Building a website is easy if you have a clear list of the things you must prioritize and emphasize. A quality website that is easy to find through Google search results page is the ultimate goal and this list will help you achieve that goal.
It all starts with a name
Your web address has to be unique, in line with your business or the brand. Most importantly, the domain name has to be available. Before you even start looking for the best hosting services for your website, ensure your domain name is available and not taken.
Once you pick the right domain name, ensure it’s not taken by someone else; think about how to connect the primary keyword. If it’s at all possible, think in SEO terms, even when choosing a domain name.
Pick a hosting and the right SSL certificate
You have to pick the right hosting provider to ensure your website’s optimal performance. The right hosting provider aligns with your website’s needs. Those include optimal performance, reliability, security, and scalability, which all contribute to the success of your online business.
If your website is reliable, its availability will be as high as possible. The downtime will be minimal, ensuring your business goals won’t be affected. Next, the right type of hosting ensures your website is fast loading, which is one of the search engine rankings factors. A fast-loading website improves user experience, reduces bounce rates, and leads to a better conversion rate.
Lastly, ensure your website has an SSL certificate, making it a safe place for your visitors and letting them know that the data is protected and that the website is secure.
Mobile responsiveness
As user experience is always at the top of any list, a user-friendly website is highly responsive. In other words, people need to be able to access the website from any device, especially their mobile phones. mobile responsiveness is important for a website because it enhances the user experience, improves search engine visibility, expands your reach, boosts brand credibility, and helps you stay competitive in the digital market. Prioritizing mobile responsiveness ensures that your website caters to the needs and expectations of your users, leading to better engagement, increased conversions, and overall business success. Build a responsive website, and you’ll build an effective business website.
Ensure people can find your website
The key to ensuring people can find your website is to make it easier to find through a search engine. People even google the login address to their email, as we use the Google search bar for everything. It’s that easy. So, why not make it easy for people to find your website by choosing to work on local SEO and general SEO strategy?
Local SEO can benefit your business as most people don’t even go further than page one on Google. So, if you want to help people reach you, especially those near your business, ensure your website is optimized. If a search engine favors your website, it will be easier to find.
Information
Any important information, like the contact, should be placed above the fold. It’s all about making this information easily accessible to website visitors. People are impatient these days, as we’re so used to getting everything we want or need with a few swipes of our fingers.
If your visitors want to contact you directly, your information, for example, the phone number or the email address, should be above the fold. However, consider the entire website layout and design when choosing to put the information above the fold.
Navigation should be easy
We all love to be aesthetically pleased whenever we visit a website. Even as website owners, we want our website to be beautiful and to stand out. But beauty should be placed within user experience and easy navigation.
Website structure has to be properly organized in a logical order. Next, categories and subcategories have to be properly implemented and visible. The navigation menu should be placed where it often is on websites, and proper redirections must also be included.
The last thing you want for your visitors is to land on a 404 page or to be taken to a page that belongs outside that category.
Text vs graphics
Each page has to have a proper balance of text and visuals. Every piece of text has to be informative and optimized. This is the key if you want users to organically land on a specific page. You’ll hear very often that content is king, meaning that each page has to have relevant and optimized content. They should not create visual clutter when it comes to visuals or graphics on the page. The images should complement the content and overall context.
Update the content regularly
You should run periodic website checks to ensure the content and webpage information are true and relevant. For example, if you’ve relocated the offices and the address differs, you must update the information across online channels.
The website is always the source of information, so ensure that each page has accurate content, no typos, and outdated information is revised and updated.
Optimise website for speed
Website loading time is a relevant search engine ranking factor. Since it affects user experience and influences bounce rate, consider the need for speed early as possible. A slow-loading website directs website visitors straight to your competitors. Simply put, they’ll wait around three to four seconds for your website to load. If it doesn’t, they’ll move on to another. Work with an SEO agency to get every technical aspect of your website to a top speed, from images, and video to any add-on you might need to ensure seamless operations.
Drive conversion rates with CTAs
CTA, or a call to action, will guide and drive your website visitors to perform a certain action. If your selling a product and you don’t have an add-to-cart button with a written CTA, your website won’t be optimized for conversions.
There are many calls to action you can and should have on your website, which should also fit into website design, layout, and content. Take your time to optimize each page with the right CTAs; it will directly improve the effectiveness of a website.
Conclusion
If you’re building a website, follow these ten tips for A to Z. If you already have one but feel like it’s not effective enough, use them as a checklist. Those you haven’t checked are those you can improve on.