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Knock their socks off! Business websites that look great and convert

Be honest: Have you neglected your website? Is it just sitting there, stale and not helping you attract or convert customers?

We recommend reviewing your website regularly to update its content and usability every few months or at least annually. Depending on their business, some businesses require more or less frequent updates. A more extensive overhaul and redesign are typically recommended every 3-5 years.

Your business needs a website to knock people’s socks off and convince them to buy or take action! You need a website that blends positively memorable design, function, and accessibility. This is how your investment in your business website will benefit your business.

How do you blend design, function, and accessibility while still knocking off their socks? Keep reading to get our practical website tips to help you do that.

Why you MUST make a good first impression

Your website is the centrepiece and hub of your business’s online presence. Everything leads back to it, so you want it to make a good first impression and guide people from “just browsing” to becoming loyal customers.

You have complete control over your website’s design, function, and accessibility. Your job is to ensure it’s on-brand and easy to read while communicating everything people need to know to make their buying decision.

The best-converting websites balance their visitors’ needs with the “technical” requirements search engines and technology like AI require for your content to be included in search results.

Make a good first impression with your website, and you’re one critical step forward to closing your next loyal customer.

How websites convert

Your business solves your ideal customer’s problem(s). Your website design and content should help convince them that you have (or are) the answer.

The best-converting websites contain three things:

Technical prowess: Your website’s backend code and structure should be created to load fast, be responsive on mobile devices, and satisfy other technical requirements for search engine optimisation.
Aesthetically beautiful: You only have 10-20 seconds to make that memorable first impression with your website. Design is typically the first thing they’ll notice. If it looks dated or unprofessional, they’ll go somewhere else.
Convincingly written: After you’ve grabbed their attention with a great design, your written content must build your authority and trust in your customers. Your copy should be purposefully written to earn their trust in your business so they eventually buy.

Top 5 features of great business websites

We’ve built many websites over the years. Based on what we’ve seen and the analytics from our client’s websites, here are our top 5 features and considerations of great, memorable business websites.

1. User-centered design

If your target audience can’t use or navigate your website, how can you expect them to buy from you? We recommend that you do regular usability testing with real customers and prospects to ensure the design and function of your website are intuitive and easy to understand. This means creating:

Clear, intuitive navigation so visitors can easily find what they are looking for
An accessible layout so users of all abilities can access it
A seamless ecommerce experience with a max 3-click check-out process
Clear navigational paths (or funnels) to learn more and purchase

2. Mobile-first & responsive design

Did you know that over 40% of web traffic comes from mobile devices? This means your website must have a responsive design to cater to this large audience. Responsive design includes, a fast-loading version for mobile, touch-friendly elements and buttons, and mobile optimised content, to name a few.

Not only is a mobile-first design essential for usability, but having mobile features on your website is also a factor that search engines look for. Not having a mobile-ready website could cost you in search rankings.

3. Compelling, conversion-focused copy

Your design will attract customers, and your copy will convert them! Ensure your website content clearly and concisely includes:

The pain point or reason someone needs your offerings so people can quickly identify if they are in the right place
The benefits of your offerings, written from the customers point of view
Clear CTAs (call to action) placed strategically throughout your site.

Your copy should include written or video testimonials to build your social proof that you’re an expert in your niche. New customers are more likely to trust a testimonial singing your praises rather than you saying, “We’re the best.”

Further build this trust by showcasing client logos, security batches, certifications, or other trust symbols. If you have any guarantees, return policies, and secure payment options, include those details on your website, too.

4. Increase visibility with SEO

A beautiful, well-written website is great, but not if no one can find it! Follow SEO (Search Everywhere Optimisation) best practices to make your website attractive to search engines, AI, shopping platforms, podcasts, and social media.

When looking at Google’s search engine algorithm, there are over 200 factors Google looks at when deciding how (or if) to show your website in search results. These includes:

On-Page SEO: Content on your web pages (written content, blogs, images, layout)
Off-Page SEO: Content on other websites to drive traffic back to you (links on third-party websites or social media)
Technical SEO: Coding and backend optimisation done to make your website fast and SEO-friendly

Optimising each of these areas for your website goes a long way to showing Google, AI, and other search-based platforms that you’re an authority in your niche.

