Don’t you just love website redesigns? The thrill of starting from scratch, the possibilities of what could be… Unfortunately, not everyone can afford a website redesign. If your website is looking a little dated, or if you’re just not seeing the conversions you want, don’t worry! There are plenty of things you can do to improve your website without breaking the bank. In this blog post, we’ll give you some tips and tricks for improving your website design, usability, and conversion rate.
So, what are you waiting for? Let’s get started!
What is your website’s purpose?
Before you start making any changes to your website, it’s important to take a step back and think about its purpose. Is your website selling products or services? Is it generating leads for your business? Are you using it to build brand awareness or connect with customers? Once you’ve determined your website’s purpose, you can start making changes that will help you achieve your goals.
If your website’s purpose is to sell products or services, then you’ll want to focus on improving your conversion rate. This means making it easy for visitors to find what they’re looking for and providing them with the information they need to make a purchase. You’ll also want to ensure that your website is mobile-friendly, since more and more people are using their smartphones and tablets to shop online.
On the other hand, if your website’s purpose is to generate leads for your business, then you’ll want to make it easy for visitors to contact you. This means prominently displaying your phone number and email address, as well as adding a contact form to your website. You’ll also want to make sure that your website is easy to navigate and that it contains clear calls-to-action (CTAs).
And finally, if your website’s purpose is to build brand awareness or connect with customers, then you’ll want to focus on creating content that is interesting and engaging. This means regularly updating your blog and adding new pages to your website, as well as including social media buttons so that visitors can connect with you on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s take a look at some specific things you can do to improve your website.
Add or update your website’s content
One of the easiest and most effective things you can do to improve your website is to add or update your content. This means regularly publishing new blog posts, adding new pages to your website, and ensuring that all of your information is up-to-date. Not only will this help to improve your website’s SEO, but it will also make it more interesting and engaging for visitors.
If you’re not sure what kind of content to add to your website, take a look at your competitors’ websites or use a tool like Google Keyword Planner to find ideas. Once you’ve come up with some content ideas, start creating! If you’re not a writer, hire someone to help you or use a content writing service like Contently.
Website navigation
Another important aspect of website design is website navigation. This refers to how easy it is for visitors to find their way around your website. If your website is difficult to navigate, chances are people will leave before they even have a chance to see what you have to offer.
There are a few things you can do to improve your website’s navigation. First, make sure that all of your website’s pages are well organized and easy to find. Second, add clear and concise labels to your website’s menus and sub-menus. And finally, consider adding a search bar to help visitors quickly find what they’re looking for.
Make your website mobile-friendly
In today’s world, it’s absolutely essential to have a mobile-friendly website. More and more people are using their smartphones and tablets to browse the web, so if your website isn’t optimized for these devices, you’re likely losing out on a lot of traffic and potential customers.
Fortunately, making your website mobile-friendly is relatively easy to do. If you’re using a content management system (CMS) like WordPress, there are plenty of mobile-friendly themes and plugins available. Or, if you’re comfortable coding, you can create a responsive website design that will automatically adjust to any screen size.
If you’re not sure how to make your website mobile-friendly, hire a web developer or designer to help you.
Improve your website’s design
The design of your website can have a big impact on its overall success. A well-designed website will be easy to navigate, visually appealing, and user-friendly. On the other hand, a poorly designed website will be confusing, off-putting, and difficult to use.
If you’re not happy with your website’s current design, there are a few things you can do to improve it. First, take a look at your website’s navigation. Is it easy to find what you’re looking for? If not, consider simplifying your website’s menus and adding clear calls-to-action.
Second, take a look at your website’s overall aesthetics. Is it pleasing to the eye? If not, you may want to hire a web designer to help you create a more visually appealing website.
And finally, make sure your website is easy to use on all devices. This means testing it on mobile phones, tablets, and desktop computers. If you find that your website is difficult to use on certain devices, make the necessary changes to improve the user experience.
Colors, typography, and imagery
The colors, typography, and imagery you use on your website can have a big impact on its overall look and feel. When choosing colors for your website, it’s important to consider both the aesthetic value and the meaning of each color. For example, blue is often associated with trustworthiness and stability, while green is often associated with growth and vitality.
When it comes to typography, there are two things you should keep in mind. First, make sure the font you use is easy to read. Second, use different fonts for different purposes. For example, you might use a sans-serif font for your website’s body text and a serif font for your website’s headings.
And finally, when it comes to imagery, make sure the photos and videos you use are high-quality and relevant to your website’s content. A few well-chosen photos can go a long way in making your website more visually appealing.
Social proof
Adding social proof to your website can be a great way to build trust and credibility with your visitors. Social proof is simply evidence that other people have used and liked your product or service.
There are a few different ways you can add social proof to your website. First, you can add customer testimonials and reviews. Second, you can add social media buttons so visitors can share your content on their own profiles. And finally, you can add badges and logos from well-known organizations to show that you’re a trusted and reputable business.
Adding these elements to your website can help increase its overall conversion rate.
