How to Create an Engaging Business Website

In today's digital age, having an engaging business website is absolutely essential for success. Your website is often the first point of contact between your brand and potential customers, making it a crucial component of your online presence. 

Creating an engaging business website can help you attract and retain customers, build trust, and showcase your products or services effectively. In this blog post, we will walk you through the steps to create an engaging business website that will leave a lasting impression on your visitors.

Define Your Purpose and Goals

Before you dive into the design and development process, it's essential to define your website's purpose and goals. What do you want to achieve with your website? Are you looking to showcase your products, provide information, generate leads, or sell products online? Your website's purpose will guide the design and content decisions you make.

Know Your Audience

Understanding your target audience is a key element of creating an engaging website. Take the time to research your audience's needs, preferences, and behaviours. Consider factors such as age, gender, location, and interests. Tailoring your website to your audience's preferences will make it more appealing and relevant to them.

Choose an Appropriate Domain Name

Your domain name is your online address, and it plays a significant role in your website's branding. Choose a domain name that is easy to remember, reflects your business, and is relevant to your industry. Make sure it's also easy to spell and type to avoid any potential confusion.

User-Friendly Navigation

Clear and intuitive navigation is vital for an engaging website. Visitors should be able to find the information they need quickly and easily. Organize your content into well-structured menus and use descriptive labels for navigation links. Consider using a search bar for larger websites to enhance user-friendliness.

Mobile Responsiveness

With the increasing use of smartphones and tablets, having a mobile-responsive website is non-negotiable. Ensure that your website looks and functions well on various screen sizes. Responsive design adapts your website's layout and content to provide an optimal experience for mobile users.

High-Quality Content

Content is king when it comes to engaging your audience. Create high-quality, informative, and relevant content that addresses your visitors' needs and interests. This includes well-written text, eye-catching images, videos, and infographics. Regularly update your content to keep it fresh and relevant.

Speed and Performance

A slow-loading website can drive visitors away. Optimize your website's performance by compressing images, using a content delivery network (CDN), and minimizing code. Fast-loading pages are not only user-friendly but also favoured by search engines, which can improve your search rankings.

Branding and Design

Your website's design should reflect your brand identity. Use consistent colours, fonts, and imagery to create a cohesive and memorable brand experience. Pay attention to the overall aesthetics of your website, as first impressions are critical.

Call to Action (CTA)

A successful business website encourages visitors to take action. Include clear and compelling calls to action throughout your site. Whether it's signing up for a newsletter, making a purchase, or filling out a contact form, well-placed CTAs guide visitors toward the actions you want them to take.

Test and Optimise

Regularly test your website to identify areas for improvement. Use tools like Google Analytics to gather data on visitor behaviour, such as page views, bounce rate, and conversion rates. With this data, you can make informed changes to enhance your website's performance and engagement.

In conclusion, creating an engaging business website is a multifaceted process that involves understanding your goals, audience, and the principles of good web design. By following these steps and continuously striving to improve your site, you can build a powerful online presence that captures the attention and trust of your visitors, ultimately driving business success. Remember, a well-designed and engaging website can be a valuable asset in today's digital landscape.

(Image courtesy of PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay)

Online: Changing the world of business forever

“…the digital technological revolution is changing business and all our lives.” Mary Portas. The Portas Review December 2011.

The internet is the most popular and easily accessible tool to anyone and everyone in the world…over 850 million Facebook members, and over 500 million on other social networking sites provide an indication into just how popular the World Wide Web is and business success can now be achieved tenfold by venturing onto the online world.

1 in 13 people in the world has access to the internet…doesn’t that say it all?
With a strong, results based internet marketing agency behind you, your company can reach more people than ever…online shopping is at its highest; making your company a part of this will be the difference between success and failure.

The traditional methods for marketing a business i.e. newspapers and print are far too wide and unfocused to ensure any level of success which is why businesses need to personalise their focus and online marketing can do just that.

In a world where every 2000 Google searches across the world was on the iPad 3; technology and the internet matter. Without marketing your business cannot reach success, without the internet your business cannot reach success….retail guru Mary Portas spoke of the death of the high street and every other business in between but it can be brought back to life with just a few clicks…as long as you know what you’re doing!

Online is the way forward…businesses can beat the recession!

Fasthosts reveals 1 in 3 consumers has posted a negative review of a firm online

Fasthosts, a top UK web hosting provider, has revealed that one third of British consumers has posted negative material online relating to a company or product.

The survey of 1300 UK consumers, commissioned by the web hosting company, found that it is now common place for Britons to express their gripes openly online, most commonly on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, as well as online forums. Over half of young adults have published negative online reviews.  Encouragingly for firms, the vast majority of consumers are willing to give a company a second chance if it responds well to their online complaints.

