What makes a website useful and accessible?

How to turn website visitors into customers

Building, developing, designing, or redesigning a website is a large project for anyone to pursue. There’s much to consider when creating your site, aside from color schemes and placement. Content is what brings your website to life, enabling you to create and share your company’s story the way you want to tell it.

Content must have a purpose, a chosen format, and a topic. You should always aim to educate the consumer on your company’s product or service and how it’s better than anything else on the market. Ask yourself these three questions when creating content for your company website: Who else is appealing in this market? Is this a crowded marketplace? Is there a different angle I can take to stand out?

The idea used to be that creating as much content as possible was the most certain way to attract leads and customers to your website. Today we know that consumers are finding more value in quality content that is thoughtful and builds their trust in a company.

We believe that while content might be king, video is the king of content. HubSpot Research found that 54 percent of consumers prefer to see video over other types of media. Great ways to target your customers are to create how-to videos, expert interviews with leaders in your industry, and customer testimonial videos that grab viewers’ attention. Live videos are another way to add content to your website and will lead to consumer interaction, such as comments and questions. The best part about live video is that you don’t need expensive equipment. All you need is a cell phone camera to give website visitors an intimate, authentic inside look at your company.

According to HubSpot, the first stage of a buyer's journey is the awareness stage. Your website should clearly define what your product does through videos or text and what your company promises or guarantees. Having accessible and up-to-date content will bring the buyers to the consideration stage quickly, as long as your content is meaningful and properly portrays your company’s promise. Next, buyers enter the decision stage, when they decide that the product or service is right for them. The content alone engages and builds visitors’ trust, converting the visitor into a pleased customer.

When designing or redesigning your company’s website, consider implementing inbound marketing. Axia Public Relations designs and develops websites for companies that help turn their target audiences into customers and promoters. Learn more about inbound marketing by watching this HubSpot demo or download Axia’s complimentary e-book “Inbound Marketing: Your Guide to Increasing Online Traffic, Attracting Leads and Converting Customers Effectively” today.

Hannah Feran is a senior at the University of North Florida working toward a Bachelor of  Science in public relations. After graduating, Hannah will pursue a career in social media management or event planning.

Featured image credit: 123rf.com