User experience is key
How easy is it for visitors to find what they’re looking for? Is your navigation intuitive? If not, make some changes! Streamline your menus, add drop-down menus, and use clear and concise labels.
In addition to making your website easy to navigate, you also need to make sure it’s easy to use. This means ensuring that your forms are user-friendly, your buttons are easy to find and click, and your content is easy to read.
You can test your website’s user experience by asking friends and family members to try it out. If they have trouble using your website, take note of their feedback and make the necessary changes.
Make sure your website loads quickly
No one likes waiting for a website to load, so it’s important to ensure that yours loads as quickly as possible. There are a few things you can do to improve your website’s loading speed, such as optimizing your images, using a content delivery network (CDN), and minifying your CSS and JavaScript files.
You can also use tools like Google’s PageSpeed Insights to test your website’s loading speed and get specific recommendations on how to improve it.
It’s also a good idea to run your website through a tool like Pingdom to check for broken links, slow-loading pages, and other performance issues.
Hosting
Your website’s hosting service plays a big role in its overall success. If you’re not happy with your current hosting company, it may be time to switch to a new one.
When choosing a web host, there are a few things you need to consider, such as price, features, uptime, and customer support. Do some research and read online reviews to find the best hosting company for your needs.
SEO is important
If you want people to find your website, you need to make sure it’s optimized for search engines. This means doing things like keyword research, creating compelling content, and building backlinks.
There are a lot of factors that go into SEO, so if you’re not sure where to start, hire an SEO expert to help you.
Add new content regularly
One of the best ways to keep people coming back to your website is to add new content on a regular basis. This could be anything from blog posts and articles to videos and infographics.
If you’re not sure what kind of content to create, take a look at your website’s analytics data. This will give you an idea of what kinds of content are most popular with your audience.
You can also use tools like Google Trends and BuzzSumo to see what kinds of content are currently trending.
By creating compelling, informative, and up-to-date content, you can attract more visitors and keep them coming back for more.
Linking to related pages
Internal linking is the process of linking to other pages on your website. This is a great way to help visitors find more information about your product or service.
In addition to helping visitors navigate your website, internal links can also help improve your website’s SEO. That’s because they help search engines index your website and understand its structure.
If you want to add internal links to your website, make sure to use keywords in the anchor text. This will help improve your website’s ranking for those keywords.
External linking is also important
In addition to linking to other pages on your website, you should also link to external websites. This is a great way to provide visitors with more information about your product or service.
External links can also help improve your website’s SEO. That’s because they show search engines that your website is relevant and trustworthy.
If you want to add external links to your website, make sure to use high-quality websites. This will help improve your website’s reputation and increase its chances of ranking higher in search results.
Don’t forget calls to action
If you want people to take action on your website, you need to include clear and concise calls-to-action. A call-to-action (CTA) is a button or link that encourages website visitors to take a specific action, such as signing up for a newsletter, downloading a white paper, or making a purchase.
Your CTAs should be easy to find and use, and they should clearly state what you want people to do. For example, if you want people to sign up for your newsletter, your CTA should say “Sign Up” or “Subscribe.”
In addition to including CTAs throughout your website, you can also use email marketing and social media to promote them.
Analytics are important
If you want to improve your website, you need to track your progress. The best way to do this is by setting up Google Analytics.
Google Analytics is a free tool that allows you to track how people find and use your website. It can give you insights into things like what kind of content is popular with your audience, how long people stay on your website, and where they’re located.
You can also use analytics data to see which parts of your website need improvement. For example, if you see that people are leaving your website after only a few seconds, it’s likely because they’re not finding what they’re looking for. This could be an indication that your navigation needs improvement or that your content isn’t relevant to their needs.
No website is perfect, but by following these tips, you can make yours as close to perfect as possible. By regularly updating your content, improving your website’s design, and track your progress with analytics, you can ensure that your website is always performing its best.
Find broken links, website errors, and slow pages
We all know that website speed is important. But what about website errors?
Nobody’s perfect, and websites are no exception. Even the most well-designed website can have broken links, slow-loading pages, and other technical issues.
That’s why it’s important to regularly check your website for errors and performance issues. There are a number of tools you can use to do this, such as Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool and Pingdom’s Website Speed Test.
Both of these tools will give you specific recommendations on how to improve your website’s performance. In addition, Pingdom will also notify you if there are any broken links on your website so you can fix them right away.
Final thoughts
So, if you’re not seeing the results you want from your website, don’t despair! There are plenty of things you can do to improve your design and usability without spending a fortune. And if you need help getting started, our team at Graticle is here to help. Contact us today (360) 450-32711 to learn more about our website redesign services and how we can help you achieve the conversions you desire. Thanks for reading!
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Website Improvement FAQs
I’m not a website design expert. Can I still improve my website?
Yes! You don’t need to be a website design expert to make changes that will improve your website. Even small changes can have a big impact on your website’s overall look and feel.
What are some easy ways to improve my website?
Here are a few easy ways to improve your website:
- Use high-quality images.
- Make sure your website is mobile-friendly.
- Use clear and concise text.
- Use whitespace to create visual interest.
