What makes a perfect website?
When I start website projects for clients, I always start by asking my clients about their goals when it comes time to create a website for their business. The typical answer is "I want my customers to understand what I do" and "I want my customers to buy my product or service."
It's pretty expected. You want your clients to understand what you do, then buy from you. It's the standard operating procedure for every business. But what do you want from your business website? When you build a website, it is an expansive and ongoing project that is never truly completed and will be modified and updated for the life of your business.
Clients often ask me: "How to create a perfect website?"
I have spent twenty years building websites, from global brand websites for Nestlé and the Olympics, but what makes a perfect website is a combination of 10 steps from my perspective.
When you get these all perfect, or first, just get them all started, your business website will stand out from the crowd and build you a legacy brand that will be easier to manage and, best of all, profitable.
Here is the checklist that I believe will make you a perfect website:
- Make a Website that Builds Traffic Organically.
- Make a Website that Accepts Orders.
- Make a Website that Converts Clicks to Customers.
- Make a Website that Teaches Customers.
- Make a Website that Proves You are the Expert.
- Make a Website looks Beautiful.
- Make a Website that Works on every Device.
- Make a Website that sells both Products and Services.
- Make a Website where Customers Come to You.
- Make a Website that Easily Communicates to Your Audience.
Make a Website that Builds Traffic Organically.
The first one is the holy grail of building a great website to use content writing through your content management system CMS and search engine optimization SEO to build stable, organic inbound traffic from search engines.
Read: How do I rank on Google with SEO writing?
Make a Website that Accepts Orders.
The second one is not always obvious, but can no longer be overlooked in 2022. That is the ability for your visitors to your small business website to easily shop on your site, and buying your products or services. When I build your website, I make sure your website can accept orders at any time. Even if the feature is hidden to start, you should always have that capability ready to go.
Make a Website that Converts Clicks to Customers.
The third consideration is all about conversions and making sure it is simple for customers to see what they are supposed to do next. These prompts for your customers are generally called a "Call to Action." They can be "Buy Now" or "Learn More." But the prompt to ask that a customer makes a choice is the first step to converting a click into a customer.
Make a Website that Teaches Customers.
The fourth consideration is building your website into a place that is a resource for your customers. Are you teaching and TRULY educating your customers, so they are confident in choosing your product or service as the one they are about to buy.
Make a Website that Proves You are the Expert.
Coming in at number five is proving that you are the expert. This sounds like bragging, but do you want your customers confident in your product or service? Your website is the place to make your customers feel at ease that they can stop looking because they have found the business website that will satisfy their goals.
Make a Website that looks Beautiful.
Sixth and somewhat contentious is looking beautiful. Apple has no problem selling its products, services, and subscription because its finish quality is second to none. This is easier given their budget and massive teams making it possible to fine-tune every aspect of their website on an ongoing basis.
Make a Website that Works on every Device.
Seventh is obvious but often overlooked, typically because someone looking at Google Analytics said, "75% of my traffic comes from Desktop. Why am I worried about Mobile?" To rank on Google, you must have a responsive site. Besides, it's 2022, and a huge portion of your traffic will be coming from social media platforms, so ensuring your website works great on all platforms is essential to success. Having a user friendly experience is paramount to making the best website possible for your business.
Make a Website that sells both Products and Services.
Eighth is all about expanding your horizons. You're a business, but even if you focus primarily on Products or Services, you need to make your website focus on both. Using Apple as an example again, you can easily see that over the past decade, they have made a massive shift towards digital products, subscriptions, content, and, soon, advertising. To ensure the success of your business website, you must begin considering these branches of your business.
Are you looking for a budget friendly, but fully functional Shopify Store? Click here.
Make a Website where Customers Come to You.
Number nine makes your website easy to find and well known to your audience. When a customer searches for you on Google or your small business, can they see many results to show that you are well known? If not, it's time to start changing that. Customers won't trust you if you are hard to find in 2022, and I build your site to be seen. You don't have to divulge personal information, but if you are running a business, people must understand who you are as a person and why you are running this business.
Make a Website that Easily Communicates to Your Audience.
A perfect website's tenth aspect is making sure you speak as your customers speak. You want to ensure that you are approachable and easily understood by many audiences. The more customers can understand you, the more customers you will have. Even if you aim to be an exclusive brand, you always want a large portion of your audience to dream about your brand and making sure that they are included in the messaging.
How do I make a perfect Website?