For more tips on SEO, check out these ethical SEO tips.

5. Constantly improving based on data-driven insights

In addition to optimising your website for users, search, and conversions, the best websites are regularly updated based on data-driven insights. Your website is a living entity that needs to adapt over time as your business evolves and your customers’ needs change. Changes may also be required to ensure compliance with industry regulations or respond to changes in SEO best practices.

Ensure that your website has reliable analytics and use the insights from this information to constantly improve the user experience, search ranking, and grow your business. You can use data-based strategies such as A/B testing of page layouts, CTAs, messaging and imagery to find the best-converting combination for your website.

Start with a current state audit

Before starting any website project, we recommend you first audit what you already have and how it’s performing. Choose a few SMART goals and work with a digital marketing and web development team to improve on what you already have.

Out-Smarts Marketing would be glad to help! We have marketing strategists, designers, web developers, content marketers, and more to help you make a great first impression with your website. Learn more about our web design services to get started.

Hand placing blocks that spell 'SEO' in front of a blue gradient background.

Drive organic traffic with SEO: Increase your online visibility

When was the last time you Googled something? It’s become second nature for us to turn to the internet when we have questions or are looking for a business.

No matter where people search for your business online (search engines, social media, AI, or map apps), you want to be visible. Traditionally, this visibility comes from your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) efforts. More recently, the term has evolved into Search Everywhere Optimization (still SEO) to cover other online sources like AI, shopping platforms, podcasts, and social media).

Search engines, websites and AI aim to bring searchers the most relevant results for their search. You need to follow the SEO “rules” to increase your visibility and appear at the top of search results.

In this quick guide, we’ll give an overview of how to use SEO strategies and tactics. With this information, you will be well on your way to start showing up in search engines and other online spaces when people are looking for you.

How do search engines work?

Let’s look at Google first. When you search for something in Google, the results don’t just magically appear. Google uses algorithms to rank all the world’s web pages based on the keywords people type in the search bar. Your job as a business or website owner is to meet as many of the algorithm’s requirements (over 200) as possible. This will help your page show up (aka “rank”) on page 1 of a search result when people are looking for your business.

Search engine optimization is how you make your website and online content attractive to Google’s algorithms.

Of the 200 factors, some we don’t have control over (such as how long you’ve owned your domain or website address). The rest are split into 3 core categories:

On-Page SEO: Content on your web pages (written content, blogs, images, layout)
Off-Page SEO: Content on other websites to drive traffic back to you (links on third-party websites or social media)
Technical SEO: Coding and back-end optimization done to make your website SEO-friendly

Then, there is a fourth part that many businesses forget about: Ensuring your website’s user experience meets the searcher’s expectations. Getting “eyes” on your website is a good first step, but you also need to convert these visitors into customers, subscribers, or loyal followers. Your content and user experience is a strategy unto itself, but in simple terms, make sure your website answers your customer’s pain points.

Optimizing each of these areas will go a long way. It shows Google that you are an authority in your niche and that it should display your website in search results.

How AI is changing SEO

As AI expands, it’s having a significant impact on how businesses execute their SEO. We suggest creating a Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) strategy, also known as Search Everywhere Optimization.

Many of the same basic SEO fundamentals apply, but GEO emphasizes creating content that:

Addresses FAQs or a specific user question
Fills information gaps in the market
Is repurposed into different formats (video, written, audio, visual)
Is optimized for Voice Search Engine Optimization (VSEO)
Is methodologically structured to make AI parsing easier

AI is already used in Search Engine Results pages like Google. Google uses AI to create results summaries within search results pages. These are typically featured as AI overviews or summaries, featured snippets, and “people also ask” sections.

AI’s impact on SEO is relatively new and we expect it will keep marketers on their toes in the coming years. We’ll stay on top of the latest developments in AI’s impact, so you don’t have to. Talk to us about how we can help with your Search Everywhere Optimization.

