These days, a website is the most powerful business tool out there — and without utilising it to the best of your ability, you risk falling short of the competition.

Nearly every industry has been majorly affected by the internet and the abundance of companies who now use a website as their primary source of business. Today’s market is more competitive than ever before, with websites providing an effective and accessible platform to connect with customers all over the world.

So, it’s safe to say a site is a crucial aspect of running a successful company. For your site to have the desired effect and stay ahead of competitors, you need to be getting the most out of it. Let’s take a look at how this can be achieved…

1. Set Realistic Goals for Your Site

When you design (or redesign) your website, you should do so with some goals in mind. What is the purpose of your site? What are you aiming to achieve? Once you have a few goals or milestones in place, it will not only give you something to aim for, but it will also give you a sense of direction in regards to the purpose of your website and what needs to be done to achieve your goals.

2. Mobile-Friendly is Essential

The most commonly used digital platform these days is mobile internet, which has now overtaken the use of desktops. So if your site isn’t mobile friendly, not only will it look bad on these devices, but you’re severely limiting your chances of successfully appealing to what is now the highest percentage of people accessing the internet.

From a business standpoint, having a site that’s not designed for mobile devices will hold you back, as your most successful competitors are sure to have a website that is. Once you’ve purchased web hosting you’ll have a lot more options in regards to design and customisation, which will help you to design a more efficient site for mobile.

3. It Needs to be User-Friendly

Have a quick think about some of your favourite websites; they’ll be the ones that provide the information you need in a clear, concise way. They make it a simple, straightforward task to click between pages and allow you to easily consume well-written, professional-looking content.

A site that lacks user-friendly features makes it a challenging task to find the information you were in search of in the first place, as well as making the overall experience unengaging and, well, a bit of a nightmare.

For businesses, this not only gives customers very little chance of finding the product/service you offer, but there’s even less chance of them returning to your site.

4. A Professional Design

In business, first impressions are a big deal. As soon as someone falls onto your homepage, that impression is already being made, based on what they see.

Before you think about design, you need to consider your domain name. Make it easy to remember, easy to type and keep it concise. If people are likely to misspell words or forget your over complicated site address, then you’re making your job harder than it has to be.

“Personality is more important than looks” may well be a valid argument in the dating world, but in business, a potential customer won’t take the time to read your content and take an interest in what you offer if your site looks like it was designed with minimal thought and effort.

This means that any images used need to be high-quality and sized correctly to suit the theme of your site. Any blurring, pixelation or poor-quality images will be an instant red flag for any visitors to your site, and more than likely send them on their way before they’ve even read the first sentence. Your website design needs to represent yourself as a company, so professionalism is essential.

5. Analysis is Vital for Continued Improvement

Monitoring the activity of your website or blog is an essential part of seeing what aspects are working for you, as well as tracking the areas of your site that need improving. Analysis software like Google Analytics gives you valuable information, such as how long people stay on your site, which pages they’re looking at, the type of device they use to go online and where they’re located.

All of this can be used to establish exactly who will be most interested in what you have to offer. Applying these findings into your marketing campaigns can then ensure the best results possible. This ability to market yourself on such a grand scale gives small businesses the level playing field needed to rival the big-name companies, who previously dominated the market with huge marketing budgets.

For companies competing in the modern-day market, a website is the most useful tool in their arsenal. Without one, it would be an uphill struggle to become an authority in their chosen industry. As it’s an essential asset that is often the difference between success and failure for many companies, it needs to be done right. With the potential to make your business as successful as you’d always hoped it would be, falling at the last hurdle with a terrible website would be foolish.

If you’re interested in any of the web hosting services we have to offer or have any questions about your own site, then don’t hesitate to get in touch here or give us a call on 0845 527 9345.