How to optimize your website with PR

Improve your web presence with these 4 tips

You rely on your information technology folks to create your website and make it fast and easy to use. But how do you make it rewarding, creative and profitable? That takes public relations.

Your website acts as a digital front door for your organization, showcasing your culture, mission and brand. It should say, “Welcome. Come in and stay awhile.” However, many companies simply slap up a few pages just to say they have a website and then fail to keep it updated and interesting. Using these PR tips, you can make your website the valuable asset it’s meant to be.

See your website as an advantage, not a chore.

If you think of your website as a project, you will view it as something to eventually be completed. On the contrary, it is a living, constantly changing part of your overall business strategy.

PR can help you capitalize on your website’s ability to attract customers, tell your story and build links. With the right content, you can use it to increase conversions, drive sales and support your goals.

Realize that every page is a potential home page.

You never know how your next big customer will find your company. Customers search for any and every thing today, from aerobics to Zaire. Therefore, they could enter your site at any point, such as a blog, branded newsroom or even your pricing page. Also, many people still judge a book by the cover. No matter where they enter, if they don’t immediately like what they see, they’re gone.

You should design each of your web pages to help visitors easily find the content they want, respond to a call to action, and represent your brand as a whole. They must be attractive, informative and useful. PR professionals are experts in perception, engagement and ways to connect with audiences.

Use your website to distinguish your company from the competition.

It happens to everyone. When searching for information, you visit so many websites that they all start to look the same. In both content and visuals, your company must stand out.

Your PR firm can help you create the right tone, editorial style and appearance on your website to attract your target audience, retain their attention and delight them to keep them coming back for more. You can do this with tools such as an ideal logo design, outstanding images and videos and content all made to work as part of your brand recognition initiatives.

Hire a PR firm to manage your website for you.

Everyone who contributes information for your website should be on the same page and speak the same language with the same objectives. You can’t have sales delivering a different message than human resources and finance. It can get very confusing, so it’s best to leave it in the hands of PR experts.

At Axia Public Relations, we will help you optimize your website to increase traffic, to be more responsive and thought-provoking and to be a good vehicle to show your company’s personality, while also giving you a solid return on investment. Contact us or download our e-book, Maximizing Your Public Relations Investment, to learn more.

Lisa Goldsberry is a blogger for Axia Public Relations with more than 15 years of public relations experience. She specializes in business and technology PR. Lisa has worked for Axia since December 2013. Learn more about Lisa Goldsberry. Connect with Axia on Twitter @axiapr or tell us what you think in the comments below.