Whilst willingness to share frustrations online is equal across both genders, the issue ranges in frequency according to age.  Younger Britons are far more likely to publish their grievances.  Some 52 per cent of under 24 year olds have turned to the web in this way.  39 per cent aged 25-34, and 38 per cent of adults aged between 45-54 years have done so. 1 in 4 of those older (28 per cent) vented their concerns online.  Geographical location also appears to be a driver, with the issue most common in the south east (38 per cent) and far north of England, such as North East (37 per cent). 

However, some 84 per cent of consumers would forgive a company for mistakes and be willing to use it again if the firm engaged with their negative online review and discussed the issues with them. 

It appears that few British companies are seeing the benefits of getting to grips with the issue of negative online material.  Data from 400 UK small businesses reveals that few UK companies choose to interact with customers who publish negative material about them. Despite the prevalence of online complaints, only 12 per cent of small firms have ever engaged with an online complaint. 

Stephen Holford, Marketing Director, Fasthosts Internet, commented: "It is understandable that many business owners' first instinct may be to shy away from their customers' online complaints.  However, addressing negative online material enables a company to learn about their customer experience as well as improve their customer retention and online reputation."

Graham Jones, Internet Psychologist, added: "People who want to complain about a company are getting a sense of freedom and power as a result of social networks and feel encouraged to make such complaints.  As a result, this is a growing problem for companies and is something they must do as a matter of routine.  Interestingly, several studies show that when people have their complaints positively responded to they are more supportive of the business than they were before the complaint was made.  Psychological research shows this is linked to the fact that when the complaint is responded to well, people feel as though they are being cared for, which produces positive emotional responses."

www.fasthosts.co.uk

(EDITOR: With many firms not even bothering to reply to emails asking for details of the services they provide, is this any wonder?) 

Plusnet announces business relocation into the heart of Sheffield

Plusnet, the Sheffield-based broadband and home phone supplier, has announced plans to occupy a centrally-based location in the heart of the City next year.

During the spring of 2012, Plusnet will begin moving all operations into grade-A office space at 'The Balance' on Pinfold Street, S1. The occupancy will be the biggest office let within Sheffield for the last five years, taking over 53,000 square feet.

Jamie Ford, CEO at Plusnet said: "This is an incredibly exciting time for our business and signals another milestone in our amazing story. With such rapid expansion over the last two years this move will enable all business operations including our customer services, to remain together under one roof. This is something incredibly unique for a telecoms provider in the UK.

"At the same time, the move gives us the space to necessitate further expansion as we continue to grow at pace and cements our commitment to Sheffield for the foreseeable future."

Plusnet, set to celebrate its 15th birthday in February 2012, currently employs close to 700 staff. Throughout its history it has been based in Sheffield and in 2010 took the decision to move off-shore service teams in South Africa back to the city. Since this time, Plusnet has been one of few business broadband) service providers to operate a UK based 24/7 customer service team and in 2011 alone won six awards and has been highly commended 13 times across the broadband industry. In September, 2011 Plusnet also became officially Which? Recommended.

Jamie Ford continued: "Our staff have worked incredibly hard to achieve this success and I am delighted that we are in a position to reward them with a state-of-the-art working environment. As we continue to grow, I hope the new building acts as another factor to attract local talent to our business."

Tim Bottrill, partner at Knight Frank and Plusnet's Adviser and procurer for this deal said: "This is the biggest office let within Sheffield for the last five years and something that we are proud of at our office in Sheffield.  The Balance provides Plusnet with an excellent, new HQ facility in the heart of Sheffield.  The building benefits from air-conditioned offices which include better meeting facilities; reception area; 24 hour security; landscaped recreational space; staff restaurant; cafe bar and parking. The building also provides excellent access to Sheffield's extensive network of public transport trams and buses."

Plusnet is refurbishing four floors in the building and will neighbour current occupants including HSBC and Hill Dickinson. Currently operating from two sites in the city in Tenter Street and Victoria Quays, Plusnet anticipates the move to be complete by the end of May 2012.
 

FACTFILE:
Plusnet offers broadband and phone packages, including Plusnet Value and Plusnet Extra broadband, both available to purchase with home phone, fibre optic broadband and a prioritisation service, Plusnet Pro.

Plusnet Value offers speeds of up to 20Mb with a monthly usage limit of 10GB. Plusnet Extra offers speeds of up to 20Mb with a monthly usage limit of 60GB and free McAfee security.

Despite usage limits on its broadband products, Plusnet offers unlimited downloads between midnight and 8am every day. This does not count towards a customer's monthly usage allowance.

Plusnet helps fix problems and talk about pretty much anything related to broadband over on its community site, blogs and forums.
www.plus.net