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Can we all agree that in this time and age, most if not all businesses need websites? When an internet user would like to get more information about your business, chances are high that the first thing they will look for is your site. Consumers prefer a business website for information they can trust.

In that regard, when planning to have a website, there are a number of considerations one needs to look at. The A-Z of websites.

 

A – Analytics

Ensure you have web analytics tool(s) incorporated into your site. This helps with the collection, reporting and analysis of your website data. This information will enable you to know if you are headed in the right direction as a business and make necessary changes where need be. Founders of Ardy Marketing and My Biz Marketing had an extensive discussion on analytics here.

 

B – Bounce rate

Bounce rate refers to when someone leaves your page/landing page without browsing further. As a rule of thumb, a bounce rate in the range of 26 to 40 percent is excellent. 41 to 55 percent is roughly average. 56 to 70 percent is higher than average, but may not be cause for alarm depending on the website. Anything over 70 percent is disappointing for everything outside of blogs, news, events, etc.

 

C – Call to action

Known as CTAs, these direct one on the next action to be taken. For instance, if you want one to ‘read more’ of an article after sharing an excerpt, the ‘read more’ is a call to action directing one to where the complete document is.

 

D – Design

Different web designs suit different business types. For instance, an e-commerce site’s design differs from a blog. Have this understanding and choose what world for your business. Remember less is more. Make it neat.

 

E – Email

Your official means of communication. When you purchase a domain with a hosting plan, most come with an email service that is the same as your domain – (e.g. youremail@yourdomain.com). You can use the default email service or customize it to a different provider –  Google, Microsoft – at an additional fee.

 

F – Fold

Fold is everything that you are able to see without having to scroll down the website. It is what is shown the first time a website loads – the home page. Ensure it communicates what you need the customer needs to know about your business. Take a look at Ardy Marketing’s fold below:

Ardy Marketing website Fold

 

G – Graphics/Visuals

According to a study by Forbes, “91% of consumers now prefer interactive and visual content over traditional, text-based or static media.”. Visuals such as images and videos representing your brand and services should be incorporated into your website. 

Website Graphics

 

H – Homepage

The homepage acts as a compass on the site. Its purpose is to direct users around the site clearly. It contains previews of content that is found within the site. It is mandatory to ensure that your homepage has an easily comprehensible navigation area, call to action. 

 

I – Interactivity

Interactivity is how well the pages on your site respond to user actions, and provide rich components for visitors that improve their experience (e.g. web forms and real-time information widgets).

Whether you use polls, have contact forms, or host a forum — knowing solid interaction design principles is a worthwhile pursuit.

 

J – Javascript

Javascript is a programming language similar to HTML that’s mainly used to enhance the user experience through real-time updating of web pages. When an event is triggered (such as clicking on the website),  javascript allows the content to update without necessarily having to reload the entire website – like submitting a form or when making a payment.

 

K – Keyword

Use keywords and phrases that will make your website discoverable. When users search online via search engines such as Google, a website that has the right keywords will potentially rank higher compared to one that does not. 

 

L – Load Time

How fast is fast enough for website load time in 2021? Load time is the average amount of time it takes a website to load its content. Load time is affected by various factors such as: hosting server, web design, device, page contents, etc. It should be 2 seconds or less, otherwise, the probability of bounce rate goes higher by 32%. Keep an eye on your website load time periodically to make necessary changes.

 

M – Meta description

Metadata is information about the data on your site that describes your web pages: meta-descriptions, and distinguish between  – pages, images, & links – meta-tags. Metadata helps describe your pages in such a way that they can be better indexed by web spiders & bots to determine how they should rank in search results. 

 

N – Navigation

One of your goals should be to ensure your visitor does not struggle to find what they are looking for. Is the menu clear enough (make it sticky)? Do you have a search bar for quick searches? Can your visitors reach any page from any page? Or do they get lost on your website?

 

O – Optimized for Search

Search engines like Google gather information from websites and put them in an index. When a user searches for something via the search engines, the information stored in the index is sorted and the most relevant info is presented to the user. It is therefore mandatory to optimize your website using keywords that will make your site discoverable.

 

P – Plugins

A plugin is a piece of software that is added to a program or website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your websites. Plugins make it easier for users to add features to their website without knowing a single line of code.

 

Q – Quality Content

Your website content should aim to give your users a great user experience. As much as you may want to rank higher on search, focus on what your users’ needs are. Make customers the hero during your content development. Consider having unique, specific, readable, comprehensive, updated and informative content. This will attract the right audience to who you can engage and thereafter convert to customers/clients.

 

R – Responsiveness/Compatibility

From the beginning of 2017 to the present, mobile usage for the internet has hovered above 50%. Due to low infrastructure and financial restraints, many emerging digital markets skipped the desktop internet phase entirely and moved straight onto mobile internet via smartphone and tablet devices according to research carried out by sciatica.com

It is therefore important to ensure your website is mobile optimized.

 

S – Social media links

Add your links to your social media pages. The pages in question should be a place where you showcase your products, engage with your audience and keep it interesting. 

social media icons

T – Testimonials 

What better way to market your business using user-based content? Most people work with businesses that have great reviews and testimonials. Ensure your website highlights (the positives) what your customers say about you. This can be used for your reputation marketing.

 

U – URL

URL is your online address. This happens to be among the first decisions you make when considering a website. Consider using keywords relevant to your brand whilst avoiding the use of numbers, hyphens. If you suspect users may find it hard to spell your URL, consider changing it. 

 

V – Visitors

Probably the most important purpose of a website is its visitors. Understanding your potential audience is key to attracting and keeping visitors. Beyond the social aspects, it’s also useful to identify your visitors and work with them to make a website better.

 

W – Web hosting

Simply put, web hosting is a service that allows one to post their website on the internet. Having said that, it is best practice to get a good web hosting service provider that will ensure your site will always be up and running, offer service maintenance, update software and hardware, troubleshooting and so on. 

Failure to do this could lead to you losing your information, stands and even business.

 

X – UX 

Do you have a deep understanding of your users and what they need? You want the users’ personal experience to be top-notch and seamless. When they have a good experience (this can be achieved in different ways) on your site, chances are they may return, show interest in your products and eventually purchase.

 

Y – Young/Innovative/Modern

Keep your website updated. This can be done in different ways, for instance, changing web design to give it a more modern look, updating visuals, having up-to-date content and so on. 

 

Z – Zappy

Your website should communicate enthusiasm about your products/services. When users interact with your website content, are they sold on what you’re trying to communicate to them? 

 

If you would like to start the journey to a well-optimized website, reach out to us and our team will walk you through it. In case you have a website that needs an audit, our team will be glad to carry out the audit and share recommendations on how to improve the site.