How to Make Your Brand’s Website Stand Out and Get More Traffic

According to a recent survey by the internet experts Netcraft, there’s over 1.7 billon hostnames and 170 million active websites on the World Wide Web. With everyone vying for attention, it can seem like a daunting task trying to get noticed. Web design and development is both an art and a science. And the most successful players in this game are focused on mastering both.  

Whether your website is focused on business development or consumer retail, the path to success is generally the same. But with any digital strategy, there are deviations that can depend on several factors. Consulting with an agency (we know one that does this particularly well) can help you address your digital goals, as well as reach them. Here’s a quick overview of must-haves when it comes to ensuring your website is a success.

Remove the clutter.

Leonardo da Vinci spoke the truth when he said, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." While it’s a fact he wasn’t specifically referring to franchise consumer or development websites, he hit the nail on the head in terms of overall design and user experience. The first step in removing clutter is to define your target audience. Then, define your objective. If there’s anything on your website that doesn’t fit in that box, remove it. If you try to please everyone you will win at pleasing no one. Think back to when you were a kid and you wanted something. Whether it was your mom or dad that you usually favored in your quest for “yes,” you chose one to approach. Not both of them. Why? Because your odds of getting what you wanted was better if you defined your target market. 

Don’t skimp on design.

A great web designer is worth their weight in gold. From typography, to UI/UX, to color theory and beyond, a high-level web designer can take your website to another level. And it’s worth every penny. The user experience starts with impeccable design, and ends with proper development.

Hire skilled developers.  

You wouldn’t put a Pontiac engine in an Aston Martin body, would you? Well the same should ring true with your digital assets. A great development team can not only bring a design to life, but transform this design into a memorable experience for the user. Take a stroll through Safeguard’s BAM website. Do you see how the content builds as the user flows through the page? This is an example of how a skilled developer can take a static design file and turn it into a responsive experience.

You better be mobile friendly.

This goes hand-in-hand with hiring a skilled development team, but important enough to be its own point. According to Smart Insights, we’re now past the mobile tipping point, meaning more users are browsing on mobile than they are on desktop. Not only that, in 2015, Google updated their search engine algorithm, ranking sites higher that pass their mobile-friendly test. While it might seem obvious that your website should be mobile-ready, the majority of websites today still don’t pass the Google test. Take note of NRD Capital’s website and make sure yours does!

Content is king.

We’ve all heard this before, but this can’t be stressed enough. Original, engaging content is not only crucial to driving traffic to your site, but keeping that said traffic on your webpage as well.  Don’t be afraid to step out of the box. And always continue to add new content to keep your users engaged.

Analytics don’t lie.

So once your content is posted, how do you know what is working and what isn’t? You could guess. Or you could look at the facts, which come in the form of analytics. Don’t overlook this. Either set your website up with Google Analytics yourself, or have your development team do it for you. What gets measured, gets managed. Plain and simple!