March 28, 2023
By: John Tomblin, Senior Solutions Architect
Yuma Bizz, a division of Sofvue, LLC
Printed with permission of Data Titan, Sofvue, LLC and the author
The answer is no. On its own, a website cannot do a single thing to increase business for your company. That said, the real question is whether an effective website design can increase “stickiness” to your site, and more importantly, make the phone ring more often, with emphasis on the word “more”. Make the phone ring more… and yes, you will have more opportunities to create more relationships with your customers, and if you can do this, then yes, an effective website design can, in fact, help you increase your business.
Let’s talk about numbers.
Retail in America is moving in two directions simultaneously. On the one hand, malls, strip centers and small boutiques are being crushed by numerous outside forces, and all at once. The pandemic fundamentally changed how people think when it comes to “shopping” or going to mall, just go to any mall anywhere in the country at 2:00 pm on a Saturday afternoon and see for yourself. When I was a kid growing up, the malls would be packed with thousands of people at any hour of the day. Those days are gone. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic led to a significant decline in foot traffic to shopping malls, with foot traffic dropping by 43% compared to 2019, according to a report by Coresight Research. Further, in the first quarter of 2021, retail sales at US shopping centers were down by 8.7% compared to the same period in 2020, according to data from the National Retail Federation.
Conversely, online retail, or e-commerce, which was already rising YOY pre-pandemic, as continued to climb. In 2022, retail eCommerce sales were estimated to be $5.54 trillion globally. Over the next three years, this number is predicted to increase to $7.4 trillion (by 2025).
Here’s some points to remember regarding your company’s website and how design can actually make the phone ring.
Focus on the User Experience
It’s not about you… it’s about your visitors. Make sure your website is easy to navigate and user-friendly. Use clear and concise language, with a clear call to action on every page. Consider using videos, infographics, and other multimedia to engage users.
Say it with Video
“Video continues to be used by an overwhelming majority of businesses. 91% of businesses use video as a marketing tool in 2023, and according to Cisco, in 2023, 82% of all internet traffic will be video”, according to a report by Wyzowl. Another report, by HubSpot, found that 54% of consumers want to see more video content from the brands they support. This not only applies to B2c, but B2d and D2c as well. Lastly, according to YouTube, people watch over a billion hours of video on the platform every day.
Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok have all added video features to their platforms to meet the growing demand for video content.
Create Value
Provide valuable content that will keep users engaged and coming back to your website. This can include blog posts, whitepapers, case studies, and more.
Mobile Optimization
Make sure your website is optimized for mobile devices, as more and more users access the internet from their smartphones and tablets. Some tips for optimizing for mobile include:
1️⃣ Use a responsive design: This means designing your website to automatically adjust its layout to fit the screen size of the device being used to view it. This ensures that your website looks and functions properly on all devices.
2️⃣ Simplify the design: Mobile screens are smaller than desktop screens, so it's important to simplify your design to make it easy to read and navigate. Use large fonts, clear and concise language, and plenty of white space to make your content easy to digest.
3️⃣ Optimize for images and videos: Large images and videos can slow down your website's loading time, so it's important to optimize them for mobile devices. This involves compressing files and using a format that is compatible with mobile devices.
4️⃣ Use mobile-friendly navigation: Make sure your website's navigation is easy to use on a mobile device. This can involve using a hamburger menu or other mobile-friendly navigation tools.
5️⃣ Test your website on multiple devices: Make sure your website looks and functions properly on multiple devices, including smartphones and tablets. Use online tools or ask your friends and colleagues to test your website on their devices.
6️⃣ Social media integration: Integrate your social media accounts into your website to provide users with a more engaging experience. You can also use social media to drive traffic to your website.
Search engine optimization (SEO):
SEO is probably the single most important factor you need to consider for site optimization. Why? If a tree falls in the forest, does it make a sound? If there’s no one around to hear it, maybe not. The same is true for your website. If your site is not on page (1) or (2) on BOTH Google and Bing, your site will never be seen except when you tell someone to visit the site directly.
Some important points to remember regarding SEO:
1️⃣ Keyword research: This involves researching the keywords and phrases that your target audience is using to find your products or services. These keywords should be used strategically throughout your website, including in your content, page titles, meta descriptions, and URL structure.
2️⃣ Content quality: High-quality, relevant content is essential for SEO. Your website's content should be well-written, informative, and engaging, and it should be optimized with your target keywords.
3️⃣ Site structure: A well-structured website is easier for search engines to crawl and index, which can improve your search rankings. This includes using clear and descriptive page titles, headers, and meta descriptions, as well as organizing your content into categories and subcategories.
4️⃣ Mobile optimization: With an increasing number of users accessing the internet from mobile devices, it's important to ensure your website is optimized for mobile. This includes using responsive design, optimizing images and videos, and using mobile-friendly navigation.
5️⃣ Backlinks: Backlinks, or links from other websites to your website, are an important factor in SEO. High-quality, relevant backlinks can improve your search rankings and drive more traffic to your website.
6️⃣ Site speed: Site speed is an important factor in SEO, as slow-loading websites can lead to a poor user experience and lower search rankings. You can improve your site speed by optimizing images and videos, using caching, and minimizing HTTP requests.
How Can Yuma Bizz Help You?
YumaBizz, a division of Data Titan and Sofvue, LLC, has been designing and developing mobile and web-based application systems since 2004. To date, we have designed and developed over $22MM in solutions for companies coast-to-coast, and across numerous business segments, and we have 80,000+ wireframes to back it up. Give us a call to learn more about our recently completed projects, read recent letters of recommendation, learn about recent launches for our clients across the USA, and discuss how we can serve both your project and your company goals.
Citations:
LINK: Statista - https://www.statista.com/statistics/379046/worldwide-retail-e-commerce-sales/
LINK: Wyzowl - https://www.wyzowl.com/video-marketing-statistics/
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