7 Essential Tweaks to Make to Your Website in 2018

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StrategyDriven Marketing and Sales ArticleA good business website must be fast, visually-appealing, helpful, professional, and visible in the search engines. It must also comply with various legal regulations. However, with shifting consumer behaviors and new requirements introduced by the likes of Google and governments, it can often feel hard to keep up.

To ensure your website ranks highly in the search engine results pages and continues to make a profit, here are seven essential tweaks to make to your website in 2018.

1. Make Your Site Mobile Responsive

As 60% of web searches are made on a mobile device, you must create a responsive site if you have yet to do so. This is a big Google ranking factor, and your site is more than likely being penalized in the search engines if you have yet to comply with their requirement.

A responsive site simply adapts the content and page layout to the device it is being viewed on. As a result, your website will appear differently on a desktop in comparison to a smartphone or tablet. It doesn’t mean you have to create a separate mobile site. It simply means introducing an intelligent template that can detect screen size.

2. Add an SSL Certificate to Increase Security

While an SSL (Secure Socket Layers) certificate is not a legal requirement, it is believed to now be a Google ranking factor. The certificate simply encrypts information delivered between a site visitor and the secure website so that it can provide a more secure connection between a browser and web server.

It is commonly used on business sites that handle credit card and personal information, which is the reason why it is now a positive search signal for Google. Adding one to your website can ultimately increase your trust in Google, which can help you to shoot up the search engines.

3. Comply to GDPR

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into effect on May 25th, 2018 and was designed to protect the personal data for all EU residents. Even if you are outside of the EU, you must comply to the new regulations if you collect, process, or store personal information from anyone within the EU. If you fail to comply with GDPR, it could be a costly mistake for your business.
While most large organizations that regularly collect data from the EU will have responded to the new regulations, many smaller businesses might not be aware of their legal requirements. It is critical to understand your responsibilities to protect your business and your EU visitors’ data. That’s why you need to do your research on GDPR compliance.

4. Find Out What Doesn’t Work with A/B Testing

If your website is failing to convert visitors into customers, you might want need to tweak your web pages to increase your sales. A/B testing is an effective way to find out what is or isn’t working on your site. It will simply show some users a different image, color, text, or minor layout change, which might make a big difference to the user experience. As a result, you will be able to identify what is or isn’t working on your site to make the permanent changes.

5. Improve Your Website Accessibility

Did you know there are more than 57 million Americans living with a disability, who have a combined disposable income of $544 billion? If your site doesn’t offer the accessibility stated in the WCAG 2.0 guidelines, you will more than likely be unable to secure their custom. This will not just lead to a considerable loss of revenue, but it may also leave your business vulnerable to a potential lawsuit.

6. Prevent a Hacking with a Web Application Firewall

A web application firewall (WAF) will increase your site’s protections against a hacking or brute force attack. As a result, it can stop unauthorized access to your website, which can keep your site safe while protecting your customer data.

You might not think your website will be hacked, but 37,000 websites are hacked every single day, so it is a very real threat to your business. Install a web application firewall to ensure your business doesn’t become the next victim.

7. Introduce a Helpful Click-to-Call Format

As stated, more people are visiting websites on their smartphones, which is why you should consider introducing a click-to-call format onto your website. If you want to encourage visitors to become customers, a one-touch solution could make it easier for people to get in touch with your business on their smartphone. Work with a talented web developer today to increase your sales and the user experience.

How to Set Up Your Business’s New Website the Easy Way

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These days, the first thing most customers will see of your business is your website. They’ll be most likely to find it via a search engine or some form of online advertisement. But what matters is what they think when they eventually click that link and see what the website can actually offer them. You want them to be impressed and satisfied with the experience, but it’s not always as simple as that. First of all, you need to get your new and improved site up and running; here’s how.

Compare the Pros and Cons of Each Potential Platform

There are many different platforms out there that you can utilize for creating a new website for your business. Whether you use WordPress, Squarespace, or another website builder is up to you. Each platform offers something new and interesting to users, so it’s up to you to find the one that’s right for you. Compare the pros and cons until you’ve come to the best fit for your needs.

Find Tools That Streamline the Process

There are plenty of great tools out there that you can start to make use of when you’re trying to streamline the process. You can try Unbounce for free if you want to. It’s this kind of thing that you should be doing if you want to get ahead of the competition because there’s no way to succeed if you don’t. It needs to be as straightforward as it possibly can be.

