Carl Christian Anton Christensen [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

You love your spankin' new website. You're expecting it to get you clients and make some sales.

You did the Facebook ads and PPC like you were told, and you even got a bunch of traffic (you can tell because Facebook is sending you the bill!)

But nothing else is happening… CRICKET.

You go about asking for feedback and opinions.

"People" start telling you stuff. They've good intentions and go down some checklist of "best practices" to help you troubleshoot.

Now you're feeling deflated. You're overwhelmed with the 39 improvements and enhancements, wondering when this website project thing (now a time- and money-suck) is going to end.

Good news – it's not all doom and gloom!

First, congrats -you've launched the damn thing so instead of wondering if something is going to work you now have data and responses to show you how visitors actually interact with your content so you can see what works and what doesn't.

Now you have the baseline to fine-tune and course correct by looking at the right information.

"People" can theorize and talk till they turn blue. The best indication of effectiveness is "conversion."

Conversion doesn't necessary mean getting your stuff sold.

Conversion indicates how well your visitors are responding to your calls-to-action and taking the next step, whether it's clicking the buy now button, signing up to get your freebie, sharing your blog post on social media or getting in touch for a discovery session.

Instead of scrambling to tweak and change everything (and probably throwing the baby out with the bathwater,) sit down, take a chill pill and follow these 3 troubleshooting tips to keep your sanity and increase your conversion:

[Tweet "How to Convert Traffic"]

1. Who are those "people" telling you stuff?

Opinions are a dime a dozen. Anybody can give "advice"… you're the only one responsible for discerning what actions to take and therefore, the consequences.

If you listen to everyone who chimes in, you'll be spinning your wheels into eternity.

Before you jump to changing anything, consider who's giving the feedback…

Are those "people" your ideal clients? Or…

Are those "people" just some random dude in a Facebook group who has taken a few marketing courses and want to be a know-it-all?

Inputs from experts are great to start, but not enough.

There're many ways to achieve a certain result. If the strategies and tactics don't resonate with your values and convictions or tap into your strengths and superpowers, you won't be able to implement them with aligned energy.

Plus, are those experts taking the time to understand YOU and your business, or are they just giving some "canned advice" that points to their products and services… like, when you're holding a hammer everything is a nail?

IMHO, there are two kinds of "people" to listen to:

(1) People in your niche (aka your ideal clients) that are actually going to buy your stuff when you're able to articulate your relevance, and

(2) "Experts" who take the time to understand your circumstances and give you thoughtful insights that don't necessary point to their products or services. The intention should be to help you diagnose the root cause of your challenges so you can hire the right person to fix the right issue.

[Tweet "How to Get the Right Traffic"]

2. What's the quality of your traffic? How are you directing the traffic?

If visitors are coming to your site yet nothing else happens (which can be translated into high bounce rate in your analytics,) you may want to evaluate the quality of your traffic.

You don't want every human being who can fog a mirror to click on your FB ad – that'd make your campaign ROI really suck.

Targeting is critical, and more importantly, you've to consider the user flow to create a cohesive experience.

Your products, services, and bigger message probably cover more than what you can say in one FB ad.

If you direct all your traffic to your homepage, for example, you may be creating a disconnect when visitors click through an ad to your site.

When they click on an ad, they expect to see content that directly relates to that ad. You may need to strategically direct your traffic, or even create versions of your landing page to speak to specific audience segments or campaigns.

If you're running an ad or social media campaign, consider…

1. Is it targeted to the right audience?

2. Is the message a match to those you're targeting?

3. Is the message on your website landing page (i.e. the page they land on when they click your link) congruent with the message on your ad?

[Tweet "Is Your CTA Effective?"]

3. Are your message and CTA specific?

Now as you continue the narrative and follow your user's journey, consider whether the message and call-to-action (CTA) on your landing page are focused and specific.

It's tempting to put everything and the kitchen sink on a landing page or homepage. Don't.

Within the first 8 – 10 seconds, your visitors are going to decide if you've what they want, and whether to stay or not.

