Part three of a three-part series.
Your website is more than a sum of its parts. Although the various components complement each other to provide a complete picture of your products and services, greater value is derived from its effectiveness in building your brand and communicating your value proposition.
“Your website should have a unique personality,” says Chris Chan, web development consultant with Adment Digital Inc. in Mississauga, Ont. At the end of the day, your website should establish “how you want your practice to be perceived,” says Taras Rodtsevych, managing director at the Toronto-based web design company Intelex.
Here are some ways to maintain and improve the effectiveness of your website:
> Make your website searchable
Build a custom search box to help clients find the information they want on your website — or add a third-party search facility such as Google. To help web users find your website more easily, use appropriate key words or tags “to increase search engine optimization,” says Chan.
He advises that you “keep the number of keywords on your site limited and focused on your target audience — be sure to use key words in your title tags and in the first few words of each paragraph.”
> Provide calls to action
Make it easy for clients or prospects to request more information on products and services, subscribe to newsletters, or to reach you directly. “Calls to action are very important” if you want to maintain the interest of clients, says Rodtsevych. They also effectively engage clients and support client retention and acquisition. Or they can be a “hook” or “bait” for users to contact you.
> Allow different methods of contact
Provide clients with different methods of contacting you, including email, phone, or a web form that can be completed online. You may also want to include a physical address and even a map just in case someone chooses to drop in to see you.
> Maintain relevant links
“By partnering with companies with related services, for example an accountant or lawyer, it is useful to have them exchange links on their websites with yours,” advises Chan. “This will improve search engine visibility.”
You can also link your site to various industry associations. Typically, the more websites that are linked to yours, the more that people will find it.
> Monitor website performance
It’s important to monitor the traffic on your website and determine what visitors are viewing, how often they return, how often they look at certain content, etc. The results would give you an opportunity to determine what works and what doesn’t. Also, get feedback from clients on what they like, dislike or would like you to address on your website. Make changes as appropriate.
> Be compliant
Unlike unregulated businesses, what you can say or do on your website is constrained by compliance requirements and securities regulations. It is tempting to use social media links to share content, but ensure that you are not offside; conversely, you can get clearance from your compliance department.
IE