll.
Good web design and best practice says to keep your info at the top. If it's in your power to change things, keep your location and contact information front and center (or more literally, top and aligned either left, right, or center).
A small change like this can make for more customers.
It isn't hard to scroll to the footer.
But it's even easier to not scroll.
Good web design and best practice says to keep your info at the top. If it's in your power to change things, keep your location and contact information front and center (or more literally, top and aligned either left, right, or center).
A small change like this can make for more customers.
Question 8: Do I have anything in the metadata?
When you look at a search result, under each link is a little paragraph of text about the website. That's the metadata (or part of it, at least. I'll keep it simple). If you don't have the information there, Google will make up something from your page. What Google pulls may not be accurate or compelling.
The metadata answers why a user should click on this website. What will it give them?
So many websites leave this key real estate blank, and make it harder for both Google and your target audience to understand your brand.
The metadata answers why a user should click on this website. What will it give them?
So many websites leave this key real estate blank, and make it harder for both Google and your target audience to understand your brand.
Question 9: Have you established your credibility on the site?
Google breaks down its SEO recommendations into E-E-A-T.
Experience.
Expertise.
Authority.
Trustworthiness.
Be sure to apply this best practice to every page.
What have I personally done that's relevant to this topic?
How much do I know about this topic?
How much do others trust me about this topic?
Is my website safe and accurate?
You can work on three of those yourself by taking care of website security, digital marketing strategy, and research.
But authority comes from your reputation.
Experience.
Expertise.
Authority.
Trustworthiness.
Be sure to apply this best practice to every page.
What have I personally done that's relevant to this topic?
How much do I know about this topic?
How much do others trust me about this topic?
Is my website safe and accurate?
You can work on three of those yourself by taking care of website security, digital marketing strategy, and research.
But authority comes from your reputation.
Question 10: Do you have a strategy for building relationships with other websites and businesses?
Sometimes the biggest hurdle in having an effective website is the lack of strategy.
BUILD IT is the priority. You just want to get it done and launched on the world wide web. Brand awareness is an albatross around your neck.
Let me caution you to measure twice, cut once.
Even better than studying how to improve your website is how to make sure your website delights your consumer and search engines from the beginning.
And beyond the web development, the content marketing, and the user experience is also the relationship between your website and others.
You want other, established websites to help with link relevancy.
What that means is being cited as an authority by others.
And once you've done that, you can return the favor.
It's all about building useful experiences.
BUILD IT is the priority. You just want to get it done and launched on the world wide web. Brand awareness is an albatross around your neck.
Let me caution you to measure twice, cut once.
Even better than studying how to improve your website is how to make sure your website delights your consumer and search engines from the beginning.
And beyond the web development, the content marketing, and the user experience is also the relationship between your website and others.
You want other, established websites to help with link relevancy.
What that means is being cited as an authority by others.
And once you've done that, you can return the favor.
It's all about building useful experiences.
Modern Marketing Solutions Help Customer Engagement (Helps You)
An omnichannel digital marketing solutions package is an investment in many areas: lead generation, email marketing, automation, website design, graphics, and more. A whole growth strategy stems from a combination of customer insights and marketing experts.
But one place to start without overwhelming you is a review of your website.
Reviewing these 10 questions with your company's management will start a productive conversation on finding the solutions to your marketing problems.
But one place to start without overwhelming you is a review of your website.
Reviewing these 10 questions with your company's management will start a productive conversation on finding the solutions to your marketing problems.
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