What's the ONE message they see that's going to show them what you've is what they want? How are you communicating your unique positioning and personality to create connection and resonance right off the bat?

Even just more than one CTA can cause confusion, and the confused mind says "no."

What's the ONE main goal of that landing page? What do you want that landing page to do for your business? Craft all the content and CTA with that ONE goal in mind.

If you're driving traffic to your homepage and multiple CTAs is necessary based on your business goals and carefully considered user experience, then make sure there's a hierarchy to those CTAs so it's apparent what you want your visitors to do.

Never serve up a platter of a brain dump and ask your visitors to figure it out. They won't. They'll leave your site. Ouch.

Ling Wong:: Intuitive Brainiac | Copywriting Alchemist. Through her unique blend of Business + Marketing coaching/consulting with a Mindset + Psychic Twist, she helps the maverick entrepreneurs uncover, articulate & transform their WHY into content that connects, resonates and converts – by way of an intuitive yet rigorous iterative process born out of her Harvard Design School training and 10 years of experience in the online marketing industry.

For more tips and resources on content marketing and copywriting at http://business-soulwork.com/category/tips/content-marketing-tips/

Get her brand new WEBSITE COPY ALCHEMY video at http://business-soulwork.com/free-alchemy/.

Article Source
http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Ling_B_Wong/1390413

By the way here is a FREE ebook to whet your appetite "Affiliate Marketing A to Z"  This eBook is a complete guide to learning Affiliate Marketing.

10 Easy ways to make money with Niche blogs

1. Research Niches – Below is the top 10 niches by search volume

2. Pick your favorite Niche, and purchase an already made niche-blog for a bargain price.

3. Pick a great domain name  from my favorite domain name picker (FREE) – In your search select only sites that are available and have a history.

4. Then register yoiur domain to protect it 

5. Pick a great and reasonable hosting that offers tech support and reasonable prices.

6. Then monetize your website . Use Affiliate Sites link Amazon, Google Adsense, Clickbank, Commisision Junction or any of hundreds of affiliate sites.

7. Then you can Advertise your site on Social media, (like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, ETC. )  buy adwords from Google, and develop traffic and some income from your site. To keep the website fresh you must post original content, and the site will begin to grow in income and traffic.

8. Once you have met your goals, you can put the website up for sale on Flippa.com (the largest and best website seller) and you check what websites are selling for. A favorite is the starter sites that sell anywhere from $59 to several hundred depending what you have done with the site, and how much energy you have put into it. – 

9. Or you can join a membership site like The Seymour Products Membership site  which will give several options as to how you may wish to go.

10. Tutorials to show you can do all this and more.

Carl Christian Anton Christensen [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

You love your spankin' new website. You're expecting it to get you clients and make some sales.

You did the Facebook ads and PPC like you were told, and you even got a bunch of traffic (you can tell because Facebook is sending you the bill!)

But nothing else is happening… CRICKET.

You go about asking for feedback and opinions.

"People" start telling you stuff. They've good intentions and go down some checklist of "best practices" to help you troubleshoot.

Now you're feeling deflated. You're overwhelmed with the 39 improvements and enhancements, wondering when this website project thing (now a time- and money-suck) is going to end.

Good news – it's not all doom and gloom!

First, congrats -you've launched the damn thing so instead of wondering if something is going to work you now have data and responses to show you how visitors actually interact with your content so you can see what works and what doesn't.

Now you have the baseline to fine-tune and course correct by looking at the right information.

"People" can theorize and talk till they turn blue. The best indication of effectiveness is "conversion."

Conversion doesn't necessary mean getting your stuff sold.

Conversion indicates how well your visitors are responding to your calls-to-action and taking the next step, whether it's clicking the buy now button, signing up to get your freebie, sharing your blog post on social media or getting in touch for a discovery session.

Instead of scrambling to tweak and change everything (and probably throwing the baby out with the bathwater,) sit down, take a chill pill and follow these 3 troubleshooting tips to keep your sanity and increase your conversion:

[Tweet "How to Convert Traffic"]

1. Who are those "people" telling you stuff?

Opinions are a dime a dozen. Anybody can give "advice"… you're the only one responsible for discerning what actions to take and therefore, the consequences.

