Businesses have had a hard time of it lately, with many having had to close their doors amid lockdown restrictions. That is why they have relied on their websites even more than usual to gain interest and increase awareness of their brand and products.
As retail outlets begin to open next month, and hairdressers, pubs and cafes potentially set to welcome customers in July, it is more important than ever for companies to boost their business so they can get as many people through the doors when they do relaunch.
Here are our tips on how to boost your website traffic during this difficult time:
- E-commerce
Only stores selling essential products and garden centres are allowed open at the moment, which means any other retail outlet has to rely on their website if they want to make sales.
Indeed, data released by Nielsen revealed that online grocery shopping in the UK grew 103 per cent year-on-year in the four weeks ending May 16th. What’s more e-commerce rose from seven per cent of all UK grocery sales to 13 per cent over the 12-month period.
Even if you never had an e-commerce facility before, now could be the time to invest in one, as this might be the only way you are able to continue to sell stock before re-opening to the public. This could be particularly important if you have produce that will go out of date or out of style in the coming weeks, and you are worried customers will not be able to, or want to, purchase it even when you open your doors again.
- Easy-to-use website
Some people are busier than ever at the moment, trying to juggle looking after the kids with their normal work commitments. This means they have even less time to hunt around websites looking for what they want. Therefore, it is essential you consider your website design carefully to ensure it is easy to use and can be navigated without any problem.
An article in London Love Business stated: “Websites are getting more and more complex to respond to the demands of the users. That’s why you need to make sure the experience is up to standard, and users can easily navigate and transverse every corner of the website.”
It recommended focusing on pages that generate revenue, including the ‘products’, ‘terms and conditions’ and ‘shopping basket’ pages.
- Good-quality content
The overall design of a website is incredibly important to its success, as a website that is messy, incoherent or outdated will instantly put potential customers off.
However, the content that appears on the pages is just as important as how it looks. Small Business recommends prioritising good-quality copy to engage and interest visitors. It suggested offering resources that your target audience will find useful as this will help “build a relationship with them and eventually drive conversions”.
Additionally, it is a good idea to write regular blogs, as this keeps your website relevant, provides useful and share-able content for visitors, and helps to boost your search engine optimisation.
For help with your online presence, get in touch with website design professionals in Inverness today.