Create the Most Important Pages First

Some page matter more than others when you’re trying to create a new website. It’s pretty much always the case, and you can’t get away from it. You want to think carefully about what you want to achieve and where you want your customers to look. You can’t afford to ignore the pages that matters most, so these are the ones that should be sorted first.

Choose a Simple But Effective Theme

Themes matter a lot on websites because them immediately set the town and make it clear exactly what kind of tone you’re trying to set from the get-go. Ideally, the theme you choose should say something about your business and what kind if values you’re trying to push forward to people. It certainly doesn’t have to be over complicated, but it has to cut through.

Engage People With Imagery

People aren’t going to be impressed with nothing more than the words you deliver; you also need to engage with them on a visual level too. You can’t ignore just how impactful images and video can be on a website, so don’t underestimate those things. The right images can go along way.

Your business’s new website could be exactly what’s required right now if you want to push on and reach out to younger demographics. If your website still looks like it was made in 1999, the changes can’t come soon enough. It’s not an overstatement to say people won’t take your company seriously if your website looks like a joke.

How To Start Your Own Website

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Over the past few years, Internet technological innovations have made it much easier for anyone to create their own website. But as easy as the process has become, most people still do not understand the correct way to get a website started. There are plenty of templates and website builders you can use to create a professional looking website, but those initial steps in starting the site can be confusing for new website owners.

Make A List Of Domain Names

The first step in starting your website is to figure out a concise title that best represents your business, and you do that with old fashioned pen and paper. If your company is called the ABC Corporation, then an address such as ABCCorporation.com would obviously be appropriate. But what if that address is taken? Would your business be better represented by something other than a .com website? You need to make a list of 10 or more website addresses that would fit your business and be easy for your customers to find.

Find A Web Hosting Company

A web hosting company will sell you your domain name and host your website as well. It is easier to get your domain name and hosting through the same company because then you would only need to go to one source for support. There is a wide variety of hosting companies to choose from, so take your time and find the company that you feel most comfortable with. You can even call the support phone number for the companies you are considering to determine which company offers the kind of support that you feel you will need.

Find The Domain Name That Is Available

Once you have chosen your web hosting company, it is time to get out your list of potential domain names and check available domain names. The best way to get the right domain name is to prioritize the list you have created and buy the first name that is available. Your web host may recommend that you buy more than just the .com extension to protect your domain name, and that is not a bad idea. When your company becomes successful as a .com, your competition could buy the .net address and cause problems for your business. To protect yourself, you should buy as many of the popular extensions as possible.

Buy Your Domain

Once you have decided which domain names you want to buy, it is time to make the purchase. It may take a day or two for your website to show up on the Internet, but it is worth the wait. Once your site is active, it is time to establish your online presence and grow your business.

It is easy for marketing experts to tell you to buy a domain and start your website, but most people who are new to owning a website are not sure what it means to choose a domain. With some practical advice, any business owner can take the necessary steps to choose the perfect domain name and get their business online quickly.

This Is How You Can Grow Your E-commerce Store

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If you have an E-commerce store, chances are, you’d like to expand and grow. Everybody wants to make more money and get more conversions, right? Here are a few ideas that can help you to achieve the success you want:

Make It As Easy To Check Out As Possible

Make it as easy as you possibly can during the check out process. Just because somebody is checking out, doesn’t mean they won’t change their mind if it’s taking too long. Go through it yourself and make it as simplified as possible to stop people from abandoning their cart and going elsewhere. This could mean offering a guest check out rather than forcing people to sign up with you, for example. However, there are a few things you might need to change.

Show Complementary Products

Make sure you find a way to show complementary products on the page as a way of up-selling. Show the customer what others have bought, or what goes well with what they’ve bought. This can help you to achieve more sales. If you’re a clothing company, you could show complementary shoes with a particular dress, for example.

Offer Coupons And Discounts

Offer coupons and discounts for certain things. For example, signing up to your newsletter, or even birthday discounts to loyal customers. You could even offer discounts when somebody recommends a friend. Many stores are also offering point systems, so customers can earn themselves a free product after so many purchases. The following infographic can give you even more useful information!


Infographic Created By Red Stag Fulfillment