A Website Design to Better Meet TODAY’s Consumer

Right now, your marketing and communications efforts should be on your website design, content and navigation. Now more than ever, people are spending more time online. The increase in digital engagement has been driven by the pandemic and social distancing restrictions across the nation. And the trajectory at which people will continue to engage online is expected to continue. As a result, your marketing efforts should be driving customers back to your website.

Is your website set up to meet the current needs of your customers? Is it communicating effectively to attract prospective customers? Here are some things to ask yourself before answering these questions:

Are you monitoring what your customers are Googling?

• Yes!
  • Great! Ensure you are using those keywords and phrases that customers are putting into Google and add them into your website content. If what your customers are searching for are not found on your website, then Google will not list you in search results. It’s important to regularly keep up with consumer search trends so you can adjust content, as necessary. A stronger content marketing strategy focused on relevant search terms will continue to help better position you against your competitors. Consider incorporating a good mix of content, such as helpful blogs, information about your products or services and customer success stories.
• No.
  • If you’re a bank, would you have listed your yellow page ad in the lawnmower repair section? Of course not! If you’re not monitoring Google search trends, then it would have been like misplacing an ad. Your customers would not be able to find you and your competitors would have an advantage. Follow the “yes” response above to ensure your customers can find you.

Are you monitoring your website analytics?

• Yes!
  • That’s so good to hear! Monitoring website traffic is a great way to quantify marketing efforts, identify consumer trends and more. Make sure you are monitoring key metrics monthly, so you can identify customer behavior, business opportunities and more. Then adjust accordingly.
• No.
  • Bummer! Website analytics allow you to take an in-depth look into your website’s performance. You can see how people find your website; what they do once they’re on your website; where they’re from; what browser they’re using and if they are on a computer or mobile device; you can identify the most visited pages on your website; helps you track conversions (form fills, signing up for your email list, etc.); and more.

Google Analytics is a great tool and it’s free! Take advantage of this free tool to better understand how people are interacting with your website and to measure its level of success.  

Are you paying attention to the back end of your website?

• Of course we are!
  • I hoped you were going to say that. Continue to monitor the back end of your site monthly to ensure plug-ins are kept up-to-date, that your meta descriptions are customized for each webpage (meta descriptions are the short summaries shown to users in Google search results) and that the file name of images incorporate keywords (this is another great way to help improve your ranking in search results), to name a few.
• Huh? What’s that?
  • The back end of your website houses the technology, content, graphics and everything needed for the user-facing side of the website to exist, function and be found by search engines. If the back end is not maintained or updated regularly, your website may not function properly or be found by search engines.

So, is your website meeting the current needs of your customers? Is it communicating effectively to prospective customers? If you found yourself answering no to one or any of the questions, it’s time to invest time and dollars into a more successful website. If you need help with content strategy, monitoring and enhancing your website’s performance or ensuring the back end of your website if functioning at its best, contact us at Chartwell Agency. We can help reach more of your customers where they are today – online!