Nothing changes as quickly or as drastically as technologies in website development. Staying on top of the latest trends can be exhausting, and while you may not think your business’ website needs to be on the cutting edge, it is becoming increasingly important to stay relevant to your customers in the highly competitive digital space.
From AI chatbots to voice-based experiences, there’s no doubt that there are plenty of flashy tricks your website can do nowadays. But staying relevant in 2019 takes more than just having the latest animation effects or the brightest color palette, or even being on the cutting edge of technology. It’s also about leveraging the information you have to understand how your customers search for information online and how they make buying decisions. Regardless of what everyone else is doing, it’s important to utilize the latest technology trends that make sense for your customer, as determined by strategy and planning. Studying the analytics behind your website can provide invaluable insights that help inform how your website should be organized, designed and built.
Developing a strategic website plan helps to make sure you’re giving your customers the information they need, when they need it, wherever they are. To achieve that, here’s what we believe just about every website plan should include in 2019:
A Mobile-Optimized Website
While this isn’t anything new, screen responsiveness is the #1 must-have design and functionality element for 2019 and the foreseeable future. 52.2% of global web traffic originates from a mobile device according to Statista.com. It is important that your company’s website is not only mobile friendly, but also geared towards the mobile experience. More and more users are ditching desktops as their primary source of accessing the web and using their phones to research options and complete the purchase cycle. An obsolete website could drastically affect your conversion rates and your bottom line.
Speed-Optimization
This leads us to our next point – speed. With more and more people navigating the web on the go, there is an expectancy for websites to load lightning fast. In fact, it’s so important, that Google began taking speed into account for both mobile SERP rankings and paid search results. Website performance has the power to greatly impact the user’s experience. When it comes to conversions, speed can make a big difference. Google has found that even just a one second delay in load times can hurt mobile conversions by up to 20%.
SEO
Search Engine Optimization is a common buzz term, but what does it really mean? Simply put, it represents the measures you can take to improve your website’s discoverability through search engines. 100 billion searches are conducted on Google each month, and with such a large number of queries, it’s no wonder that SEO is so important. And the competition is stiff – research shows that 75% of people never click past the first page of Google’s search results, and that 33% of people click on the first search result. SEO improves your visibility, and your likelihood of ranking as high as possible for the terms you want people to find you for. Even just incorporating the basic best practices in your website strategy can make a big difference. We recently developed a website for a client that had poor SEO, and by setting them up with a solid SEO foundation, we were able to drive some pretty impressive results in just their first month – including a 747% increase in impressions and an 846% increase in clicks from organic search. While those stats will level off over time, it’s a clear indicator of the before and after effect of a strong SEO foundation.
Data-Driven Strategy
With the right tracking tools in place, the data will be there to help inform the decisions that drive results. It’s truly impressive what you can do with the right data online today – from basic analytics to detailed pixel data, you can not only track website usage, but also capture consumers where they go next. Being able to utilize data to meet your consumers wherever they are helps build the awareness needed to make your mark, even when they’re no longer on your site. With the right metrics, your website can become an invaluable resource that informs marketing strategies both on- and offline.
Journey-Driven Design
All of the above leads us to this. For the last few years, developers have pitched the benefits of a mobile-first design. While mobile is more important than ever, we believe that every company and every customer is unique, so a blanket statement that all websites should be designed from a mobile-first approach is a miss. The traditional sales funnel has changed so much over the past few years, and so has the way customers surf the web. Using data to pinpoint how your users come to your site, where they go from there, and how they are converting can give you better insights into how to design your website, determine your content and organize your site structure to optimize for the KPIs that matter to you. Moreover, ensuring that your website is prepared to address your customers’ needs at any stage of the funnel makes you an invaluable resource in an age where consumers are hungry for guidance.
The bottom line: the most valuable websites in 2019 are built to convert.
While there are endless do-it-yourself website options and friends that can throw up a splash page in a day, building websites that convert is no easy task. Developing a strategy around how people are searching for your products and services online takes careful consideration of the customers’ needs. Building them a website that really gives them what they’re looking for takes time to design and build properly, but will be greatly worth your time and attention in the long run.
If you’re interested in creating a website that converts potential consumers into leads or sales, contact Brew Agency today.
Brew Agency is a full-service branding and advertising agency based in Baton Rouge, LA that provides strategic marketing solutions for every stage of business. We understand that every organization has unique needs, which is why we customize our approach for everyone, from start-ups to mature businesses looking to evolve and grow. Discover everything we do, or contact us to learn more!
