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About two-thirds of small businesses have a website. If your company is still operating without a website, or if it’s been too long since you updated your site, consider how many competitors could have the upper hand on you! With more and more people using the Internet to find businesses and make purchases, it’s paramount to have a professionally designed website that helps your company reach its goals and grow long-term.

However, many factors are involved in creating a great site, and you want to ensure you set your business up for success when investing time, energy, and money. Below, Red Goose Design & Media has listed a few fundamentals to keep in mind when making your site!

Choose a Platform

Many platforms are available for new website builders — WordPress, Squarespace, Go Daddy, and Shopify are some of the most popular ones. The truth is that most platforms available will get the job done. The key is to determine your specific needs and to choose a platform that will help you accomplish your goals within your budget. Take the time to research your options to make an intelligent decision.

Go for Aesthetics and Function

It goes without saying that your website needs to be attractive and to make a positive first impression on users. But it needs to be more than beautiful; it also needs to encourage current and potential customers to interact, stay on the pages for longer, and come back at a later date.

This means that you need to incorporate engaging colors, fonts, designs, and content while ensuring the site is easy to navigate. You also want to make sure the site is mobile-friendly and allows for easy, quick purchases. By working with Red Goose Design & Media, you can ensure your website is an excellent match for your business.

Embrace Content Marketing

One of the best ways to connect with potential customers is to regularly post articles, blogs, and social media content. Content marketing provides opportunities to build your online presence by providing value to your readers and giving them something to share with their friends and colleagues. The simplest strategy is to create content out of your expertise and to hire SEO experts like Red Goose Design & Media to ensure your content drives more traffic to your website and social media accounts.

Use SEO Tactics

Search engine optimization (SEO) essentially means tailoring your content to rank your web pages higher in searches. Most (if not all) of the first-page results on your Google searches, for example, utilize effective SEO practices.

The problem is that SEO standards and tactics constantly evolve, making it challenging to keep up with what's working at any given time. That's why it's essential to work with content creators, writers, and developers like Red Goose Design & Media who understand the trends and can ensure your content helps you accomplish your goals.

Integrate Your CRM and ERP

Customer relationship management (CRM) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) are powerful software systems that provide unique functions and features to help your business experience long-term growth. CRM helps you to improve and maintain your relationships with customers, while ERP tools assist with financial and operational practices.

Integrating your CRM and ERP systems can significantly boost your sales because it helps you throughout the entire sales cycle. These two systems working together can help you attract more customers, lead them through the buyer's journey, fulfill their orders, and retain them after the sale.

Think About Security

Cybersecurity is crucial in this day and age, and it should influence every stage of the web building process. Along with choosing a secure platform and taking other measures to bolster security, make sure you have a solid recovery plan in place in the event your site faces a cyber threat.

This will allow you to efficiently delegate recovery tasks to the appropriate team members, define a timeline, and identify the programs to prioritize in the recovery. In other words, a recovery plan will let you get back to business as soon as possible.

If you don't currently have a website for your business, now’s the time to build one. But it’s essential to consider your long-term goals and growth in the process. Following the tips above will go a long way in laying a firm foundation for your company website, but keep learning other best practices for designing a stellar site!

Would you like to read more helpful content or learn about our web design and development services? Visit Red Goose Design and Media