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Tips on how to create an effective business website

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business websiteAny business that has hope to survive into the next few years will need to realize that the economy has now moved over to the World Wide Web. Consumers looking for services from booking airline tickets to banking are turning to the Internet. This is the reason why every business needs a website.

However just having a website is no longer the unique selling point is used to be. You now need to understand that your website is your biggest opportunity to create a community around your business. To do this successfully, you’ll need to know the questions to ask the person who will create the website for you, what content you will put on the website, and who will host it.

Choose a reputable host

If you’re in business to make the most profit possible, choosing a wrong web hosting service provider is akin to choosing to make less money. A bad hosting service will have lots of downtimes and in the process frustrate your customers because they can’t view your products. If you host an online store then the news is even worse. If you don’t believe this, then you haven’t seen this article reporting that Amazon lost US$45 million when its website was down for 40 minutes. It’s always advisable to go with a reputable provider such as Ning hosting, which will offer a convenient and solid platform for creating your business community.

Ask the right questions before hiring someone

If you are hiring someone to help you create your website, there are a few questions you need to ask before bringing them onboard. Ask whether they have the skill to make your website responsive: a website that can be accessed on different devices. The Telegraph reports that by 2016 the number of people accessing content on their mobile phones had gone above those doing so from the desktop.

Other questions you need to ask should be related to that person’s knowledge of SEO, how much they will charge you and the time it will take. Also, don’t forget to ask them to show you other websites they have designed and if possible, speak to their previous clients.

Content is king

Content is king may be a cliché, but it’s still true. Remember that the reason why you’re having a website is to build your social community. When you create content, put yourself in the shoes of the customer. This will help you answer their questions before they ask.

Your content should indicate that you have a healthy respect for your customer’s intellectual capacity. If it becomes too salesy, then very few people will trust it. The main idea is to ensure that the content is helpful.

In order for you to deliver helpful content, you need to invest some time in knowing your customer. This will ensure that you provide them with exactly what they want. Tell them, in your content, what you want them to do. For instance, ask them to share your content or to like you on your social network. Many people generally do not take action unless they have been asked.

Use visuals

With all the content on the Internet, whatever content you have on your website is competing with a lot more from competitors. This is the reason why you need to ensure that the content is not only of a good quality but also well laid out. People’s attention spans are not very long, and so should your content. Using visuals is an effective way of keeping people engaged. It’s actually true that a picture speaks a thousand words.

Keep visitor’s attention for longer

Once you have created a great website, you would want to keep visitors on your website for longer. Ensure that your content is easy to read. Don’t try to impress with jargon, write for the average person and add internal links to useful content.

No one can pretend that the tips above will bring you a million visitors in one day, it is safe to say they will help you start getting a steady stream of visitors to your website and money to your bank account.

Contributors

Contributors

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