Web Design Archives - Successful Blog

Does Your Website Clearly Explain Your Brand?

April 11, 2018 by Thomas

When you run a business of any size, it is imperative that you have a sound website.

Yes, before the Internet age several decades back, one could get away without a website. Back then, most businesses relied on word-of-mouth to reach consumers. All it oftentimes took was good service and quality products at fair prices to attract sales.

Fast-forward to today’s digital age and it is a different ballgame.

Without a solid web presence, your business could be on the side of the road as many other companies pass you by.

So, does your website explain your brand?

Let Consumers Know What You Are All About

If you are in a business that is pretty simple, you do not have to put as much emphasis on explaining things.

No, this does not mean you leave them out to dry when it comes to informing them about what your brand does. It means you do not need to focus quite as much on things like your “about us” section of your website.

For those that may not be quite as self-explanatory, their website must fire on all cylinders.

An example of this would be explaining to consumers the need for the right O-ring material.

Now, some consumers are not even going to know what O-rings are for. Such items play a key role in many different aspects of life. Among more notable ones would be the performance of airplane engines, fuel handling systems for autos, and those in chemical processing.

The basic idea behind the O-ring is it keeps air or fluid in or out depending on the needs of the equipment.

As such, when your business makes and/or sells O-rings, you need to inform consumers all there is to know.

Your website is a great place to not only discuss O-ring usage and its configuring, but why yours are second to none.

Along with written details regarding O-rings, show some imagery of such items. You may even want to shoot a few short videos. Those videos can show how the item gets usage with the everyday public.

It is also a good idea to have a FAQ (frequently asked questions) section on your website.

Given consumers will likely have questions about your brand, why not answer them on your site?

Last, provide links to other sites that contain pertinent info to the brand you offer.

Doing so is not only helpful to consumers, but shows you are good at researching aspects of your particular industry.

In making sure your website explains your brand; take the time to do whatever it takes to bring more eyes your way.

When you do, the revenue is likely to follow close behind.

Photo credit: Pixibay

About the Author: Dave Thomas writes about business topics on the web.

Give Your Brand More Punch by Adding Blogging

June 2, 2017 by Thomas

Is your brand kind of stuck in a rut at the moment? If so, what plans do you have to change that moving forward?

For many business owners, their brands are not where they’d like them to be right now. In fact, some are in trouble of dipping into the red when it comes to their finances. If that happens, getting out of that mess can prove quite cumbersome.

That said what are you doing to give your brand more punch?

For some, this means more marketing and advertising initiatives. Others, meantime, will turn to their products and services to see if they need improvement.

No matter how you deliver more bang for your dollar, it is important that you. With all the competition you are facing, standing pat oftentimes is a recipe for disaster.

Look at Your Website

One of the first areas of attention when looking to give your brand more punch is turning to your website.

In reviewing it, go over the following areas:

Credible and relevant information – How informative is your website? Does it provide consumers with all the details they would want to know about your business? If the answer is no, this is one area that demands your attention. One way to give out more information is having a credible blog (see more below). If blogging has been non-existent with your brand up to now, change that detail moving ahead.

Ease of use – How easy would you say your website is to use for visitors? If they feel like they’re traipsing through a maze more times than not, they’re likely not coming back. Doing regular reviews of your website is not only a good idea, it is a necessity. By doing your best to find cracks in its armor, you will lessen the odds of visitors being one-and-done guests.

Proper contact information – Do you make it simple for your online visitors to contact you? Make sure your company contact info is in an easy area to find. By doing so, you won’t have consumers jumping through hoops trying to reach out to you.
Google ranking – Finally, do you know where your company’s website ranks in online searches? If not, you should get up to speed on this all-important ranking. A strong ranking helps bring more consumers when they search for the products you offer. It can be easy to work your way up the rankings with sound search engine optimization (SEO) practices.

Blogging Your Way to Success

In mentioning blogging a little earlier, it is important to keep in mind how big of a deal your blog is.