If you listen to everyone who chimes in, you'll be spinning your wheels into eternity.

Before you jump to changing anything, consider who's giving the feedback…

Are those "people" your ideal clients? Or…

Are those "people" just some random dude in a Facebook group who has taken a few marketing courses and want to be a know-it-all?

Inputs from experts are great to start, but not enough.

There're many ways to achieve a certain result. If the strategies and tactics don't resonate with your values and convictions or tap into your strengths and superpowers, you won't be able to implement them with aligned energy.

Plus, are those experts taking the time to understand YOU and your business, or are they just giving some "canned advice" that points to their products and services… like, when you're holding a hammer everything is a nail?

IMHO, there are two kinds of "people" to listen to:

(1) People in your niche (aka your ideal clients) that are actually going to buy your stuff when you're able to articulate your relevance, and

(2) "Experts" who take the time to understand your circumstances and give you thoughtful insights that don't necessary point to their products or services. The intention should be to help you diagnose the root cause of your challenges so you can hire the right person to fix the right issue.

[Tweet "How to Get the Right Traffic"]

2. What's the quality of your traffic? How are you directing the traffic?

If visitors are coming to your site yet nothing else happens (which can be translated into high bounce rate in your analytics,) you may want to evaluate the quality of your traffic.

You don't want every human being who can fog a mirror to click on your FB ad – that'd make your campaign ROI really suck.

Targeting is critical, and more importantly, you've to consider the user flow to create a cohesive experience.

Your products, services, and bigger message probably cover more than what you can say in one FB ad.

If you direct all your traffic to your homepage, for example, you may be creating a disconnect when visitors click through an ad to your site.

When they click on an ad, they expect to see content that directly relates to that ad. You may need to strategically direct your traffic, or even create versions of your landing page to speak to specific audience segments or campaigns.

If you're running an ad or social media campaign, consider…

1. Is it targeted to the right audience?

2. Is the message a match to those you're targeting?

3. Is the message on your website landing page (i.e. the page they land on when they click your link) congruent with the message on your ad?

[Tweet "Is Your CTA Effective?"]

3. Are your message and CTA specific?

Now as you continue the narrative and follow your user's journey, consider whether the message and call-to-action (CTA) on your landing page are focused and specific.

It's tempting to put everything and the kitchen sink on a landing page or homepage. Don't.

Within the first 8 – 10 seconds, your visitors are going to decide if you've what they want, and whether to stay or not.

What's the ONE message they see that's going to show them what you've is what they want? How are you communicating your unique positioning and personality to create connection and resonance right off the bat?

Even just more than one CTA can cause confusion, and the confused mind says "no."

What's the ONE main goal of that landing page? What do you want that landing page to do for your business? Craft all the content and CTA with that ONE goal in mind.

If you're driving traffic to your homepage and multiple CTAs is necessary based on your business goals and carefully considered user experience, then make sure there's a hierarchy to those CTAs so it's apparent what you want your visitors to do.

Never serve up a platter of a brain dump and ask your visitors to figure it out. They won't. They'll leave your site. Ouch.

Ling Wong:: Intuitive Brainiac | Copywriting Alchemist. Through her unique blend of Business + Marketing coaching/consulting with a Mindset + Psychic Twist, she helps the maverick entrepreneurs uncover, articulate & transform their WHY into content that connects, resonates and converts – by way of an intuitive yet rigorous iterative process born out of her Harvard Design School training and 10 years of experience in the online marketing industry.

For more tips and resources on content marketing and copywriting at http://business-soulwork.com/category/tips/content-marketing-tips/

Get her brand new WEBSITE COPY ALCHEMY video at http://business-soulwork.com/free-alchemy/.

Article Source
http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Ling_B_Wong/1390413

By the way here is a FREE ebook to whet your appetite "Affiliate Marketing A to Z"  This eBook is a complete guide to learning Affiliate Marketing.

