- Your website is an important piece
of your digital marketing strategy
and one of the most valuable assets
of digital real estate that you own.
Online consumers are fickle,
and that's because digital interactions are commonplace.
So users are spoiled by companies that are doing it well.
They're used to things just working,
and they expect that the information they want
will be available and accurate.
When it's not, they're disappointed,
and credibility is lost for whatever brand
they're interacting with.
And the truth is if your website isn't good,
you're going to fall further and further behind.
And if your website doesn't work on mobile,
well, you're already way behind.
Chances are there's a competitor
with a better online experience,
and your customers will seek them out
if they're fumbling with yours.
So an effective website is simple,
well thought out and highly functional.
It should be intuitive and eliminate any and all barriers,
so your visitor can accomplish their goals effortlessly.
As you evaluate your current website,
take some time to ask yourself the following questions.
For starters, is your site mobile friendly?
This is a non-negotiable.
You should be testing all of your marketing
from your email to your website on a mobile device.
In fact, much of marketing is now what we refer to
as mobile first, meaning you design it intentionally
for a mobile experience
and then let the desktop experience follow.
Now, the next question is does it load properly
in all modern web browsers?
If your site looks one way for Safari on a Mac
and another way for Chrome on a PC,
while you're not really controlling the experience,
test it out on all of the modern browsers.
I recommend browserstack.com as a way
to quickly test your site across all of these platforms.
Now from here, ask does it answer all of the questions
my users have, or may have?
You want to identify the common questions
your customers are often asking
and make sure that information is available online.
Next, is the site reflective of your brand?
Within the first couple of seconds,
a user is going to decide how the site feels to them.
So you need to make sure
that your brand is carried through.
Luxury brands need to feel elegant,
whereas discount sites can focus more on the current sales.
And be sure that your logo, tagline
and the color scheme all reflect your brand.
It's important that things are consistent.
And another important one, is your site up-to-date?
Nothing is worse than information that's out-of-date.
It'll create concern with your users,
so be sure to keep it updated.
Now, if you have a blog,
you should also be posting on a consistent cadence.
Finally, one of the best criteria for your site
is how does it compare to your competitor?
Are you proud or jealous?
If you're jealous, it's probably time to seriously consider
whether or not you need to patch up that website.
Your website is possibly the most valuable piece
of your digital marketing strategy.
Take your time and conduct an honest evaluation.