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We’ve compiled a list of the 6 absolute essentials to consider for your manufacturing website in 2020. They are:
1. Mobile Optimization
2. User Experience
3. Search Engine Optimization
4. Clear Messaging
5. Calls To Action
6. Security
1. Mobile Optimization – Does Your Website Fit All Screen Sizes? If Not, You Are Losing Business
Did you know?
More than half of all web searches take place on a phone or tablet.
What does this mean?
If your website isn’t “responsive” (meaning, doesn’t respond properly to the size of the screen you are viewing it on), you will absolutely lose business.
Why, you ask?
- Majority Rules: The majority of web searches are done on mobile devices. If your site isn’t up to par, your online leads will turn into your competitor’s business.
- The User Comes First: Google ranks your website based on your mobile version first. Why? Because most users search on mobile first.
- 82% of people use their phones for business activities. People are always on the go and their phones are always with them. A misstep on web design for mobile will result in missed opportunities from potential leads.
What should you do?
Check your company’s website out on your phone or tablet right now. Does it look odd? Is it hard to navigate? Does it take long to load? If any of these answers is yes, you should take action immediately to get your site optimized for mobile design.
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2. First Impressions: User Experience
Did you know?
Nowadays, it is likely that your website will be the first impression people will have of your company.
What does this mean?
Websites are a window into your business. A good user experience can greatly improve your rate of sales conversions.
Why, you ask?
- “You only get once chance to make a first impression”. If users have a bad experience on your website, it’s likely they won’t give your business a second chance.
- Ease of use is key. If a user can’t easily find what they’re looking for, they’ll see if they can find it with your competitors.
- User Experience also affords you the opportunity to guide users to where you want them to visit on your site.
What should you do?
Take some time to go through your website as if you were a customer. Is it visually appealing? Do you find it difficult or tedious to find what you’re looking for? If you’re feeling lost on your own website, then it’s time for a fresh redesign.
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3. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Did you know?
93% of all online experiences begin with search engines (Google, Yahoo, Bing).
What does this mean?
Most people search Google to find local businesses, so local SEO is vital to your campaign’s success.
Why, you ask?
- 46% of all Google searches in 2018 were looking for some sort of local information
- 72% of consumers who searched specifically local visited a business or service provider within five miles of their house
- 88% of local business searches visited or called a local business within a day.
What should you do?
Launch a local SEO campaign to take advantage of all of the potential leads in your area!
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4. Clear Messaging For Your Website
Did you know?
You have less than 6 seconds to educate your website visitors on EXACTLY what you do.
What does this mean?
You are likely losing potential clients due to unclear content and weak strategic messaging points that would otherwise have viewers looking for more information.
Why, you ask?
Confusion kills leads. Content that is strategically written for your target audience(s) will quickly engage and educate them on what you do and why they should consider working with you.
What should you do?
Consider hiring a professional copywriter. A good copywriter will gather information about your company, your leadership team, your customers, and anyone else whose opinion is important to your sales funnel. They will then distill this information to create top-line, powerful, strategic-messaging points that can be used throughout your website. This eliminates any confusion for the end user and removes any guess work for your company when it comes to content creation.
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5. Strong Call To Action (CTA)
Did you know?
Having 6 seconds to capture the attention of your site visitors leaves you very little time to get them to actually DO what you want them to do. So, along with having crystal clear messaging, as noted in part 4 of our 6 part series, you should also have strong “calls to action” throughout your website.
What does this mean?
A Call to Action highlights a specific action you want a viewer to take such as:
- Learn More
- Contact Us
- Watch this Video
- Download our Free Whitepaper
And are meant to draw the viewer’s eyes and influence them to take action. This can easily turn your casual users into active sales leads.
Why, you ask?
- Adding calls to action can increase your conversion rate by up to 121%.
- Having calls to action at the end of every piece of content can increase these figures exponentially.
- When calls to action are missing, viewers can get confused about what they’re supposed to do next, get frustrated, and leave.
What should you do?
First make sure you know exactly what you want viewers to do from the time they land on your website, understanding that they won’t always land on your Homepage first. Create eye-catching and engaging elements for your calls to action, think: icons, images, bright colors, movement. Lastly, be sure to place these strategically throughout your website to avoid any “dead ends” for your visitors.
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6. Security – Hacking Protection For Your Website
Did you know?
Approximately 30,000 websites fall prey to some sort of hacking attempt DAILY. This equates to a successful hacking event every 39 seconds!
What does this mean?
When most people hear the term “hacker” they imagine a faceless person sitting isolated in a dark room wearing a hoodie in front of a computer monitor, furiously trying to break into someone’s website. Although there may be some truth to this, the majority of hacking is being carried out by “bots”. Or, rather, software programs that have been created to try and try and try again to gain access to a website through a vulnerability in the website’s software code.
Why, you ask?
- Some hacking attempts are “just for fun” to see if can be done.
- Some hacks are used to redirect traffic from a company’s website to another, very unrelated site, such as a porn, gambling, or pharmaceutical website.
- Other attempts are more nefarious and include holding a company’s website hostage in exchange for a ransom.
- To cap it all off – around three-quarters of all businesses don’t have a cyber-security plan in place.
What should you do?
- Use very strong passwords and change them often.
- Ask your webmaster or web-development company to ensure they are keeping your website software up-to-date. Similar to internet browser security updates, website platforms such as
- WordPress continuously release updates to fix security flaws.
- As a precaution, check with your business insurance broker about your cyber-security policy.
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