Your website should be better than “fine”

Posted by on Jul 17, 2015 in Uncategorized | No Comments

Tom O'Boyle Designs laptop

“We’re OK, our website’s fine” Hmm, is it? Are you sure? Why not make it something you love.

Often when I hear people talking about their website they are very quick to dismiss developing or upgrading.  Often this is because they think it will be a lot of hassle and hard work for them. Dismiss that idea right now, if your designer is worth his salt, can project manage properly and your developer is willing and helpful – it can be a breeze.

Another reason they aren’t willing to change things up is they are unaware of what their site should be doing for them and their business. In their mind its working perfectly and its ‘doing a job’. But is it doing a good job? Could it be doing more and doing it better?  Websites should simplify your working week, save time, represent you in the very best light possible, bring more work in and make you more efficient.

Times they are a changing. Google are now penalising sites that are not responsive. Our sites can now have full width content, there is more space, more freedom and of course better means of communication and automated activity. Your website should almost always have a blog; this allows you to update your site with recent relevant content. That is exactly what your site needs in order to climb google rankings and improve your SEO. 300 words a week/fortnight isn’t a lot considering the amount of good it does you.

A Social Networking feed should be feeding into the site as this helps traffic and contributes to updated content – again improving SEO. Just make sure you use whichever Social Networking/Media option is best for YOU. You’re the one who has to use it almost every day. Choose the best option for your business too. A very basic example: Facebook is great for talking to the general public, Twitter and LinkedIn are much better for brand to brand communication. Don’t be taken in by the chap down the pub saying “you’ve got to get on x,y and z”  maybe you don’t. Each client is different and needs a different solution.

Make your site work for you. For example I recently created websites for a Hairdresser and a beauty therapist’s websites. Both of them have a direct Instagram feed, allowing the photos they take of their customers to appear instantly on the homepage. This is great for traffic, great for keeping you looking up to date, active and creating a slick impression. Not to mention the fact that potential customers can see real life examples of what is on offer and can reference them to explain what treatment/cut they would like. But the best bit is, my clients do nothing to make this happen. Take a picture and put your phone back in your pocket, done.

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Your site should also have personality – reflect you and offer something to the user. For example free info, music, offers, and shared interests with your target audience enable greater user experience and increase the chances of further clicks, longer visits and return visits. This is embodied in a clever homepage design recently completed for 2Point4 Trek and also a collaborative solution completed for The Beer Collective. A hub of Social Media activity where people go to see what some the best breweries in the industry are up to.

The Beer Collective

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Your site HAS to look good, you wouldn’t turn up to a meeting or a networking event in a stained shirt and ripped jeans. The impression you create to others is essential, in winning the business, pricing the work and getting repeat business or referrals.

Is your site saving you time? Like with the Instagram gallery, booking systems, enquiry systems, data capture, online shop (Tom O’Boyle Designs now has an expert e-commerce Web Developer on board) FAQs and clear descriptions of services on offer. Everything should be working smoothly and in unison.

This is what we do. As neutral on-lookers we can come in and recognise what is happening in the business, what needs changing, what should remain and what needs to be introduced. A bespoke web and marketing solution to strengthen your business and enable it to reach its full potential. Giving others a wonderful impression of you and your business; giving you the tools to work more efficiently and effectively.

Get in touch to discuss your web project…