Does Your Website Stink Like Yesterday’s Garbage? Find Out How to Make it BETTER!

Regardless of what your company does, its overall size or the market you serve, the reality in today’s business world is you need a website. Period. I would be hard pressed to find anyone that would disagree with this observation. It goes without saying, your company should have an appealing, visual interesting website with accurate, up-to-date information. However, you still need to create credibility for your company and build upon your current business relationships as well as forge new ones with potent customers and clients.

We at Bower Web Solutions suggest the following tips to help improve your website:

Web Design Done By A Professional:

Hire a professional web design company. Don’t rely on a “friend of a friend’s has a nephew in high school that fools around with web design”. Unless you are going for that “low rent look” that’s so popular these days (notice the sarcasm here).

Easy To Read Contact Information:

We always suggest having either a telephone number or e-mail address / contact form link (or both) somewhere on every page of your web site. If people visiting your site can’t find you, they can’t give you their business.

Consistent and Easy to Follow Navigation:

No matter where you decide to place your navigational elements of your web pages, they should all match one another in order to prevent your visitors from getting confused and just plain lost.

List Your Products And/Or Services:

Create well organized pages with your products / services on them, and give enough information so that readers can decide if they want to purchase them from you. Include images wherever possible.

Business Hours:

Whether you have a brick and mortar store or your company is entirely based on the internet, having people know when they can actually speak to a live person or visit your location is important.

Staff Section:

Include an “About Us” page that includes bios of the main members of your staff. This helps builds a level of trust in your company with both new and existing clients.

History:

Even if your business was formed yesterday, a company history is still very important.

List Current/Past Clients:

This information is vital for establishing your company’s credibility. Please do not make up this information. Prospective clients can tell if you are trying to pull the wool over their eyes.

Case Studies:

Tell the stories of what problems your customers had and how you solved them.
Portfolio: Include examples of previous work to help your visitors understand what you can do for them and the types of projects you work on.

Privacy Policy:

This sets your visitors’ minds at ease by letting them know how you handle their information and if it will be shared with anyone else.

Return Policy:

This is especially important when you are selling products, either online or through traditional means. Return policies even required by law in some locations. If you only provide services, you may want to discuss whether or not you give refunds if a customer is unhappy.

Capture Visitor Information:

Offer a way for your customers to keep abreast of the latest events, special and promotions your company offers. Add a newsletter sign or add social media links to your Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Blog:

If you can write AND can commit to posting AT LEAST once a week, then a blog might be for you. But don’t bother even having a blog installed on your site if you are too busy to hand this weekly commitment.

Sitemap:

A sitemap not only helps your visitors but also is good for search engines. Your sitemap should be easy to follow, so it helps guide your visitors through your site.

Search Feature:

This can be especially helpful if your site is made up of many pages.

In summary, keep your website up-to-date. Always be adding new information so your visitors will to want to keep coming back for more!