How to Get the Most Out of Your Website

A website is an online interface that allows businesses to interact with their customers online. It bridges the information gap between the company and its customers, leading to faster conversion. Some websites are online stores which facilitate actual purchases. Essentially, websites are business front offices, coordinating user experiences and guiding them to make decisions. 

Important Sections on a Website

Each section of a website is important as it contributes to its development. However, others directly influence its viability, making it visible to search engines like Bing, Google and Yahoo faster.

Domain Name

It is a unique online website identifier made up of a combination of letters and sometimes numbers. Businesses use their names or product names to create unique domain names. There are pointers to consider when deciding on your domain name

• Short – ensure your domain name is as short as possible. It makes it easy to brand and pronounce.
• Service name – endeavour to include your service name in the domain for SEO purposes. For instance, if your business is in the digital space, consider using the word “digital” in the domain name, i.e. impactdigital.com. 
• Reach – the domain suffix talks more about where the business is located. Companies domiciled in Kenya use .co.ke or .ke. Such a domain is easier to brand and also helps in geo-mapping. Regional businesses can choose .africa, while companies with a global appeal should consider using .com on their domain.
• Purpose – each business has a unique domain suffix identifier. Schools use .edu or .ac.ke, while churches and other non-profit making entities use .org. Network companies use .net, while other profit-making entities use .com or .co.ke.

Meta Title

It is the website title touching on the mandate or services offered by the entity. Domain name personifies the business, while meta-title mentions what the business does. For example, bavanas.com is the domain name and business name, while “Digital Marketing Consultants” is the meta-title. You will likely see the meta title when you hover around the URL on the search engine tab. Meta titles are important as they are part of SEO.

Meta-Description

It is the first explanation of the website, just below the meta-title. Experts advise that part of the 150 visible characters on the meta-description should have a service name for easier indexing. The goal is to rank the website high on the search engine when a customer searches for the service. Like the meta-title, the meta-description is crucial since it is SEO bound.

Landing Page

Just like a business front office, a website landing page forms the first impression of the business. It should be visible and have the corporate colours and visuals of the company. Corporate websites have a service/product page explaining what they do and their highlights. E-commerce websites have what they sell, with prices, discounts and logistical activities. 

A good landing page should summarise what the business does and what makes it better than the competition. All this throws the customer deep into the business operations, making it easier to make decisions.

Contact Details

An ideal contact form should have a working phone number, email address, social media handles and a physical location. Customers should know how to find the business as part of the due diligence, especially business-to-business engagement. 

Contact details can either have a separate page or be domiciled at the website footer. For structured engagements, some websites have a contact form that requires the customer to key in their contact details for easier communication. All in all, it should be easily accessible and clear. 

Footer

The website footer summarises all the activities and information on the website. It summarises what the company does, its contact details and other supplementary pages. Each page on the website has the same footer, in case you want to access other pages faster or want the summary of the website. 

Getting the Best Out of Your Website

When your website has the above sections, it helps position it higher on search engines. It improves online visibility, leading to faster customer conversion. Moreover, more people get to know what you do and how they can benefit from your service. 

It makes it easier to administer other technical features, such as SEO, whose activities enhance website visibility online. You can also create a blog page where you can discuss service issues. The continued mentioning of the keywords concentrates on the website, leading to a higher ranking. It explains why certain websites appear on the first page when you search for a specific word online.

photo by picjumbo.com