We all have “go to” websites. Sites we frequent in order to get the latest information on topics ranging from sports, entertainment or news. For me, Deadspin, Zergnet, MSN, SI and Grantland are a few of my most-trusted bookmarked sites. In addition to the actual content or information the site provides, at the end of the day, what makes a website great? Why do we regularly visit the websites we do? What makes one label that certain .com’s “suck” and other’s don’t?
Digital media has been a focal point of my career for nearly a decade and I constantly ask myself these questions and refer to sites I admire for both personal and professional projects. This past spring, the final course in pursuit of a recently attained Masters of Science degree in Journalism required that I pull from this experience to complete a strategic integrated marketing communications plan. Along with three team members, a well-received plan was delivered to Trellie – a B2B technology company specializing in wearable technology. In a nutshell, I spent the better part of an entire semester analyzing the company’s website, researching trends and providing detailed information on how to prevent Trellie from having a website that “sucks.”
The following are my “must-haves” for today’s .com’s to succeed:
1. Responsive
IIya Pozin, contributor for Forbes, reported that in 2014 more than half of internet usage in the U.S. came through mobile devices. That stat alone should be reason enough to take a mobile-first design approach and treat desktop and laptop design as secondary. Having a responsive website, or one that is optimized for use on all devices (mobile, tablets, desktop/laptops) should be your first priority.
Still not convinced? How about roughly 61 percent of potential customers who have a negative user experience on their mobile device will likely go somewhere else?
Responsive sites also help with SEO, “future proofs” your site – enabling it to work on future devices, and when done right is cost effective (saving costs from having to duplicate a site for mobile platfoms).
2. “Let’s scroll”
Due to the increase in mobile internet usage and need for websites to be responsive, users prefer to scroll rather than click through a site. I personally love this quote from writer and media maker John Herman on the importance of incorporating scrolling to website design:
“If there’s one lesson to take from every major change in how people browse the internet over the last five years…it’s that users hate to click and don’t mind scrolling…Clicking is a choice, like jumping; scrolling is inevitable, like falling.”
3. Connect
If you haven’t figured it out by now, NEWS FLASH – SOCIAL MEDIA IS HERE TO STAY. That said, let’s hope and assume that you or your company has a social media presence and strategic plan to support it. Your respective website should integrate that social media and utilize it to drive traffic to the site, increasing the number of visitors and ways to reach them. Also, although Social media and SEO have historically been separate tasks, Google is relying more and more on social media content for ranking sites. This is the result of the online world’s continued evolution and just another reason to embrace social media on your website.
4. Treat content like your produce – KEEP IT FRESH!
Have you ever gone to a store to get groceries for the week and dealt with the frustration of brown banana’s, bruised strawberries or bad lettuce? All those are old, no longer of use and won’t make it into your cart. Well, website content should be viewed the same. No one wants to go to a site with dated imagery, months old news updates or other irrelevant information. The website, much like the grocery store, will get a bad reputation resulting in fewer visitors. Pay attention to your content and rely on your established platforms and sources to keep new information flowing.
5. Blog
One way to keep web content fresh is through blogs. This source can provide your website with fresh, searchable and updated information. In addition, if done the right way, a blog can ensure that you are becoming a trusted and credible source of information for your online users.
This was a major point of emphasis with Trellie and based off research, we suggested that the company temporarily deactivate it’s blog. The reason behind this was that although the company had this aspect on the site, the information was irrelevant, unorganized and did more harm than good. The suggestion was to refocus and include interviews with industry experts, fashion experts or simply valued customers to the blog.
6. Integrate videos and powerful imagery
In a blog from August 2014 titled, “13 Statistics that Show the Importance of Video Marketing,” Spin Creative, a creative agency located in Seattle and San Francisco, demonstrated how powerful videos are for a brand by sharing some powerful statistics which back up the importance of this marketing aspect.
- 50 percent of all internet users will watch a business related video on YouTube at a frequency of at least once per week
- 75 percent of all internet users will visit the company website after they view a video for that company
- People who view a company’s video online are 64 percent more likely to purchase a product from that company’s online retails site
- 80 percent of online visitors will choose to watch a posted video, while only about 20 percent will actually read content you have on your website
- 90 percent of all users say that watching a product video is extremely helpful as they decide whether or not to purchase that
- A website is approximately 50 times more likely to rank on the first page of a Google search if it includes video content
Richard Eaves of SteamFeed said in regards to visual website content, “the main appeal is its ability to communicate complex messages very quickly,” said Eaves. “This is extremely useful to digital marketers, who are forever trying to capture the notoriously short attention span of web users. Visuals also allow marketers to set their content apart from all the fluff that’s floating around the web.”
7. Engage with your audience
We all know the feeling, you are standing in the middle of a store, in need of assistance for an item you wish to purchase and feel like a ghost as those you want help from look at you with blank stares or even worse – ignore you! No one wants to be treated that way in person – or online. So, don’t be afraid to acknowledge your audience’s existence by engaging with them. Whether it be through social media, online incentives or simply having easily accessible AND RESPONSIVE contact information, having a voice and ensuring visitors are allowed to do the same is a critical aspect to have a successful website.
8. Capitalize on opportunities
Perfect example, while working on the plan for Trellie, the company announced its “Modular Smart Jewelry, ” a new product, via multiple press releases. This gave Trellie.com 628 pageviews from 247 visitors, 88 percent of which were new visitors. Unfortunately there weren’t any new images, content or new pages with additional and extensive information on this new product on the website. People came to the site wanting to know more about the company, what it was about and what set the new product apart from competition. Instead, the same old, stale content was there. In the end, it was a lost opportunity.
Whether it be a new product announcement, or simply a tweet with link to a blog driving traffic back to the site, take advantage of these opportunities.
9. Provide value
Constantly ask, why should someone care about this? Why would someone click on this site, this page, this video? Whether informative or entertaining, successful websites provide value.
10. TELL. YOUR. STORY.
A professor once told me, when it comes to digital media/communications it is critical to use that platform to TELL YOUR STORY. This aspect is a big part of current website design. Storytelling engages visitors, shows them your personal or professional brand and helps you stand out. It helps make you unique.
Websites serve as a doorway, an entrance to your brand. It is how they learn about you and what you are all about. Through good storytelling, you have the power to influence how visitors identify with your brand.