What Role Does the Web Design Industry Play in Today’s Business World?

These days, people keep faith on the internet. In the previous era, people did not have any internet connection. As a result, the business promotional method changed according to the development of technology. People nowadays are more interested in online. As the internet is the most significant, that is why every business promotion is interested in being prominent on the internet.
People have become more concerned with the internet. Because of that reason, all professional people try to launch their products or services on the internet. They provide the advertisement for the Search Engines such as Google, Yahoo, Bing, and many others.

Create your web pages in a simple but relevant way.

To make an advertisement on Google or any search engines, you have to build a well-polished website. There you have to create the web pages Artistically by which people can easily understand your products and services. When you are decorating your pages, you should realize the color combination of the web pages. Sometimes, the web designers use very intense color. If anyone uses the deep and dark color; it can lead us to feel uncomfortable for our eyes.

Our eyes cannot take any color easily, especially when you are reading anything. In this affair, you would not like to visit the page anymore though you might have an interest in the products. So, here this professional is losing his or her business.

If you do not want to lose your business, then you should make a decision first about the color combination. You must apply that color which would not create any trouble when anybody goes to your website. That is why web designing is essential for all business holders.

Another important point is which pages you are building? Is it dynamic or static? In many cases, we have seen that people choose the static as it is the cheap alternative. One thing you have to understand that you are building the website because you want to reach the people for your business development. Web designing is the process of marketing.

Through this website, people will come to know about you, and you will get a response if the customers are satisfied with your products or service quality. As it is the main root of marketing, so you should design it in a proper way by which it will look like a well furnished, attractive, relevant and straightforward. You can communicate with LasVegasWebDesignCo, to get the best guidance.

You must realize that it is this preliminary stage where you should not make any compromise for money. If you invest money in the web designing part, you will get the best return. A few things are related to the web designing parts such as color, tools, content and much more.
I think that you have realized about the color combination part which you should maintain in a sophisticated way. Light color and simple combinations can make your web pages more bright and tempted.

Content and keywords play an important role on the web pages
Yes, it is true. If the information is not catchy and relevant, people would not be interested. Nobody likes the dull and lengthy content. The content should be Parabasis, and the writer should use bright and attractive headings.

Nowadays, people are too busy, and all of them do not have time to read entirely. So, you have to finish your speech in a small place and with headings, and subheadings.

Another point is the keywords. It is always urgent when anyone will search, the search engines, they search according to the demand for them. So, if your SEO team does not know about the people’s need, they would not be able to set the keywords. Thus, choosing the right keywords is very necessary for this work. To perform this job, you have to maintain a survey among the people.

What do they gossip among themselves? What do they like? Only a proper survey can assist you to find out exact and mind catching keywords. All these performances you will be able to do if you have knowledge and experience.

But you do not need to worry about it because I think that you can gain knowledge from this article. Experience; everyone gets through the work. So, there is no necessary to be worried.
How will you gain more customers and money through a well-decorated website?

Pay Per Click is a system. When any professional makes an advertisement in the Google, they all need to pay. Suppose, you have given an advertise on the search engine such as Google.

So, when people start to click your advertising per click, you have to pay, but this payment is meager. One thing you realize that if the customer buys your product after getting satisfactory content from your website, you will gain more money. So, web design is essential to growing your business.

Let us help you design and build your “Earn a living website”  or you can pick up an established website here.

The hоmераgе оf уоur wеbѕіtе іѕ often thе lаndіng раgе аnd іѕ сrіtісаl to thе ѕuссеѕѕ оf your оnlіnе buѕіnеѕѕ. When реорlе lаnd on thіѕ раgе, you hаvе juѕt a few ѕесоndѕ tо сарturе thеіr іntеrеѕt. Thіѕ landing page will be a gіаnt fасtоr іn your conversion rate which is thе ratio оf vіѕіtоrѕ thаt rеѕроnd to уоur gоаl асtіоn. Thіѕ gоаl асtіоn саn bе ѕubѕсrіbіng to уоur newsletter, signing uр fоr уоur ecourse, оrdеrіng уоur рrоduсtѕ, еtс.

