How to make your website work for you

How is your website performing? If you are a small to medium sized business, a sole trader or self-employed, the chances are you have a website in the form of what is called an entry-level website (by using Go Daddy; Wix; Square Space to name but a few). These provide templated websites that can be of use to a business requiring a website. However, these types of website seem to struggle to perform as well as many of us would like and they can take many hours to set up, maintain and update. There are so many steps involved with using these platforms and the process can be a fragmented, time-consuming process. So, what is the alternative? Working alongside a Scarborough website developer cuts down the stress and produces a stunning website. This can help customers find your business and the products/services you offer. There are many interweaving and important factors that make a website work for a business or organisation. In Scarborough, professional website development on the Yorkshire Coast will tick the long list of factors that are required for a website to work. Content is king! Content … a word that is used in many ways and in many forms. For websites it can be photos, videos, testimonials, ‘how to’ articles, blogs and webpage content. There is a saying, content is king, and for a website that works well, good content is a key element. Relevant, concise wording (or copy) using precise keywords is crucial and while it sounds easy enough, it is a skill set that your local website developer on the Yorkshire Coast will have access to. Fresh content is also key, and blogs are a great way of obtaining this. Search engines such as Google will ‘search’ blogs over a certain word length, helping a website climb the search rankings. Content should also be compelling to read and should include relevant keywords that the website visitor will recognise and probably use themselves. Accurate spelling and grammar are also crucial, and sentences should be kept as short as possible. Unique and accurate page titles are also helpful along with a small selection of appropriate headings within the content. Audience relevancy A website needs to be relevant to its target audience and for this, a business needs to know their customer or customers inside out. Knowing who the right customer is will aid relevancy in those searches and a search engine will find a business more easily. A good example is a dog grooming business … the audience will be searching for a local, professional dog groomer who has extensive knowledge of various breeds. Whether it’s a Schnauzer requiring that distinctive trim or an Old English Sheepdog needing a puppy cut, a search engine needs to find the relevant terms easily and quickly when customer hits the search bar option. Small screens Most of us now possess a mobile phone that has the power of a minicomputer. Most of us probably use our mobile phones more than we do a desktop these days for searching the web. Using our phones is both convenient and quick. Therefore, a website should be very responsive and easy to read and navigate around on a smaller device. This helps web users experience a website at its best, and this will help customers find your website too. What you see is … When you see a website page or a social media platform, the layout of that page is called the interface. A good user interface is clean, easy to move around and appealing. The important material should be close to the top of each page with clear navigation to the rest of the site. Website design has changed beyond recognition in the last few years and website designers will have the latest developments at their fingertips, offering a great experience for web users. (A recent project of ours, Elise Designs, which we created to have a wonderfully magical and soft feel, to suit the target audience and product) Great navigation Good navigation is crucial, as it helps customers find what they are looking for easily and quickly. A web designer can create a fantastic navigational ‘journey’ during which a customer can ‘travel’ from a general page to a page with more specific content. Getting graphic Great graphic design is also an element that requires great skill and creativity. Graphic design uses images, colours, icons, typography and illustration to create a story that communicated visually to the viewer. With access to graphic designers, website designers can this important element off to a tee. Below standard graphic design can have detrimental effects on the look of your website. Speed it up These days we’re all wanting speedy service. As technology has developed, the need for speed has increased. For website development in Scarborough and along the Yorkshire Coast, one of the key elements is a having access to a good server speed. When someone searches the web, the search process involves a number of lightning fast actions and a slow server, which is where your website is ‘sitting’, is the last thing you need! Slow-loading websites are also a no-no as visitors have very little patience and won’t wait more than a second or two. (Here’s a recent project of ours – Hypo Financial where we used vector illustrations rather than stock photos to have a more personal feel) A picture says … A thousand words, or so the famous saying goes! Good quality images are crucial for a great user experience. These images can be taken by a professional or sourced from a professional image library. Either way, the larger the image, the longer it takes to load, so a web developer knows how to minimise the image size without compromising on the quality. Images are crucial for many industries to help promote their product or service, while in other cases, generic yet relevant images sourced by a local web developer will enable your site to look amazing and help promote your business. Security Today, more than ever, security is key. Your local web developer is aware of this and can provide what’s called an SSL Certificate. This indicates your site is secure and the padlock icon appears next to your URL or web address. This encourages customers to trust a business and therefore use their products and services. Search engines such as Google also encourage website safety as this gives the user a beter experience. Website development in Scarborough and along the Yorkshire Coast means developer professionals can advise, design and implement the above so your website works for you.

For more information on How to make your website work for you talk to Scarborough Digital