We’re now decades into the digital age, with the internet almost acting as the heart of the world’s economy. With that in mind, it’s almost hard to believe that 28% of businesses still don’t have websites.
Well, whether you’re building a new site or considering redesigning yours, there’s a lot you can do to make the most out of it. Let’s talk about some of the best ideas for website design to help generate quality leads!
1. Start a Blog
Blogs are nothing to laugh about, regardless of your industry. A blog offers countless benefits to any business, any size, and any niche.
For starters, blogs offer you a much greater chance of ranking on Google searches, which offers plenty more chances to generate leads. A standard website may have four or five pages dedicated to your services, contact info, and other basic information. In that case, how is anyone going to find you?
Chances are that unless they search directly for your business name, they won’t. You’ll only have four or five chances to rank on Google for very specific searches. However, with a blog, you’ll have an infinite number of chances to rank for a much wider variety of searches.
We could use any industry as an example, but let’s choose cybersecurity. If you sell cybersecurity services or software to clients, you could have countless blog articles on topics like:
- Why small businesses need cybersecurity
- What are the biggest cybersecurity threats in 2022?
- How much do cybersecurity services cost?
- The benefits of professional cybersecurity services
- How to educate your staff about phishing scams
Then, when business owners search for this information, they’ll find your website, where you will be able to convert them into leads or customers. The traffic that searches for these topics will be more relevant to your business and they’ll trust you as an authority on the topic.
Remember, users search for information, not businesses. Offering that information will help you generate the most relevant traffic possible. No matter what type of business you have, a blog is essential.
2. Help Your Website Content Stand Out
Blogs are the easiest way for a small business to start content marketing. Any literate person with industry knowledge can write about these topics and learn how to optimize for search engines. However, blogs also come with the most competition.
To help your content stand out, you can try creating something new, as there are many types of content marketing to choose from. Search for industry topics on Google and see what’s missing from your competitors. Is there a lack of video content, do any of them have a podcast, or do you see any interactive content?
If not, feel free to get ahead of the competition and skip the line on search engines! You don’t even have to make a special type of content. You can stick with a blog, but offer up-to-date industry news to establish your site as an authority in your industry.
The possibilities stretch as far as your imagination. Either way, offering content that’s both high-quality and unique will help you build traffic and generate leads much quicker.
3. Provide Opportunities for User-Generated Content
When you search for business-related questions on Google, do you ever wonder why you see so many links to LinkedIn, Medium, and similar platforms? The answer is simple, they don’t have to do the work. Users do it for them.
Think about job posting websites, comment sections, online marketplaces, and review websites. These types of websites are able to generate plenty of traffic and potential leads by allowing users to generate content for them. This doesn’t have to be your entire strategy, but including it can help you build a large network of content in the shortest amount of time.
Once you have the features necessary to facilitate this content, all you have to do is set it and forget it. Your users will help you build your content from there.
4. Add a New Revenue Source
Even if your primary goal with your website is to generate leads, there’s no harm in generating some extra revenue on the side. There are hundreds of different ways to earn money from your website.
Adding advertisements can help you earn passive income as users navigate through your site. If you have a blog, you can try affiliate marketing, where you link to other websites for a specified price. You can also offer special deals, membership programs, and more to help you earn extra income.
5. Consider Making Online Sales
The eCommerce industry is booming. Whether you’re a small, local business or a larger, national company, you can offer the option of online sales. Even if you can’t afford shipping costs right now, adding a “pick up in-store” option to your website could help convert leads into customers.
If you have a way to bring traffic in, then make it as easy as possible for them to convert into customers. If they have to go in-store to see what you have, you may lose a lot more leads than necessary. However, if they’re able to click a few buttons to see your selection and make a decision, you’ll earn more customers.
Also, this will work for any type of business. Restaurants can have menus or online ordering, B2B services can have order forms, personal services can have appointment scheduling options, and local stores can have their inventory online.
6. Solidify Your Brand Identity
Is there a space more perfect to customize and solidify your brand than a website? It comes with no restraints at all, unlike physical marketing, social media, emails, or anything else. Your website can appear however you want it to.
Use this opportunity to create a unique and recognizable brand identity, which will help you with building brand awareness, recognition, and loyalty over time. While 94% of the world can recognize a brand like Coca-Cola, there are thousands of smaller niches that can benefit from the same level of recognition within their target audiences, no matter how small.
Keep everything consistent, including your color schemes, fonts, tone of voice, and (most importantly) your messaging and brand personality. This will go a long way toward helping users get familiar with your brand.
7. Keep the Customer Journey in Mind
The customer journey should be at the forefront of your mind throughout the entire design process. As you scroll through your website, you should ask yourself “If I was a new user, what would I do?”
If the answer is ever “leave the site”, then something needs to change. Some of the most important factors include:
- Page loading time
- Navigation system
- Mobile-friendly design
- Page structure
- Linking structure
- Quality of information (Lack of “fluff”)
Also, this will help you bring new users in, not just keep them around. Search engine optimization (SEO) goes hand-in-hand with user experience (UX) on every front. Google does not want to promote sites with poor user experience, so consider the users’ points of view with every feature.
Putting These Ideas for Website Design to Use
If you’re serious about building a new website or redesigning your current one, there’s no substitute for professional services. To build a quality, recognizable brand identity, rank highly on search engines, and convert users into leads, professional web design services are the way to go.
Within every industry, standards are only getting more competitive, meaning that DIY websites don’t cut it anymore. Having access to industry experts can help you build your strategy in the shortest time possible, as well as eliminate the “guessing game” while trying to do it yourself.
Remember, building an SEO strategy, content marketing strategy, and generating leads takes time. You don’t want to sit around for months wondering if your strategy will ever work, so find a web designer that offers the services you need!
Once it’s done, you’ll have that strong foundation set, and you can carry out a successful content marketing strategy for free if you choose to do so! However, an SEO strategy is only as strong as its foundation.
Build Your Site Today
Now that you have some great ideas for website design, why not put them into practice? The sooner you do, the sooner you’ll receive all of the benefits we’ve mentioned, and getting started is easier than you think!
Stay up to date with our latest digital marketing news and feel free to contact us with any questions or for help with your web design strategy!