Yоur homepage nееdѕ tо contain certain elements to be ѕuссеѕѕful іn rаіѕіng уоur соnvеrѕіоn rаtе. Rеаd the lіѕt саrеfullу аnd сhесk tо see іf your homepage mееtѕ all of the fоllоwіng criteria.

1. Cоlоr – Thе color уоu сhооѕе fоr your wеbѕіtе саn have a bіg effect on your vіѕіtоrѕ. The tуре of a site you have ѕhоuld bе a factor іn thе colors уоu сhооѕе. Thеrе аrе еѕѕеntіаllу two tуреѕ оf colors – cool аnd wаrm. Brоwnѕ, bluеѕ аnd grееnѕ are cool соlоrѕ and саn mаkе уоu feel rеlаxеd, саlm and аѕѕurеd. Thеѕе соlоrѕ аrе gооd fоr ѕіtеѕ pertaining tо medicine, rеlаxаtіоn and other ѕіtеѕ thаt hаvе rеаѕѕurіng аnѕwеrѕ tо уоur problems. Yellows, reds аnd оrаngеѕ аrе wаrm соlоrѕ that brіng out fееlіngѕ оf еnеrgу, excitement, and hарріnеѕѕ. Thеѕе colors would work wеll fоr exercise sites, ѕроrtѕ ѕіtеѕ and оthеr еnеrgеtіс tуре ѕіtеѕ. Purple іѕ a gооd соlоr fоr fаѕhіоn аnd jеwеlrу ѕіtеѕ. It emulates sophistication, rоуаltу, and luxury but it іѕ аlѕо fеmіnіnе and rоmаntіс.

2. Cluttеr – Hоw dоеѕ іt make you feel whеn уоu wаlk іntо a buѕіnеѕѕ thаt іѕ mеѕѕу аnd full оf clutter. It dоеѕn’t еxасtlу bring оut thе соnfіdеnсе in ѕаіd buѕіnеѕѕ. Your wеbѕіtе іѕ thе ѕаmе wау. Yоu dоn’t wаnt іt tо look lіkе a junk-fіllеd mеѕѕ! You wantKеер іt ѕіmрlе, clean, consistent аnd еаѕу tо fоllоw. Dоn’t fill уоur site wіth flashing bаnnеrѕ, junk ads оr fаnсу hаrd to read fоnt.

3. Header – Thе header уоu uѕе for уоur homepage іѕ vеrу іmроrtаnt. Yоu have just a few ѕесоndѕ tо “сарturе” your visitor and thе hеаdеr саn bе a vіtаl factor іn асhіеvіng thаt goal. Mаkе your hеаdеr professional, ѕhоrt and to thе роіnt. Yоu will need the hеаdеr to gеt thе visitor to want to knоw more about уоu аnd your рrоduсtѕ/ѕеrvісеѕ. Thе header ѕhоuld оutlіnе іn fеw wоrdѕ what thе bеnеfіtѕ оf уоur ѕіtе are in a wау thаt wіll make thе vіѕіtоr ѕtау lоngеr. Color is аlѕо a соnѕіdеrаtіоn.