Why is SEO vital for business success online?

Having a strong online presence is important for every business. It will help you attract new customers and clients and increase the perceived legitimacy of your business.

Here are the top 4 reasons having good SEO is vital for your business success:

It increases your visibility online: Appearing on page 1 of search results will typically earn you more clicks.
It establishes credibility and trust: Higher rankings tell searchers you’re a trusted authority in your niche.
It’s cost-effective: SEO can get you a higher, long-term ROI for your efforts.
It has local benefits: Using local or location-based SEO plans, you can attract foot traffic and local shoppers to your business.

Hero Home Care recognized the value of SEO, so they partnered with Out-Smarts to create a robust digital marketing strategy. Their goal was to increase website traffic, leads, followers, and social engagement.

We built them a customized digital marketing funnel using Ads, SEO optimizations, and social media plans. Our efforts earned them an increase of:

81.90% in organic search
109% in direct traffic
509% in social media
55.49% in web traffic

5 Steps to boost your SEO strategy now

Whether you have an existing SEO blueprint already or are starting it from scratch, here are our essential 5 steps to do right now to boost your SEO power:

Step 1: Start with keyword research

Identify what words your prospects are typing in the Google Search Bar. You can determine this by asking them, “How did you find me today?” or by using SEO tools like Google Keyword Planner (free) or SEMrush (free-to-try and paid versions). Focus on keyword phrases correlating to your offerings, niche, or unique selling points (USPs).

Step 2: Optimize your website content (on-page SEO)

Assign a different keyword phrase to each main page of your website and your most popular blog posts. Aim to include that phrase no more than 2% of the content. Include it in your title, subheadings, lists, and ALT text of images. You can check the density of your chosen keyword using this free Keyword Density Checker.

Tip: Don’t feel you need to optimize every page and blog post on your website right away. Prioritize key pages (like your home, about, or a core service page) first. You can optimize the additional pages over time.

Step 3: Check and boost website performance (technical SEO)

Google will penalize a slow-loading or poorly designed or coded website. Get a web developer to optimize images for faster loading and clean up any extraneous code interfering with page loading times. Also, check that your website is mobile-friendly (which is one of the factors Google uses to rank your site in results). Run an audit to make sure all of the links (internal and external) on your site work. If Google sees broken links your site will rank lower.

Step 4: Build backlinks (off-page SEO)

Begin looking for opportunities to get your website link added to other websites. This is called backlinking. Here are a few ways you can do this:

Ask business partners in a related niche about including your link on their website in a blog post or resource page.
Inquire about a business listing on reputable niche web directories
Ensure your social media profiles link back to your website
Share your blog posts and website content in social media posts
Offer to write a guest blog post for another website or business (with a link back to your site in your bio)

By adding more backlinks from reputable sites, you increase your chances of higher Google rankings.

Curious about how to use backlinks in your SEO blueprint? Read our Top 5 Link Building Strategies article.

Step 5: Track progress and amend your strategy

SEO isn’t a one-and-done marketing activity. Like many digital marketing strategies, it needs to be monitored and will evolve over time. Make sure you have detailed analytics on your website and social media profiles. Be sure to track:

Where your links are coming from
What phrases people are using in the Google search bar
What content or topics they’re most interested in

If you find a strategy or keyword isn’t driving more or new traffic to your website, try a new phrase. Give the keywords a few weeks to months to work before making any significant changes. Sometimes, these organic SEO methods take time.

Your next steps

It’s impossible to communicate everything you need to know about SEO in 1000 words. This article gives you a head start on optimizing your website and digital marketing for SEO. Remember, organic SEO can help you attract the right people at the right time online.

If you’ve made it this far in the article and are thinking, “This sounds good…but SEO still seems overwhelming,” have no fear. The Out-Smarts team can help you optimize your SEO and online presence so you’re found by the right people in the right places online. We can support all areas of SEO including on-page, off-page, technical, and more. Learn more about our SEO services and book a complimentary discovery call with Mhairi today.

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