If there’s one thing we have learned constructing websites is that they are never really done. A website is a lot like the guys who paint the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco…they just hire a crew who works year-round, they start at the top and work there way to the bottom, and when they get there, they go right back to the top and start again. You should see your website and your web developers exactly the same. Your website should never be done. You should always be looking to improve it, make it more engaging and keep up with evolving technologies.

But with all that, there’s a few things every website should have, but oddly we see them left out of many websites! Even the most expensive, well designed websites sometimes lack these simple things. So do your business a favor and check and make sure you got your bases covered and that these 5 things are present in your website!

1. CONTACT INFORMATION

This may sound ridiculous, but many websites don’t have clear contact information on them. They may be missing it completely, or maybe it’s hard to find. But in any case, your phone number and address should be clearly visible, above-the-fold (old newspaper term) and preferably on every page. If you are a service based business you should still have your address present, but perhaps just in the website’s footer or on the contact page. And that’s another thing, even if the phone number and address is on every page…you still need a contact page! And one with complete information, maybe a map and a form, but DO NOT put any email addresses on there as you are just inviting SPAM.

And make sure your contact information is consistent with how your contact information is displayed across the internet. Your business name, address and phone number should be IDENTICAL on all 3rd party websites and your own website, NO EXCEPTIONS! And also, make sure it’s indexable by search engines. If Google can’t see it, it’s useless.

2. SOCIAL MEDIA

Everyone is on Social Media. Everyday, over 1 billion people log onto Facebook alone! Think of that number…it’s staggering. It’s is so important to harness to power of this medium. Setup your social networks and engage with the users. But don’t forget to add all your social media links to your website, once again on every page. People will find you through Facebook, and they can find your Facebook through your website. Don’t miss that traffic!

3. ABOUT US INFORMATION

This is a big issue we come across frequently. We are awesome an writing content for our customers. We can write detailed articles on the products and services with ease, but when it comes to the “About Us” page, we insist that our clients write it themselves. It’s supposed to be personable. From the heart and real! And it’s super important. Make sure you tell everyone why you do what you do, support it with facts, be sincere, demonstrate your expertise in your field and use real photos of you, your family, your dog, your staff…remember PEOPLE BUY PEOPLE. Everyone would rather do business with a real person that a corporate drone, so use that to your advantage!

4. A BLOG

Content is King - ever hear that? It’s so very true in the online world. A blog has so many benefits and I won’t detail them here, we wrote a whole blog on them! Click Here (https://www.xclntdesign.com/blog/blogging-is-it-really-necessary.html) to have a read. But the simple explanation is blogs are great for educating and engaging your audience and a HUGE SEO boost.

5. CALL TO ACTION

Getting people to visit your website can be tough. But once you got them there, you really should instruct them on what you want them to do, so a powerful Call To Action (CTA) is uber important. You have just a few seconds to get someone’s attention and get them to become a customer, so you want to be clear on what action you want them to take and push them to “convert” to you. Here’s a few good CTAs: “Contact Us Today”, Call Now”, “Click Here”, “Sign Up Today”, “Schedule An Appointment”, “Download Now”, “Request a Demo”, “Buy Now”. Don’t let them think about it…tell them what you want!

So I'm going to end this blog with a Call To Action...contact xclntDesign today for assistance with your web presence!