As a business owner, you know you need a well-designed website. However, you may not know the essential components required to help your company manage growth. Your company's site needs to look inviting and be easy to navigate, but it should also enable you to handle your internal operations efficiently and productively. In this guest post from Nicola Reid, she looks at six steps to effective website design to help your digital business grow.
The good news is that you can develop a functional, engaging, and pleasing website without having a degree in computer programming. When you follow some fundamental tips, you can make it easy for online users to find your services and present your brand effectively while incorporating practical tools for handling business operations.
Add Customer Relationship Management Software
One of the most beneficial steps in building a website that grows with your digital business is incorporating tools that help you analyze site activity. CRM software enables you to track how your customers interact with your web pages. By analyzing consumer behavior, you better understand your clients' needs and develop lasting relationships.
Utilize an Enterprise Resource Planning System
Adding ERP software to your site helps you handle the operations of your digital business by streamlining functions, like:
- Supply chains
- Payroll
- Manufacturing
- Financials
- Human resources
- Reporting
Integrate Internal Tools and Processes
When you include both CRM and ERP systems in your website, you optimize productivity and facilitate essential procedures. Both tools contain vital data and reports that simplify record-keeping when accessible jointly. Integrating these two types of management software enables different departments within your company to work together more efficiently.
Optimize Your Website for Search Engines
Once you have the critical software management systems for behind-the-scenes operations, your next step is to ensure potential patrons can find your site online. It is vital to use search engine optimization techniques on your site. Effective SEO helps your digital business appear in the results when someone looks for your services or products online.
Remember to Optimize for Location
According to a study, 90% of people search the internet to find local businesses. If you have a brick-and-mortar location or only provide services to a specific area, you must incorporate location-specific SEO methods into your site. You want to appear in local searches as much as possible. Take steps to improve local SEO:
- Set up a Google My Business page
- Make sure your homepage, header tag, meta description, and title tag clearly state your location
- Add your business information to local directories
- Ensure all mentions of your address are identical
- Use good SEO practices throughout your site
Focus on User-Friendly Experience
One of the essential elements of your website is user functionality. If your site is challenging to navigate or unappealing and clunky, people will leave your pages quickly to find a different company. You need a quality design that also provides a seamless experience for visitors.
Make it easy for users to know their next steps. Place call-to-action buttons in easy-to-see places, so visitors naturally flow through your marketing funnel. When you take the time to make your website simple to use, you increase conversions and improve customer loyalty.
Having a good-looking website is only one small part of creating pages that foster professional growth. Whether you purchase an online business from The Hatchit Marketplace or already have one, you must invest in developing a site that meets the requirements of your digital business and your clients. By integrating good design with user experience and internal tools, you ensure a high level of functionality that will grow with your company.
Nicola Reid is an entrepreneur and small business owner who created Business4Today.com to provide access to the resources members of marginalized groups need to turn their entrepreneurial dreams into reality. If you have an article idea for a guest post, please contact us. Image via Pexels.