For instance, are you doing any guest blogging on other sites? What about having guest bloggers write for your site? By reviewing guest blogging prospects, you can open up a new world of brand opportunities.

While many stick to writing all their own material, it never hurts to allow guest bloggers. In fact having some different bloggers on your site helps in several ways.

First, you bring a different tone and style to the writing on your blog. Second, those guest writers could be some of the top experts in your particular industry. Third, they are more apt to share their posts they write for you with others. By using social media, they can open your business up to countless other B2C and B2B customers.

So, don’t be afraid to blog your way to success before you know it.

As a business owner, are you doing all you can to bring more punch to your brand?

Photo credit: Pixabay

About the Author: Dave Thomas covers business topics on the web

Does Your Website Pass the Smell Test?

January 25, 2017 by Thomas

When it comes to running a business in today’s digital age, the importance of one’s website can never be overlooked.

Keep in mind as a business owner that millions of consumers are using the Internet on a regular basis to not only browse goods and services, but also ultimately buy what they need. As a result, your business should be front and center when it comes to making sure your brand is getting as much exposure as possible online.

With that being the case, have you reviewed your website as of late?

If so, are you happy with what you see? If the answer is no, there are a number of things you can do to improve the look and feel of your site.

Most notably, your website should be one that functions seamlessly, one that provides great value to any consumer willing to check it out.

So, when it comes right down to it at the end of the day, does your website pass the smell test?

Website Must Continue to Grow

In order for your business to reach out to as many consumers as possible, it is imperative that you make your website a priority.

Among the things you should be doing to put the Internet to work for you:

Review functionality – First and foremost, make sure you have a functioning website that does more than just opens up and sits there for viewers to look at. The site needs to come alive, giving consumers a reason to come back again and again. If your site is ripe with broken links, pages that take way too long to download etc. you are setting you and your brand up for potential failure. If this means hiring someone to manage your site regularly, do it. Ultimately, you will discover it was one of the best investments you ever made;
Stellar content – Given you have to fill your website, what better thing to put on it than stellar content? Write for your audience (consumers) in mind, pointing out ways to make their lives better when they buy your products and/or use your services. The content needs to be fresh too, meaning don’t go several weeks in between posting articles. Also encourage your readers to respond to the content, as engaging them is one of the best things you can do.

Market Your Website Regularly

Marketing your website – You’ve likely heard the old adage about if a tree falls in the woods, does it make a sound? You could have the best website going, but what if practically no one knew about it? So that your website gets the brand promotion it needs and deserves, make sure your market it daily. Along with email blasts, social media, and press releases don’t miss out on mobile marketing. Today’s mobile marketing world is one where you really need to have your fingers on the pulse of what consumers want. Many of them are shopping for and ultimately buying items via their mobile devices, so make sure your website is up to such a task. That means have a website that fits comfortably on mobile devices without making it hard for consumers to see this image or read that sentence. Lastly, always make sure when you have any Ecommerce setup online that it runs smoothly. From when the consumer first gets on the site to the point he or she wants to go to checkout, avoid glitches. In many cases, consumers won’t come back if they see your site is one full of speed bumps.

With all the potential your website likely has, it would be bad business for you to not utilize it to its fullest extent.

Take some time to sit down and review your site, seeing what works and what very well may need your attention, fixing any issues as soon as possible.

When you do, you and your site are likely to come up smelling like a rose.

As a business owner, what website advice would you have for others running companies?

Photo credit: Pixabay

About the Author: Dave Thomas covers business topics on the web.

Give Your Website Some Added Muscle

January 4, 2017 by Thomas

When was the last time you gave your business website a thorough review?

If it has been a long period of time in between reviews, why not start the New Year off by doing just that?

Without a website to anchor your business, you may very well survive when all is said and done. On the other hand, not having a website may be the one key ingredient preventing you from taking your business onward and upward.

Even though having a website is not a guarantee to being a successful business, having one certainly enhances your ability to not only spread the word about your brand, but know what competitors are up to.

That said is it time you gave your website some added muscle?

Starting Off with the Right Formula

Just putting together a website does not guarantee you automatic success.

