Anyone can build a website these days. However, building a website that generates money is another ball game. The strategy that is often used is focusing on the outcome first and working backwards from there. This means that the website targets where the business wants to go and wants to achieve.
More often than not, most business owners will throw a few pretty photos onto a template and say they have a site. But what about if you could make your website become a tool that will help your business grow? There is no one piece that makes a website effective. Everything from the layout to copywriting needs to be done in a deliberate and strategic way so that the site can be as effective as possible and to lead your customer through a journey that's seamless and inviting. That is where you will see the return on investments (ROI).
Part of the reason websites are expensive is because the website needs to support the business. It often can be a lengthy process when there is little to no guidance which can be stressful if you need to see ROI quickly. This is where deciding the purpose of your website is paramount. What do you want the website to do? Is it a tool for referrals or does it need to directly sell products?
When measuring the success of a website, there are a few elements of the site that you will need to examine. Google analytics is a great tool to monitor your success which also happens to be free. You will need to look at metrics such as bounce rate which is how quickly people leave the site after opening it and how many clicks is the site getting.
Another metric to measure is the path someone uses on the site. Ie home page > services page> pricing > contact us. What percentage are following that path? If most of the people who go to your site follow a specific path through your site, this is a good indicator that a lot of your marketing should be focused on those pages.
If you are thinking about updating your site, google analytics is a great way to get a gauge of what needs to be done. If you know you want to be updating the site in 6 months, having that backdate of information for your developer to look at can fast track the update. This will take out a lot of guesswork and give you and your developer exactly what you need to build a website that is effective in bringing in your leads and more money. Now, who wouldn't love that?
