Good art inspires;
Good design motivates.
             --Otl Aicher

A website is the online identity and a great medium to leverage your business. It showcases your product or service; builds your brand and validates your business. It’s not enough to simply design an attractive website. The key is to make the website engaging so that it attracts regular traffic and returning customers. Here are some tips to make your website more engaging.

1. Create a well structured website with effective navigation

For a website to be appealing and simple to navigate it must be well structured. This will facilitate the flow of information and client retention. There is nothing worse than a viewer landing on your website only to find themselves digging through unnecessary content to find critical information. This unnecessary information, or clutter, can come in the form of ads, verbose copy, unimaginative photos, too little white space, etc. By avoiding these pitfalls, you are able to capture your viewer’s attention and guide them through your website, to the content they are searching for.

The general guideline for effective navigation is that every vital piece of information on your website should be available in a maximum of three clicks.

2. Generate quality content

Your website design must enable your viewer to focus on what is truly important — the content. Content that has the power to generate an action. Allow your users to get involved with your website so that they may establish a connection and keep coming back for more. Better yet, encourage them to get involved — encourage your readers to leave a comment or express their opinion on your blog.

3. Be concise

Ideally your homepage should not contain more than 400 words of text. Website visitors often browse the homepage and in just a few seconds, they decide whether to continue or leave. So your aim should be to provide a concise overview of what you do and offer. It helps to include an eye-catching header or logo as this is the first image seen by visitors and it needs to make a lasting impression. Create a balance between text and images.

4. Leverage images

Content is great but, as the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. People tend to be enraptured by pictures of new products or services, leading them to explore the site further.

5. Make your website responsive

People use their phones more than ever before. Ensure that your website is compatible on various tablets and smart phones.

6. Engage your visitors

Websites should have effective ‘Calls to Action’ or action buttons. Ensure that your contact information is at the top of every page of your site and not just tucked away on the Contact page. A contact form is a great way for clients to send you a message. Make sure your contact form is user-friendly and not too long. Some websites use a chat tool, where a visitor can type messages and instantly receive a response from a representative. Chat can be a great solution if the business has the right resources in place.

7. Don’t overlook returning clients

Your website should deliver an experience that is as customised as possible. New clients are always welcome, but existing clients should be offered a customised experience. A great service experience will have them returning time and again.

It takes careful planning to create an engaging website so give ample thought to the design, navigation and content. With smart writing, appealing images and a well-designed navigation as well as providing well-placed calls to actions, your website can engage visitors, leading to new business opportunities and delivering fantastic customer service.

With the Website Builder module of GlobalLinker, you can create a website that is engaging, efficient and effective. Explore this simple do-it-yourself module and experience the joy of having your company website up & running in a few days!