Characteristics of an Effective Website
Is Your Website Effective?
Ninety-four percent of B2B buyers research a company online before making purchase decisions, per a study from Accenture Interactive. So it’s just as important for B2B brands to maintain a high-performing website as it is for B2C companies. No matter what you’re selling or who you’re selling to, your website is often the first impression your business makes on potential buyers.
More than simply pleasing the eye, your website can function as the ultimate sales tool. An outdated, fragmented site lacks effectiveness and only hurts your business in the long run. However, B2B tech brands might not realize that a successful website isn’t one-dimensional. It’s multi-faceted, and touches on a variety of different elements that come together to create a central hub that operates as the nucleus of business operations.
What are key characteristics of an effective website?
- It’s easy to find. You don’t have to land in the top position on Google search results, but your website should be easily located – both by users and by Google. All pages should have relevant titles and meta tags that clearly communicate page themes. You also want to make sure HTML site maps are categorized in a way that helps users find content.
Additionally, it’s important to include an XML sitemap in your robots.txt so Google can process and discover new content efficiently when crawling your site.
- It’s easy to navigate. Your website should drive a simple and intuitive user experience that leads to increased conversions. That means bringing together both visual and technical elements to create the ultimate web experience:
- Art: Design principles are universal. The difference lies in the audience you’re designing for. Your website design should engage, inform and inspire user action, cultivating a strong connection with your brand.
- Copy: Compelling, original and useful content keeps audiences engaged throughout the buyer journey. The more tailored content is to meet audience pain points, the more likely messaging is to resonate with users.
- Code: Visually appealing and well-written websites are nothing without intuitive development. Your website should be easily navigable and built around the behavioral elements that drive consumer action.
- It’s easy to scale. Growth is good. Outgrowing one of your most valuable business asset isn’t. Creating an effective website isn’t a one-and-done process. Every aspect of your website – from your CMS to your marketing strategies – should be scalable to meet brand growth and evolving market (and consumer) demands.
Ready for a Website That Converts?
At Walker Sands, our award-winning team of designers, developers, content strategists and project managers work together to deliver websites that are tailored to your industry and profitable for your business.
From initial strategy to final design, we take an aggressive – yet agile – approach to creating impressive business websites that generate measurable results.
Let’s discuss your website goals.