Having a website is practically a given for any business that is operating in today’s market. But having a website alone is not good enough to truly drive your business success in the digital marketplace we are in today. Most business websites all fall into the same traps that hold their websites back from being a truly successful piece of the business, which is a shame given how easy it is to fix or avoid many of these issues if you know the right steps to take. To help you out, here are eight improvements that every business needs to make to make their website stand out from the competition.
Add Fresh Content
If you are not regularly adding new and original content to your business website, you are falling behind. This has to do with increasing your websites ranking on search engines, which often prioritize new content over old content when ranking the order in which websites appear when a user searches for a relevant term. If you aren’t always updating your content, then you are letting your website slide back in search relevance. If you have ever used the internet, then you know it is often just the top two or three sites that pop up that receive any attention from the searcher. So do yourself a favor and post more content frequently to keep your business near the top.
Make it More Intuitive
Nobody likes a website that is designed like a maze. If your website isn’t intuitive, allowing users to navigate across pages and get to where they need with ease, then your website may be doing more harm than good for your business. Think about it like this: unless you are IKEA, you likely haven’t designed your store front as a maze that customers struggle to find an escape from, navigating aisles with little connection and jumping across areas of the store. So why would you let your website be a maze for customers trying to navigate it online? Think about designing your website so that even the most computer illiterate customers can get through your website with ease and do it with little frustration or confusion.
Improve Response Time
When people send your questions via email or website question response boxes, they are often questions that would best be answered as quickly as possible for your customers. So, anything you can do to increase your response time to customers using your website, the better. Once again, let’s compare this to how you operate a physical store. If a customer asked you or an employee a question, you would expect the response time to be nearly instantaneous. While instantaneous responses on your website may be impossible and unrealistic, if you can get in touch with customers as soon as possible through the website, you will improve the user experience. Customers like feeling cared for and paid attention too, and this extends to the online experience.
Update Your Security Measures
There are few things that can be as catastrophic to a small business like a cybersecurity hack that results in the theft of customers personal and payment information. Breaches like this compromise customer confidence and ruin your public image as a business that takes care of customers. And the most upsetting thing is that plenty of these hacks are preventable. More than 80% of IT breaches could have been prevented using modern technology. So, start using that technology, install security plug-ins to your website, hire a cyber security professional from AGB Investigative, and use firewalls to protect your sensitive information. You wouldn’t leave your physical store vulnerable to threats by not installing locks, so don’t do the same for your website.
Emphasize SEO
If you are not utilizing SEO best practices into every aspect of your website that you can, then you are on the back foot for expanding your online growth. SEO, or search engine optimization, is a set of principles to follow that help your website rank higher in search engine searches for relevant search terms. Many people only look at the top three or four websites that show up when they search on the internet, so everything you can do to make sure that your website appears at the top of search engine results, the better. Make sure to understand and implement SEO best practices to increase traffic to your business website.
Backup Your Website
You need to back up your website, and you need to do it often. In the event that you perform an update to your website that ends up backfiring and causing issues, bugs, or other problems that need you to take the website down, having a recent backup can help you get a functioning version of your website up and running as quickly as possible. You should be backing up your website every time that you update it and keeping at least 15 of the most recent backups on file just in case. This puts you in the safest position for whatever happens. You never know when you might need it.
Use Better Images
Everybody likes high quality images on a website. And if your website is not using the highest quality images on your website, it is reflecting negatively on your business. Make sure to use high quality images that are well lit and properly show off your business. If your website includes photos of your store or products, make sure that you hire a professional photographer to handle these photos as a pro can make it look, well, professional. Don’t skimp on your images – it is a big reason customers enjoy websites.
Therapist Website Improvement Tips
Therapists, psychologists, mental health professionals, and private practice owners can enhance their websites to better serve their clients and stand out in the digital landscape. Here are specific improvements tailored to websites for therapists:
- HIPAA Compliance: For therapists, safeguarding client privacy and complying with HIPAA regulations are paramount. Ensure that your website and any communication channels, such as contact forms or appointment scheduling, are HIPAA-compliant to protect sensitive client information.
- Contact Forms on Every Page: Make it easy for potential clients to reach out by including contact forms on every page of your website. This accessibility ensures that visitors can initiate contact whenever they feel ready, increasing the likelihood of inquiries.
- Embedded Appointment Scheduling: Streamline the appointment booking process by integrating an embedded scheduling system into your website. This allows clients to book sessions seamlessly, reducing friction in the client onboarding journey.
- CRM Integration: Implement a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system that integrates with your website. A CRM can help therapists manage client information, track interactions, and personalize communication, ultimately improving the client experience and retention.
- Regular Content Updates: Just like any other business, therapists should regularly update their website with fresh, relevant content. This not only boosts search engine ranking but also demonstrates your commitment to providing valuable resources and information to your clients.
- Improved Response Time: Promptly respond to client inquiries received through your website. Consider setting up automated responses to acknowledge inquiries and provide clients with an estimated response time, ensuring they feel valued and heard.
- Enhanced Security Measures: Given the sensitive nature of therapy, prioritize cybersecurity. Protect client data by investing in robust security measures, including SSL certificates, firewalls, and regular security audits.
By implementing these improvements, therapists and mental health professionals can create websites that not only meet their clients’ needs but also set them apart in a competitive digital landscape. A user-friendly, secure, and informative website enhances the overall client experience and contributes to the success of the therapy practice.
Proofread Your Copy
Nothing will sink your website and lose you digital customers faster than typos and grammatical errors in your copy. Anything you have written on your website will be seen by your customers and they will find typos if they are present. Take the same care in your details as you do in a physical store. Proofread anything you are going to put on your website. No professional business should put typos and grammar issues out in public.
Websites are the future of business. But some websites are certainly better designed and maintained than others. Make sure that you follow these eight tips to improve your business website today.
Read this next: Websites are the Key to Marketing Success
