You know your company website needs a revamp, but where do you start?
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Domain Name
Is your current domain too long or awkward? Was your ideal domain URL unavailable when you first set up your website? Has your business changed, so your domain extension needs to target a larger audience?
Good news. Your dream domain might be available.
Bad news. If you search for your ideal URL on most sites the site owner will sell your search data and a domain “investor” (substitute domain-sitting parasite if you prefer). The “investor” will then demand hundreds of dollars for the name they just bought for $10 – Blackmail by any other name.
Solution Part 1. Only ever search for your domain using LCN because this company guarantees never to sell your search data, your search remains confidential, and you can buy “your” domain for the original price.
Solution Part 2. There are more alternatives to .com domains than ever before. If your users are in Europe, then look at a .eu domain, or look for one that relates to your niches; perhaps a .works, .expert, or .engineering URL.
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Design
Appearances do matter. You can redesign your site without changing your signature colors, and have a more modern appearance on screen with more empty space and better user experience. If you are using WordPress, a different theme, perhaps one with a drag & drop interface could make the redesign an in-house task, though finding a designer who will work for a fair price has become easier in recent years.
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Target Profile Focus
“Everyone loves me, baby.” Sorry, it’s not true, and it never was.
Stop trying to appeal to everyone. The great unwashed masses are not going to buy your services: Only the cognoscenti, the few who recognize the value you offer will ever buy from you: This group is your target profile. Your target profile adores the ground you walk on, would break bread with you, and buy you a beer. Narrow your focus so all your efforts go into solving problems your target profile has,
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Add a Blog
A blog is good for SEO, good for building relationships and good for helping you stand out from the chattering background noise of your competitors.
With a blog, you can share your expertise with your target users and grow their trust in you as an expert. With a blog, you can be personal, increasing the essential ‘Know, Like, Trust’ factor that is necessary before anyone takes out their wallet. With a blog, you can engage with your users, answer their questions and become their guru.
Why would any business NOT have a blog? Blogging is no longer ‘just for bloggers’ (if it ever was): Blogging is an essential business tool that grows your contact list and converts contacts into buyers.
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About Page
Is your About Us page about you? Nobody is remotely interested except insofar as it relates to their own needs. It is better to think of this page as ‘About us solving your problems’, but that’s way too long for a menu item, so just make it ‘About.’
Include photos of you and some key employees in the workplace, but the emphasis should be on how you listen to customers and make their lives better by helping them. Include photos of you working with clients, include testimonials from happy customers, and include links to your social channels.
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Loading Speed
Your WordPress site is largely database-driven, so it places great demand on your host server CPU, which can cause speed issues.
Siteground (the hosting company) has published a free ebook, 21 Expert Tips to an Ultra-Fast WordPress Site (You just have to provide your email address). The ebook gives incredibly useful tips to anyone regardless of the hosting company you are using.
Overview
Your website is an essential part of your marketing plan: Most people search for your website before they look you up on Facebook. You have full control over what appears on your webpages and the design you use can have affect prospects in positive or negative ways.
It is tempting to adopt the ‘If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it’ philosophy, but a better approach is to be using split testing to make small changes every few weeks because any improvements in pages viewed, an email capture or sales are cumulative.
Ask customers for their opinions regarding your current site. The feedback you receive might make you prioritize a redesign or adding new features.
