The Power of the Internet
To make your website a success, first of all you need to know the Internet and how it really functions. The Internet is a highly advanced medium of communication and can reap great profits for your online business. But for that, you need to create a website that catches the eye of online consumers.
Below we discuss how to design your website to get more customers, and the free tools that will help your online business grow.
How to Use Your Website to Make More Profits
To make your website draw more attention of the customers, it should have a professional look. Secondly, you should not make the home page a general one. All your main services and products should be displayed on the main page itself.
The Homepage
Some people might visit your site through links, but majority will come to it directly through the search engines, so make sure you list all your products and services on the front page (or homepage). Your homepage should also have easy, visible navigation links to other parts of your site so visitors can get around easily.
Remember that if your website is hard to navigate or confusing, most customers will simply give up and click away – and go to your competitor’s site.
You can also create online blogs for your website (with a link on the homepage) and provide information on issues related to your business from time to time.
FAQ Section
Another important part of your website is the FAQ section. This section contains the questions that are frequently put to you by people who visit your website.
It should contain likely answers to questions about ordering, how products work and information about product shipping and returns.
Contact Us Page
A business website is a powerful tool of communication. To utilize it fully you should include your business contact information on every page of your website (preferably at the bottom). You should also have a dedicated Contact Us page. Even if your home is your office, you can still display your residential address and contact number. It is better to have residential contact details rather than having none at all.
Having complete contact information also helps to build trust with your customers. People are naturally suspicious (right or not) of a website with no contact information. Other people might need something urgently and would prefer to contact you directly. The Contact Us page should also have an online contact form for people who do not want to talk to anyone over the phone or don’t want to listen to a recorded message.
You should also know that now the Search Engines look for a Contact page when they are indexing your website. It is a credibility indicator for them.
Find Us Page
Now that you have provided your address on the website, you should also include a map of your location as well. People are often interested in visiting offices and shops where they get their online services.
If you include a map directing the way to your office, you are welcoming your customers to visit your physical location. Once again, this works toward building strong customer relationships.
Free Tracking Tools
Apart from creating an interactive business website, you also need to invest in a tracking system that helps you to measure and analyze the traffic to your online business. A few free tools are available that can help you do this. One of them is Google Analytics. You can also use Google Urchin for free by applying for an invitation code.
Your website is a passive tool that can be used to expand your business. In order to take full advantage of it, you need to take an active role in its design and development.
