Is your Brand as good as gold?
Your Website will bring not only your BRAND a golden name but literally bring money to your pocket if you design it right. Why do most people have a website?? I believe most have one for earning opportunities, at least I hope businesses have this plan. A great website can bring in the gold, but most people only have Online Brochures. Here is a list of Five (5) things you should consider with your Website Development.
#1 Do your Research!! I cannot express this enough. I have seen many clients come in owning several Web Domain Names, that look great but unless they hand out several thousand flyers with the Website printed on them they will not get one sale.
You want to research Keyword Phrases that people will actually look for. If I want to eat a meal in San Diego CA, I am not going to search for Dicks Last Resort, unless I know about that restaurant. What will I look for, something like “Fun Places to Eat in San Diego” or BBQ Restaurant in San Diego. This is the same for your business, find a domain name that is based on a Keyword Phrase, you will get more Hits. BRAND YOURSELF with your DOMAIN NAME. You can have several that drive traffic to your main site.
#2 Set your Website up as something Dynamic. You want to give people a reason to keep coming to your site, if it never changes they have no reason to keep coming back except once in a while to possibly purchase something. Keep it fresh and new; Use a BLOG to provide your clients and potential clients with great information about your Niche, Feature a new product, service or better yet one of your clients on your website. They will love your for it (ASK PERMISSION FIRST). BlackTieBranding.com and my other websites are all set up as dynamic sites, even those that are used to drive traffic here. I post on them at least once a week (Most weeks).
#3 Link your website to your Social Media Pages: (And Vice Versa) More than just an add button or a share button use an entire LIKE Box or Twitter Widget or add-on. This allows people on your site to see who of their friends like you. Isn’t it true you are more apt to stick around somewhere if your friends hang out there? Also you are more apt to purchase things your friends have bought and liked. You can call this whatever you like but think of it this way. If you spent everyday talking to people, how many of them would talk to their friends about you? Very few, exactly. But if they are linked to your website and social media pages, their friends automatically see that you have talked to them.
#4 PRIVACY POLICY and TERMS OF USE: Does your Website have these? First of all it is just good business practice to allow those individuals who wish to view this have immediate access to it. Secondly, Search Engines prefer it and will rank you higher. Thirdly, people will only buy from those they know like and trust. We used to do business on a handshake, unfortunately, it is not that way anymore. You website will collect personal information (If you are making sales) and you need to protect that at all costs. If you do not know what to write in them feel free to “SWIPE” mine; just change the names. PRIVACY and TERMS OF USE
#5 Photos catch attention: Utilize photos on your website, they will get you visitors and keep them there a bit longer. Use them to your advantage. Name the photos something based on a keyword phrase i.e. keywordphrase.jpg. The normal web user will stay on a website for about 15 seconds and determine if they are going to be there any more than that. Make your site appealing and they will stay longer, they will check out your site more. They will see you provide great information and wonderful goods and services and they will begin to trust you.
Make you site and your BRAND as good as GOLD. People buy from those they know, like and trust. Be this person! Utilize this and the several other tips about Websites to build a Website that will bring you the GOLD. Your BRAND Depends on It.
Shawn Western