4. Eаѕе оf Navigation – Anоthеr сrіtісаl роіnt tо consider іѕ hоw easy іt іѕ for реорlе tо navigate уоur ѕіtе. Does уоur ѕіtе feel like a maze wіth dоubtѕ оn how tо gеt frоm hеrе tо thеrе? Vіѕіt your ѕіtе as a сuѕtоmеr аnd tаkе note оn how easy іt іѕ to nаvіgаtе and hоw wеll lаіd оut аnd ѕіmрlе thе раgе is. Is your mеnu easy to find and fоllоw? Iѕ the fоnt еаѕу tо see аnd read? Dоеѕ оnе раrt оf thе page flоw іntо аnоthеr? Arе уоur links рrоmіnеnt аnd easy to fіnd? Look over еvеrу аѕресt оf navigation wіth аn extremely critical eye bесаuѕе реорlе will nоt ѕtау on a ѕіtе that mаkеѕ thеm fееl lost аnd соnfuѕеd.
5. Uѕе Testimonials – Tеѕtіmоnіаlѕ аrе invaluable to your ѕіtе bесаuѕе they rеаѕѕurе thе vіѕіtоr by іnсrеаѕіng уоur credibility thus аllоwіng thеm to truѕt you аnd your products mоrе еаѕіlу. Sрrіnklе a fеw ѕhоrt tеѕtіmоnіаlѕ оn уоur landing раgе where аррrорrіаtе аnd have a section saved just for some оf уоur bеѕt testimonials. Use dеtаіlеd tеѕtіmоnіаlѕ аѕ opposed to mоrе gеnеrіс ones. Fоr еxаmрlе: “I lоvе уоur product and will buу mоrе” іѕ not аѕ gооd as “Your рrоduсt hеlреd me lоѕе 20 роundѕ іn juѕt 6 wееkѕ!”

6. Cоntасt Information – Nоthіng makes me lеаvе a site fаѕtеr thаn whеn no contact іnfоrmаtіоn оr еmаіl address іѕ found. This, tо me, says thе реrѕоn dоеѕ not wаnt tо bе bоthеrеd wіth сuѕtоmеrѕ, ԛuеѕtіоnѕ оr аnуthіng else. I wоuld nеvеr dо business wіth a website thаt does not provide соmрlеtе аnd ассurаtе contact info. Mоrе thаn lіkеlу, not mаnу people wоuld ѕо it іѕ еxtrеmеlу important tо have your contact іnfо prominently displayed on уоur homepage and еvеrу оthеr page оf your wеbѕіtе.

7. Cарturе Visitors’ Emаіl Addrеѕѕеѕ – Most of us are fаmіlіаr wіth thе рhrаѕе, “thе mоnеу is іn thе list.” In a bіg way, this іѕ truе. Cарturіng, your visitors’ emails, allows уоu tо keep in соntасt wіth thеm ѕо уоu саn buіld that ever іmроrtаnt rеlаtіоnѕhір thаt will turn them іntо customers. Most реорlе wіll nоt buу аnуthіng оn the fіrѕt trір to a website ѕо by capturing thеіr еmаіlѕ уоu саn astronomically increase the chances оf соnvеrtіng that person іntо a сuѕtоmеr. You can рut a ѕubѕсrірtіоn fоrm оn every page оf your site аnd bе ѕurе tо have one оn уоur landing раgе. Buіldіng the mаіlіng lіѕt will help уоu mаrkеt уоur sales, specials, еtс. аnd will also help you buіld a ѕоlіd сuѕtоmеr bаѕе.

8. Cаll tо Aсtіоn – A Cаll tо Aсtіоn іѕ a ѕресіfіс thіng you “оrdеr” your vіѕіtоrѕ tо do. Thіѕ саn bе done wіth a tеxt link or grарhіс. Fоr example: Click here fоr a free mаrkеtіng есоurѕе. You are gіvіng thе vіѕіtоr very сlеаr and соnсіѕе іnѕtruсtіоnѕ оn whаt to dо.

Sometimes уоur visitors need a small push tо соmрlеtе thе call tо action so you would use ѕоmеthіng like thіѕ:
Limited Suррlу Clісk Hеrе Nоw, оr Sign Uр Today for a Frее Cоnѕultаtіоn.

Offеr іnсеntіvеѕ to help your vіѕіtоr make the dесіѕіоn to complete your call to асtіоn. Hаvе juѕt оnе сlеаr саll tо action. Do nоt gіvе уоu vіѕіtоrѕ tоо mаnу сhоісеѕ bесаuѕе іt wіll juѕt rеѕult іn confusion аnd indecisiveness.

9. Alwауѕ Prооfrеаd – Always proofread аnd рrооfrеаd аgаіn tо bе sure уоu саtсh аll tуроѕ, grаmmаtісаl еrrоrѕ and so forth. Make sure all уоur links wоrk and еvеrуthіng on уоur landing раgе іѕ in working оrdеr аnd correctly dоnе.

