As a result, an increasing number of consumers now use the internet to find businesses to access products and services near them. These products and services are easily accessible through a fully optimized website.

It is therefore vital for businesses (online and offline businesses) to establish a solid online presence to serve as a platform where they can share vital information relevant to their business, and connect with the desired audience around the globe. These days, the increasing mobile internet access means that information is literally readily available at the fingertips of consumers.

This article provides reasons why it is vital for every brand and business to invest in a fully optimized website and how it can make a huge difference in your growth and profit margins.

• Creating a Website Shows Credibility

As is common knowledge, everyone who uses a search engine to look for a service or product has a criterion or two that they expect providers of said commodity to meet.

Usually, this is a mental checklist of many items, or it could be just a few boxes that they would like to have checked before they proceed to transact with any vendor online. These conditions vary from one individual to another, but they exist as a form of the quality check used to measure the credibility and professionalism of a brand as this is a direct representation of product quality and the satisfactory level of service delivery.

An important item that consumers look out for when picking out a brand to access a service or product is a website. As of today, only a meager 58% of small businesses have a functional website, this is a staggeringly low figure considering that 70% to 80% of people research a company before they attempt to visit or make a purchase, and 91% of said people actually proceed to make a purchase or visit after a favorable online experience which was made possible through of a well-designed and fully optimized website.

• Your Website is a platform for Effective and Constructive Feedback

Your website creates the perfect avenue for receiving and giving effective feedback from customers. Internet users love to feel like the center of every interaction, and a website makes receiving feedback a more intimate and controlled activity.

Brands and businesses can harness a great website interface design to give customers a tailored and comfortable experience when asking for feedback. This gives them a sense of security and privacy when giving out their thoughts about the service received or the quality of products purchased.

Brands can prepare questionnaires and surveys aimed at collecting targeted data relating to specific aspects of their products and services. Such information helps to make informed decisions about changes required to improve the quality of products and services.

• Your Website Offers Social Proof

Key factors that greatly influence the decisions of internet users when it comes to online shopping are reviews, ratings, and recommendations. A website serves as a platform to let potential customers access and read through other existing customer reviews. A dedicated page on your website can showcase product ratings and comments about satisfactory levels of services rendered. A large percentage of people who shop for products and services online choose vendors based on reviews and ratings made by other customers who have previously accessed them.

Moreso, positive ratings and comments serve as a testament to the trustworthiness and honesty with which a brand carries out its operations thereby eliminating any doubts about the legality of an establishment that operates within the bounds of the law.

• Your Website is Used to Control the Narrative & Reduce Costs.

A website is fully customizable to meet a wide variety of requirements and specifications depending on what industry or niche around which a brand is built. One of the key advantages of having a website is the ability to put out materials that can greatly impact public perspective and perception, thereby making it possible to control relevant trends, respond to critique, and carry out effective damage control in the event of any scandals.

Most big brands take advantage of this by directing customers to their web page at every opportunity they get in order to showcase their mission statements and value proposition, in other to enforce every narrative they want customers to behold or attribute their brand to. By proactively providing answers to Frequently-Asked-Questions (FAQs), brands systematically reduce the cost of customer service operations and make it possible for customers to get instant replies to inquiries. This in turn enhances user experience and fosters positive customer relations.

• Your Website Helps Maximize ROI

The ultimate goal of any brand or business is to maximize profit, increase the Return-On-Investment and excel greatly in its parent industry. A well-designed and optimized website is easily the best marketing tool in the arsenal of any business, and investing in one to be the frontier of this effort is a strategic way to go. The cost of having a customized and fully optimized website has been a subject of debate over the years but one thing is certain, in terms of accessibility and affordability, there has never been a better time to become a website owner.

Various content management systems such as WordPress, HubSpot, and Wix and their assortment of tools exist to make website creation and data presentation on a website relatively easy, affordable, and accessible to everyone regardless of their level of experience in web development.

• Your Website Allows You to Compete With Other Industry Goliaths

Big companies invest in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) on an enormous scale and as a result, they usually rank highest in search engine results. This translates to them staying in business and ensures they get constant patronage and engagements while generating endless numbers of leads.

Having a fully optimized website means that there is a chance for smaller and upcoming brands to compete with the goliaths of the industry if service delivery and product quality are exceptional and can match or surpass that of these big companies.

• Expand Your Working Hours

Because you’ve been able to position your business to be constantly online and available to potential customers from the comfort of their homes 24 hours a day, your website serves as the most efficient salesperson due to its unique ability to provide information even during times when marketing and sales teams are off work.

