Your real estate on the internet, which is your website, is one of the most valuable assets you own as a business or nonprofit director. So, before we five into the elements for a website, here are a few powerful statistics. These are from a Forbes article, and any group should know them concerning online reputation, and also your website:

• 91 percent of people use a search engine to get information.
• 93 percent of people do not go past the first page of search engine results.

Your website is the first experience most people will have with you. And when people want search engine results, you want to ensure that your group rises to the top. Also, you want site visitors to stay with you when they click on your site. So, your site is where your online presence and reputation begins. As a result, it’s vital to make sure that it is well-designed, modern, and mobile-ready. Further, it should present a high-quality and professional image that your clients and prospective customers will appreciate and trust.

5 Elements for A Website

1) Excellent visitor experience is the number 1 thing to do.

An easy mistake to make, but one you have to avoid, is creating a site that is all about you without keeping your audience in mind. So, it’s vital to always think about what your customers want to see when they visit your website. The user experience is one of your priority elements for a website. People who land on your site make decisions within seconds. And, those decisions come from ease of navigation, aesthetic, and relevant content. So remember, your site has to demonstrate innovation for value creation, which is done with website design and SEO.

2) Easy navigation and simple design.

Since people will be visually be viewing your site and stay or leave based on appearance and experience, easy navigation is vital. Thus, you want to ensure relevant information your visitors want to see is quickly found. So, in this element for a website, you want a non-cluttered design. Also, it has to have excellent and related imagery. And, you want an as minimal copy as possible; therefore, write it concisely and make it relevant. Remember, your home page is critical, so make it succinct and to the point. It should provide the summary of your business quickly so that visitors decide to continue to explore.

3) Avoid spin and industry jargon as an element of a website.

Again, when you are creating a website, you have to keep the visitor experience first and foremost in mind. While images capture attention, people read content that attracts their interest. So, this element of a website is to avoid any spin on your website that sounds too technical. No one wants to read a complicated site. Therefore, make it easy to get visitors to trust you. Remember, how you convey the information they need to know matters. Avoid using any complicated or industry jargon not easily understood. And make sure to keep the language you use conversational. When you develop content, think about it as a conversation between you and a friend.

4) Make sure you select impactful and relevant images.

A picture is worth a thousand words in one of the elements for a website. Therefore, all images, including videos, must be compelling, but they also have to make sense. Yes, many high-quality images exist, but what you choose has to align with your particular brand positioning, product, or service. Additionally, it’s crucial to make sure that you have full rights to use any image that you place on your website to prevent what could be thousands of dollars in liability. A good place to find pictures for your site is iStock owned by Getty Images.

5) Keep your site updated and fresh.

Aside from ensuring that your website is mobile-ready and search engine optimized (SEO), which are necessary for your rankings on search engines, you also need to update the site with new content continually. Make sure to regularly keep changing content on your site, which you can do in multiple ways. For instance, you can create a blog to which you post regular articles. Also, you can provide relevant surveys and polls for people, upload new videos, and create secondary pages with information such as company news or new testimonials.

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