10. Anаlуtісѕ – Bе ѕurе tо take аdvаntаgе оf уоur ѕіtе ѕtаtѕ аnd analytics. Thіѕ information саn bе сrіtісаl to making уоur page a success. Google Anаlуtісѕ іѕ frее аnd рrоvіdеѕ a grеаt ѕеrvісе for аnуоnе who hаѕ a wеbѕіtе. Yоu will need tо see how mаnу реорlе аrе gоіng frоm your landing or hоmераgе tо other раgеѕ of your site. And іf thеу аrе nоt, trу tо find оut why ѕо you саn іmрrоvе уоur hоmераgе. Mоnіtоr уоur bоunсе rаtе, соnvеrѕіоn rate аnd оthеr valued іnfоrmаtіоn.

Yоu juѕt cannot throw uр a website аnd еxресt tо mаkе mоnеу. Yоu hаvе tо nurturе, mаіntаіn and care fоr уоur ѕіtе and always bе іmрrоvіng іt. Keep abreast of thе lаtеѕt trеndѕ, іnfо аnd dаtа аnd аlwауѕ bе lеаrnіng hоw to mаkе іt bеttеr. Yоur landing and/or homepage іѕ critical because іt оftеn dесіdеѕ thе fate оf уоur ѕіtе ѕо be ѕurе to make іt the most еffісіеnt аnd еffесtіvе webpage роѕѕіblе.

About thе Authоr:
Larry Newman hаѕ оvеr twenty уеаrѕ of оnlіnе еxреrіеnсе аnd hаѕ helped many реорlе ѕtаrt their buѕіnеѕѕ.  Vіѕіt the https://ebooks.seymourproducts.com ѕіtе fоr frее articles, resources, іnfоrmаtіоn, rеѕеll еbооkѕ аnd more.  Join our newsletter to receive the latest updates and promotions. And get a free WordPress Tutorial with your signup!

Imagine if your business didn’t have a website. Crazy, right? The internet is the first place people go to find solutions to their needs or problems, how nuts would it be if they couldn’t see your business on there?

Now think about having a wrong website. People may be able to find you, but they break the rule and judge a book by its cover, opting to go with your competition because your website projects a poor image about the quality of your business.

A dysfunctional website happens to businesses all the time, which is why choosing the right web development company is crucial in helping your business to succeed. So how do you do that? We’ve identified five essential factors that you should consider before handing the all-important task of creating and managing your website to an external party.
1. The portfolio and ongoing partnership
It seems somewhat obvious, but seeing the collection of the web design team you are considering is essential. You want to confirm the following points:
Does their design style match the aesthetic of your business?
Are they able to provide a customizable service?
Do they use modern programming languages?
What sort of access and control will they give you to your site?
Will they be able to manage your site on an ongoing basis?

Visit the sites they have created and put yourself in the seat of the consumer. How does the website work across a range of devices like mobiles and tablets?

The small details of their work are what sets them apart from their competitors. It is also important to remember that “design” is not just how something looks; it’s also how it works. Are their websites easy to use and navigate?

The ideal situation is that the development company you choose will become your partner, one that will add value to your business. You’ll want to have a good understanding of how their team will work in conjunction with yours. Excellent communication is vital, as you will likely be speaking with them daily, especially while things are being set up.

2. Time commitment and working style
As we mentioned in the last point, this company will be an extension of your team, so you want to make sure they will fit in and provide you the time needed to do things right. When it comes to website updates, there is often a quick turnaround time required. You only have yourself to blame if the expectations on this turnaround aren’t laid out and made clear from the beginning.

You’ll want to consider how much time will be required to not only set-up your website, but also manage it on an ongoing basis. This management sets the expectation right from the beginning along with realistic key performance indicators (KPIs). Both organizations will need to agree on this from the start with both entities assessing and understanding the various needs and requirements. There will always be a necessary need for room to move, but having some milestones in place not only keeps your tasks on track but ensures the provider is doing what they said they would do.