Keep in mind that your website needs to generate traffic, traffic that you hope will convert from bystanders into customers. With that being the goal, how will you bring a sizable amount of traffic to your site?

Among the ways to go about it:

Linking up with winners – If you have your own team aboard to assist you with creating and managing your website, you’re already a step ahead. On the other hand, you may determine that it is best to outsource your website needs, at least in terms of creating it and ultimately doing all the labor. The last option is having a mix of in-house efforts, combining them with some outsourcing. No matter what final call you end up making, be sure to choose wisely if reaching outside your firm for help. For instance, would you benefit from using a link building service? Such a provider can offer you editorial links, links that will hopefully send consumers towards your website. Most notably used in blog content, those links can be like gold, especially if it leads a consumer to buy a product or service from you after reading about you somewhere online. If you opt for working with a link building company, be sure to scout them so that you know not only what they offer, but their track record of success;
Dealing in deals – What consumer doesn’t like a deal? Your website should regularly promote any specials that you are offering. As the deals take flight, consumers are likely to spread the word to family and friends. In turn, you now stand a good chance of increasing your web traffic day after day. Even on days you’re not offering specials, some intrigued consumers will visit your site to see what you are up to.

Socialize the Website User Experience

Don’t Be Shy – Last but not least, how social are you in promoting your website? When it comes right down to it, being shy about your website is a recipe for few visitors and ultimately disaster. There’s a reason CEOs are tweeting and other business heads are sharing etc. on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and other social sites. The bottom line; being social about your brand does wonders for it. For example, do you have a new product or service you want to try out with the public? If so, spreading the word on social media is a great move. Not only will more consumers know about it, but you can also get instantaneous feedback in many cases. Finally, social media allows you to hear the chatter about some or all of your competition. Just by listening in, you know where you may be gaining or losing ground with them.

Yes, running a business demands much of your time. In fact, you may feel like there are not enough hours in a day in some cases.

So that your business can be as productive as possible, make sure your website has a spot high up on your list of needs.

With a productive website anchoring your business, your company can flex its muscles, outshining the competition day after day.

Photo credit: Pixabay

About the Author: Dave Thomas covers business topics on the web.

Putting the Internet to Work for You

September 21, 2016 by Thomas

In today’s Internet-driven world, it should not come as a major surprise that both businesses and consumers rely on it far more than most people might come to expect.

For instance, businesses use the worldwide web to promote their products and services on a daily basis. While companies still use what might be regarded as “old-fashioned” methods of brand promotions (newspapers, radio and TV ads, business cards etc.), the Internet has become the go-to source for countless businesses.

Flip that over and look at how consumers are using the Internet.

Millions of them turn to the web when they want to do some browsing and shopping, not to mention oftentimes ultimately buying goods and services online.

In the event you need the Internet as a business owner or as a consumer, turn it on and let it go to work for you today.

Consumers Plugged in to Internet

For countless consumers, it is nothing short of a no-brainier that they use the worldwide web to research myriad of items.

Whether that inquiry involves looking for real estate, a new vehicle, a license plate search, healthcare options, home improvements, the list is literally endless.

In doing a search, consumers want to be able to come to company websites that are full of information and low on fluff. Consumers also want websites that are easy to maneuver around, not filled with broken links, pages that load slowly and/or crash regularly, and provide contact information or a FAQ section that is easy to find and understand.

With that information in mind, how can your business best display its website offerings, increasing the odds that consumers will find your brand’s site to be one they trust and come back to time and time again?

Investing in Your Brand

For starters, review your website on a regular basis? Why is that?

First you want to make sure you have all the necessary information required to put your brand in the best possible spot available.

If your site looks like a junkyard, full of broken links and pages that simply have no rhyme or reason to them can you really expect consumers to want to visit them time and time again?

Secondly, what does your brand say about you as a business owner if your website is not up to par with your competition?

For one, it makes many consumers think that you have not invested a lot of time or money for that matter into it. Now, what if they get the same perception (rightly or wrongly) about how you would go about investing time in them too?

