Websites are easy to create,actually almost anyone can do it these days. It’s so easy that there are over half a Billion websites on the internet right now. Being successful on the web takes a little more than just having a website. There are several essential elements we have observed with sites that are successful on the web and if you apply these to your site, chances are you will do just as well.
A successful business website is supposed to do one of three things, directly generate revenue for your business, build awareness about your business or create efficiency in the way you run your business(getting more done for less work). If it’s not doing any of these you, then what’s the point of having it?
Enough talk, here are the elements you need to implement to increase your chances of success on the web
1. Have clear goals for the website

What do you want it to accomplish? Just having goals is not enough,it’s important that these goals are measurable, otherwise how will you know the site is successful if there is no measure of success. An example of a measurable goal would be a revenue target for your business if it’s an eCommerce website, or a number of clients you need to sign up for your product you are offering or even the number of clients you want to contact or reach out to you. Having these clear measures of success will help you know when the site is performing as you expect or if not you can start the process of finding out what is getting in the way and fixing it.
2. Design it for a specific user

Having a site that is for everybody usually has the opposite effect in that nobody actually uses the site. People like to feel like they belong, like there is someone who gets them. It’s the reason companies like Apple or Harley Davidson exist, or even shows like Oprah are so so successful. They have a group of people they appeal to, they understand their customers, their personalities and their needs and everything they do is centered around this. On the internet it’s important that your website is speaking directly to your web visitors. Your web visitors will instantly know they are in the right place when the tone, voice and personality of your website ‘gets them’. They will stop searching and they will be hooked, even better they will be loyal to you.
3. Keep it simple, no one reads websites.

Let’s be honest, no one likes to read websites on the internet. Unless it’s a blog or news website most people never read websites, unless they really want some information that will benefit or affect them directly. And the reason for this is simple most people have a goal they want to accomplish when they visit a site, and for some reason they are super impatient. So the first thing they do when they land on a site is to scan, not read, scan the website for links and buttons that will get them to this goal and then click away until they get to their goal. Keep the long texts and stories to a minimum and ensure your site is easy to scan. So that when a specific user gets to your site, and you know their goal you can easily get them to their destination and it’s a win for you and for them.
4. Have great content

Good content will not only get you to the top of Google results, it’s the only reason someone will come and stay on your site. Good content means everything on the website, from the images, videos, icons and text (or copy if you want to get technical). They all have to be good if you want to win on the web. If it’s the copy on your site, have it professionally written, so search engines can find it but at the same time the words still speak to people like people. If it’s the images, have them professionally taken. Having a video that is related to the content of your website will do wonders in terms of ranking on google, so keep that in mind.
5. Make sure your site is fast

As a general rule, the faster your site loads the faster you can convert potential clients into paying customers. People are really impatient on the internet and the longer your site takes to load the faster they leave it and move on to the next one. Sigh, it’s a cold cruel world online. Having everything going right on your site means nothing if the users never get to see it because its slow. Make sure the images are super compressed and small as possible in size so they load faster, same to the videos.
6. Create a killer homepage

Your homepage or landing page if you like, is the defining factor of your website. This is the first impression a visitor gets as soon as they get to your site. Even before they scroll what, put yourself in their shoes and ask, “What is this site about?” more importantly “How can it help me?” “Do I like it” “Is it better than this other one I just visited?” Make sure this page conveys the value you provide as soon as they get to your website. And always include a call to action, so they know what to do next. Homepages are like billboards, you only have a small window of attention to make a good impression and you either grab the user’s attention or they move on to the next website. Remember there are hundreds of other websites for similar business as yours and most users visit multiple sites before making a decision, differentiate yourself from the rest.
7. Have a great User Experience (this is the most important).

If you don’t remember anything else from this post just remember to have a great User Experience on your site. User Experience is simply the attitude and emotions people form while interacting with you online. It can be memorable, fun, enjoyable, easy or it could be boring. The good news is you can control the User Experience on your site. You can design the experience you want people to have. Done right, a great User Experience can result in an upto 500% Return on Investment, so it’s a big deal. Having a great User Experience is easy, just get a User Experience Designer, a good one at that. You will thank yourself.
8. Get it professionally designed

You can actually learn to build a website in a few hours if you wanted to. And yes you will have built a website ,but for some reason the site just won’t work and feel like you want it to. There’s building a website and there is designing then building a website. There is a deeper psychology to websites and how people use them and this is where professionals come in. Professionals understand how people perceive websites from the colors being used, to the size of the fonts, the number of elements to have on each page so as not to paralyses the user with information and even how to present the information. These factors and more work together to ensure a website is successful. It’s always a good idea to get a pro.
9. Customer service that is easily accessible

One thing that makes a huge difference with websites online is the customer service. Just like a brick and mortar store people likely to buy when they know they can talk to someone in case something is not right. People buy from people. Make sure the customer service is easily accessible and very visible. It will make all the difference.
10. Be consistent

People buy from you only after they trust you. Trust is established when there’s consistency. The information and personality of your website should be consistent with how your business is everywhere else,whether in person or in social media. This consistency not only helps when building your brand but also it establishes trust. People buy from people, and they only buy from people they trust. Never hold out information on the site that you think the person reading should or might want to know.

If you have reached this far, congrats, I hope this article helps you in one way or another. As a bonus, we are giving away a Free web design consultancy for the first 5 readers.
We would love to help you figure out what is not going right on your site and recommend solutions you can take to better your success on the web, all completely for Free. No obligations or commitments on your part, just get in touch via email at design@well.africa or you can set up a meeting through this link and one of our designers will talk to you in person or via call, whichever is most convenient to you.

