Benchmark Information Technology

(866) 326–1427 newsletter | tell a friend

8 Ways to Immediately Improve your Website

It wasn’t so long ago that small business owners often built websites just to have some degree of online presence, without much expectation of new business generation. Well, times, and the economy, have changed.

Savvy business owners today are looking for a clear return on their investment in their websites, but many are left scratching their heads as to why they are not attracting potential clients from their sites.

There are many ways to go about making a website better, but here are a few of the top suggestions that can get you headed in the right direction.

  1. Optimize your website for search engines. A website that has been optimized properly can attract visitors by appearing on the first page of a Google, Yahoo, or MSN search. Getting top rankings on these major search engines for the right keyword phrases can result in increased traffic to your website, as potential buyers search on keyword phrases related to your products or services.
  2. Provide solid and compelling content. Make sure that the content on your site is informative and educational and not one long sales pitch. Visitors should be able to learn something useful when they are on your site. Otherwise, they’ll find what they are looking for elsewhere. Great content helps you to communicate with your visitors and will keep them coming back time and time again.
  3. Don’t bury your content. Okay, so you’ve written great content for you site, but does your potential buyer have to click through four levels just to find it? The goal of a website is not to send the user on a treasure hunt. Whoever visits your site should be able to easily navigate to all of the interesting content that you have provided, otherwise the user will likely head to your competitors.
  4. Tell people what you do. People need to be told exactly what your company does when they come to your homepage and navigate through your site. I cannot tell you how many times I have been to the website of a potential client only to find that there is no clear explanation of what their company does on the homepage. If your company is called Acme Widgets, you need to explain exactly what kind of widgets I can expect to find on your site.
  5. Clearly state what makes your business unique. Most companies have no shortage of competitors online. It is imperative that you explain exactly what sets your company apart. Since your visitors have plenty of choices, you need to give them a reason they should buy from you and not the next company that comes up on the search results.
  6. Provide contact information. How many times have you been to a website and not been able to immediately find the phone number or any type of contact information? Contact information should be on EVERY page so that when the potential buyer wants to call you, they can do so easily. If they cannot quickly and easily figure it out, they’re likely to leave your site and go to a competitor’s site that has more accessible contact information.
  7. Make the type easy to read. This sounds like a no-brainer, but it deserves mentioning. Dark backgrounds such as black, blue or green with white, light-colored, or gray text can be very difficult to read. So is a light colored font on a white background. Remember, just because you think it looks pretty doesn’t mean it is easy for people to read. And make sure to use a legible font that’s not too big or too small.
  8. Ensure that you site loads quickly. It should not take more than a few seconds for each page to load. Online searchers have been proven unlikely to wait for pages that take an “eternity” to load (and an “eternity” online can be as few as 10 seconds). Images, video, and Flash animation greatly enhance a website… but only if the visitor sticks around long enough to see them.

Benchmark Information Technology, Inc. provides Online Marketing Strategies, Search Engine Optimization and IT Consulting for small to medium sized businesses. Whatever online challenges your company may face, let Benchmark Information Technology help you start finding new customers today. Call us toll-free at 866-326-1427, email us at , or click here to schedule a consultation for a website review.