When designed well, it leaves a solid first impression and is the focal point of digital marketing.  This makes it possible to attend to inquiries round the clock and constantly generate leads.

In conclusion, it is safe to say that investing in a fully optimized website is the best strategy for your business to achieve global online recognition, build an online track record, and excellent customer service.

If you are wondering how to get your business started, with a fully optimized website, kindly contact us and we’ll be happy to provide a free consultation and an end-to-end strategy on how you can get started.

The post 7 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD INVEST IN A FULLY OPTIMIZED WEBSITE appeared first on DRAG Web Design Agency.

1. User-friendly navigation features

If users can’t quickly find what they need on your ecommerce site, they’re unlikely to stick around long and even less likely to make a purchase. Helpful, easy-to-use navigation is one of the most essential ecommerce website features. For great ecommerce UX design, have clear menus that allow users to browse different product categories.

Make sure these menus are in easy-to-find locations, such as across the top of every page.

If online purchases can be done all day and all night long, there is a need to provide 24-hours customer services to solve the majority of pre-sale and after-sale questions. Moreover, people can go online from their working places or home, so a purchase — and any accompanying inquiry — may come at any time of the day.

You can also allow users to filter and sort products by price, style, size, manufacturer, and other characteristics. The features you include depend on the products you offer and the characteristics that are important to your customers.

2. Target mobile audiences

Optimize marketing initiatives for mobile leveraging Google Ads and social platforms such as Facebook and Instagram ads. These channels host a primarily mobile audience and can capture in-the-moment shoppers. As mentioned, it is critical to make sure your mobile shopping site offers a great user experience, with easy navigation and checkout features. With cart abandonment rates of more than 75%, business owners cannot afford to lose customers due to too many redirects or required clicks.

3. Social media links

It’s said that almost 20% of online purchases are accomplished after surfing through social media sites. People are inclined to take in public opinion. Social media websites, such as Facebook and Twitter, are the best, if not fastest, source to get the info you need on just about everything.

Moreover, social media accounts bring excellent opportunities for self-promotion: online communities can help to identify the most active and influential customers or find new ones who are not familiar with the web store yet.

For online shops, it’s a good channel to keep customers abreast of the latest news, or special deals which are oriented towards Facebook or Twitter followers only.

4. Phone numbers and online chats

With online shopping, buyers interact with sellers via computer networks, making transactions that are no longer geographically bound. When there is a problem, however, customers would more likely prefer to have someone they can talk with.

This is the core of the need for a store support team; 24/7 hotlines and live chats are highly appreciated forms of value-added customer service.

5. Make the checkout process quick & easy 

For starters, try to offer as many payment options as possible, ranging from major credit cards to more innovative and automated payment systems like Apple Pay and Google Pay.

This is very important for an easy checkout process and better customer experience, especially if your shop serves both local and global audiences. Some countries prefer to use credit cards for online payments, while others prefer digital payment systems like PayPal, so having multiple payment options is crucial for success.

6. Several payment options

What makes a good ecommerce website? The way you accept payment. Allowing as many popular payment options as possible improves your customers’ experience and can encourage conversions.

In addition to major credit cards, consider accepting payment methods such as PayPal and Apple Pay. Display icons of accepted payment methods on your site, so shoppers know in advance what they can use to buy your products.

7. Security features

Another ecommerce website must-have is adequate security. You need to protect your customers’ data, and you need to show visitors that your site is secure and trustworthy. If shoppers don’t trust your site, they likely won’t make a purchase.

Insufficient security also opens your business up to significant financial and legal risks.

Some of the most vital site security steps include:

• Purchasing a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate, which enables your site to transmit data securely
• Using an address verification system (AVS) and credit card verification value (CVV) at checkout
• Creating secure passwords and updating them regularly
• Read through our entire site security checklistto learn more about bringing this ecommerce essential to your site.

8. Ratings, reviews, and other social proof

Do you read online reviews before you make a purchase? So do 95% of customers. And, more than 70% of users won’t make a purchase until they’ve read reviews, making ratings and reviews one of the top ecommerce website essentials.

Including user-generated ratings and reviews on your website can help keep shoppers on your site and encourage them to make purchases. To get reviews, build review functionality into your site and encourage customers to leave reviews on third-party sites like Google My Business, Facebook, and product review websites. Other kinds of helpful social proof include user-created social media content and testimonials.

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