It’s 2018 and despite the number of mobile apps, social media channels and even the emergence of blockchain, a company website is still the main way to truly carve out your presence online and get new business through the door. So, with that in mind, what areas do you need to focus on for 2018 to ensure you stand out from the crowd?
Security
With digital security breaches on the rise globally, you should ensure your website is running a secure connection with your customers. Technically, this means implementing a simple SSL certificate which encrypts data transferred between your website server and your customers browser. Visually, this will result in your website address beginning with https versus the unsecure http prefix. Behind the scenes, Google’s algorithm is giving priority to websites who have an SSL certificate which in turn will contribute to your search engine optimisation (SEO) ranking. With this, popular browsers such as Chrome have begun displaying alerts when unsecure websites are used, and this is only going to increase throughout this year and beyond.
Speed
If your website does not load in under 5 seconds, it is likely half your users will leave before the page even loads! A sobering thought, particularly if you are paying for this traffic via advertising. The main culprits for slow websites are large file sizes such as images; 3rd party scripts like Google Analytics running in the background; and the geographic distance of your website server to your users. Keeping on top of these issues in 2018 will have a direct impact on how much traffic stays on your website and interact with your services or buy your products.
Fresh Content
Increasingly, to stand out in a crowded digital marketplace requires fresh and engaging content. That is content focused on problems people have that your business can solve. Not only does this increase your overall credibility, it will also increase the chances that your website appears in more and more search results. If your website does not have a way to display article based content (typically referred to as a blog) then this is a crucial add-on to build in 2018, supported by an investment in quality content creation year on year.
Aesthetics
The design of your website should not just be comparable in quality to your competitors but also to the most popular websites in use today, think Google, Facebook and Amazon. Like it or not, your user’s expectation of a website experience is set by the websites they use most frequently. So, keep an eye on emerging trends in digital design during 2018. This will ensure your users see your website as a place they feel comfortable to get the information they need.
Whether you have neglected your site for some time or recently redesigned it. Plan to focus on these areas throughout 2018 to prevent a costlier redesign in the future. Continual focus rather than a set and forget mentality will ensure your website is not only accessible and relevant at all times but also helpful, making you stand out from the crowd.
For help in addressing these crucial website issues and more contact Subz Designs a leading digital design and development agency serving Canberra and the wider ACT area.