By: Catherine Morgan

Let’s say you’ve done everything you’re supposed to when it comes to marketing to your target audience. You’ve capitalized on social media posts and networked with potential clients. You’ve made a name for yourself. 

But you’re still not getting enough internet traffic, consumer engagements, referrals or impressions despite your best efforts. 

What’s up with that? Most likely, you’re missing a few key website features that could boost overall consumer engagement with your brand.

First thing’s first — the landing page. It’s the customer’s first impression of your company. It should be visually appealing, have a color scheme, have no more than two fonts per page and include the name of your company, its location and contact information. 

How you choose to format it is up to you, but remember that consistency across your website is more cohesive and appealing.

So, what’s missing?

Tell us who you are

Many times when looking through a client’s website or even a small business’s website, there are the most opportunities for improving consumer reach on the first page. What’s lacking is a short paragraph describing the company, its mission and a closing sentence that wraps up the business’s goals or objectives. This is also important for building SEO.

This copy section may appear redundant especially if your website has an “about us” tab, but it’s crucial for hooking potential consumers. This small copy section could be the difference in consumer engagement and another addition to the bounce rate. 

Solidify your call to action

The words “call to action” get thrown around a lot in marketing. What is it exactly? How do I even know if I have a call to action? 

The call to action is the reason why you have a business. It’s a showcase of your products or services that entice consumers to come to your business over others. The simplest of CTAs are ones we see every day, like “buy now,” “shop here” or “order now.” 

Odds are if you have a business, you automatically have a call to action; that’s why you have a business, right? Sometimes it’s just hidden under website copy or within the mission statement or about us page itself.

To have an effective CTA, don’t be afraid to use strong verbs to catch the reader’s attention. Take advantage of consumer FOMO and make them want to buy from you. For more on writing effective calls to action, click here

Testimonials, testimonials, testimonials

How many times have you been looking through Amazon and decided to purchase something because of the long list of five-star reviews? Those little stars really do influence consumer purchasing power. 

The same theory applies to your own small business: including testimonials, reviews or client appraisals on your website can help legitimize your business, what you are selling and create the possibility for more sales in the long term. 

While it is ultimately up to you where you want to include these on your website, sometimes having a pop-up review can be the most effective. It’s quick, in your face and easy to access. If you’d rather have an entire tab dedicated to testimonials, that works too. Just remember that the more streamline your website is the more engagement you’re likely to see.

Don’t forget the graphics

Having a solid copy is not the end-all be-all of good branding. In order for it to be effective, you have to pair it with pictures, infographics or your company logo. However, there does need to be some sort of cohesion between your brand and the theme of your website. 

When it comes to taking quality photos, it can be challenging if you’re unfamiliar with DSLR cameras. If you’re struggling, check out our blog post here to learn what it takes to have a strong visual brand.

How we can help

If you’ve done all of these tips and still feel like you’re floundering, come talk with us in person or contact us so we can come up with the best way to make your website the best it can be. At 1893 Brand Studio, we’re here to serve you.