Remember that mention a moment ago about making it easy for consumers to contact you?

That should always be a top priority of putting together a first-rate website for your brand.

One of the areas where this can become a major stumbling block is if you also have an online store up and running.

Let’s say a customer is in the process of ordering something, and then the site crashes or freezes at that point. In many cases, customers will not give you a third or fourth try in an attempt to complete a sale. If it doesn’t work the first, perhaps the second time around, most will move on and find the product or service they need through one of your competitors. Now, imagine if you would have just sunk a little more time and effort into your website?

Lastly, do your best to promote your website as often as possible.

One of the ways to go about this is via social media, something far too many businesses simply do not take advantage of.

Be active on a variety of sites, notably those such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Snapchat, even posting some videos to YouTube.

When all is said and done, your social media activities can go a long way in swaying consumers one way or the other to consider doing business with you now and down the road.

Even though the Internet is not for everyone, it should definitely be a prime focus of your business, something that will ultimately translate into dollar signs.

Photo credit: BigStockPhoto.com

About the Author: Dave Thomas covers financial and business topics on the web.

Great Websites Mean Business

July 29, 2016 by Thomas

How much time and effort do you put into your website?

For some business owners, the answer to that question is simply not enough.

Even though many of them know how important their websites are to their brands, they simply fail to interject themselves into the process. As a result, they are oftentimes missing out on revenue.

So, what can you do as a business owner to make sure as many consumers as possible are seeing what you have to say and offer online?

Spend the Time and Effort Needed Online

So that your brand can get maximum exposure online, remember the following tips:

Website design – First and foremost, your website is your online business card, so it can’t afford to flop. Do periodic reviews to make sure the site is clicking on all cylinders, especially when it comes to design and content (see more below). As for your design, you want a site that is appealing to consumer eyes, not one that makes them want to come and go in less than a minute. Whether consumers are doing a license plates search, real estate hunting, searching for home remodeling tips, travel bargains, you need to make them feel welcomed. Always be sure to keep a design that doesn’t feel like one must work their way through a maze. If your site is loaded with bad links, pages that seem out of order in terms of the flow etc. you stand a good chance of not getting those consumers back again;
Website content – Your content is the backbone of your website, so don’t drop the ball here either. As for your content, it needs to be fresh and authoritative. Produce content in your blog for starters, content that is going to resonate with as many consumers as possible. For example, consumers coming to your site for information related to vehicles of all kinds (buying vehicles, license plate searches, selling vehicles, registering cars and trucks etc.) want to know what the latest trends are in these areas. If now is not a good time to be selling used cars and trucks, explain why that is in a post or two. You can (and should) also include references and comments to authorities in this particular industry. Also make your content available not just on your site, but other relevant sites too. If unsure on how to go about this, you simply look to provide guest blog posts for other related websites. In return, you offer those individuals the opportunity to provide you with relevant copy to post on your website. The sharing of content is a smart move for several reasons, most notably because it puts your content in front of more eyes when all is said and done;
Social media – Part of having a great website is getting consumers and other businesses to recognize it. You can accomplish that goal when you promote your offerings on social media. If you do not already have them, create pages on sites such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Google+ etc. In doing so, you have platforms with which to promote your content. Even though you do not have to be using social media 24/7/365, you can’t use it on occasion, especially if you want to make an impact with the public. Set aside time daily to work on your social media promotions. Once you share your blog posts and other relevant links on social networking sites, always make an effort to engage with those consumers (and others) commenting on your offerings. This engagement will help you not only further potential relationships, but it shows you to be a business that is listening to what the public has to say. In today’s busy world, that engagement can oftentimes be the difference between getting new customers and missing out on them.

Yes, you have plenty to do as a business owner, so it can be easy to let your website slip down a few notches on the list of important things to focus on day in and day out.

That said never let your website be the lost child.

With a sound website strategy, you show you mean business, all the while getting new business too.

Photo credit: BigStockPhoto.com

About the Author: Dave Thomas covers business topics on the web.