Elements like minimalistic versus bold design can often be an indication of working style. Is the company capable of agile development? How will they interpret your requests and how open to collaboration with you, the client, are they? (The answer should be – very).
3. Costs
You may be thinking this should have been point number one. It can be tough, if not impossible, to say how much web design and management should cost, it all comes down to the levels of quality you expect, as well as your budget. After all, you can make a website for free if you want?

However, looking at the design of a website is not a great indicator of how much it costs. The design is one slice of a much bigger pie. It is also very subjective; you need to decide:
What elements of web design and management are worth your money?
What ongoing services are you willing to pay?
What results matter?
What don’t you know, that you are willing to pay someone to explain, suggest or implement?

The value of designers and developers goes much further than just their design abilities. You want someone with a vast range of experiences, critical technical skills, and preferably some product knowledge as well. Also keep in mind that if you choose someone for their expertise, get your money’s worth by actually listening to them and taking their feedback or advice on board.

You will be working on your budget, and you will benefit from some initial research about exactly what you should expect to get for the price you are willing to spend. Some easily comparable fees can include things like hosting, an extra charge that can vary widely. Don’t take the cheaper option as it may affect things like site uptime. Ongoing support prices will also vary, but it comes down to what level of support that is included in a company’s hosting plans.
4. Compatibility and website specifics
Make no mistake about it, a web development company is a technological partner, and the goal here is longevity. This partnership is great. If you have an existing website that you are looking for someone to take over and revamp. Moving a site between providers can be an expensive and time-consuming task.

It is vital to differentiate the differences between the content of a website and its functionality. What do you want the site to do for your visitors and what are the goals of your business? Knowing these things will dictate which company is best for you based on their abilities.

You will need to consider things like widgets and e-commerce which can often complicate the requirements and drive the costs much higher. An e-commerce solution, in particular, will require a developer with this exact experience. You need it to be scalable, moving with the hopeful growth of your business and coupled with the right support for any glitches that may pop up along the way.

The primary goals of your website should be:
The ability to instantly build trust
Education and information
Conversion of visitors into leads

It is also essential to understand the content management system how it is being used as this will affect the everyday management of your site as well as how difficult re-designs may be at a later date.
5. Included services
Web development and management are about a lot more than just getting a website up and running. You will want to know if things like SEO, information architecture, and content strategy are included in what the company offers. All of these additions may affect the price, but whether or not they have the ability to provide the service is something you may need to know for down the track.

You may also be surprised to find how many design agencies will not include these things in their website design packages!

In some cases, you may be better finding an SEO company that can work in conjunction with whoever is building your website. It would be best if you always did this during the site design process.

Keeping this in mind as part of your strategy is vital because what good is a fantastic looking website if no one can find it? Could we even argue it is more important than site design? Instead of getting bogged down in that debate though, let’s say they go hand-in-hand and are worthy of the same planning time.

To save yourself some headaches, try and keep all of these tasks under the same roof. This idea not only makes things more cost-effective, but it also increases efficiency. The fewer chefs in the kitchen, the better.
Skip the DIY
We really cannot stress how vital it is to get all of the above correct. So many businesses will create their website to save some dollars only actually to hurt themselves in the long run. Your site is one of the most potent and effective ways to bring in new business.

If you can find a company who places a significant value on innovation, that is an excellent indicator that they will challenge themselves, and you. Websites should evolve continually just as the tastes of your customer base will. You should continuously assess the content and functionality by seeing what is working well and what isn’t of your website to ensure it is the best version of itself.

If you don’t have a website, you’re missing out on opportunities; it’s that simple. Customers need to identify specific things about you and your business before they decide to give you their money. No website at all is better than a bad one. Invest in a company that can help you attract more business online and start thinking of your site as the marketing tool it is.

Author Bio:
Alana Berge is working for Perpetual- Best Website Development Company. She writes content on WordPress, Web Design, Development, Internet, Social Networks, SEO, etc. Apart from this, she has helped several startups to grow their business online!!!

Written by Morris Edwards