Using your website as a route to market.

It takes seven seconds for people to form first impressions – so you make sure those seconds count. The same should go for your website. More often than not, your website is the first thing people see. It needs to act as a marketing tool for you but also as a source of information for your customers.

Here are a few items that we believe your website should have:

• A compelling introduction – tell me that I'm in the right place in the first two sentences,because if you don't, I'll be pressing that back button and visiting your competitors instead.

• The ability to collect visitor information – people are much more likely to enquire if you provide some sort of contact form on each page of your site, with a strong call to action encouraging them to get in touch.

• A user friendly interface – if people cannot find what they’re looking for then they’ll leave and go elsewhere. It’s as simple as that. Make sure everything can be accessed within a few clicks.

• A blog – not only does it show visitors that your website is consistently up to date, it provides extra content and brings the search engine spiders in, thus being good for SEO – win win all round we say!

• Compelling, interesting copy. Your website is one of your strongest sales tools – it gives you the opportunity to communicate directly with your consumers. Copy should be based around your core USPs – what do you find yourself telling potential clients at new business meetings? Is that on your website? It should be. Your web copy needs to read well, it needs to set you aside from your competitors and it needs to make your customers want to pick up the phone.

• Easily accessible contact details. The top right-hand corner is a good place to put them, after all – you do want people to call or email don't you? If they can’t find the details then, well, they won’t!

• Links to your social media profiles. You do have social media profiles such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn etc., don't you? Then let people know – give them the chance to follow / friend / contact you in the way that they feel most comfortable.

• Free info. It seems paradoxical but by giving away free information (checklists, tips, hints, reviews, etc.) you actually inspire loyalty and confidence. And where will those loyal visitors think of going when they need your products or services? Guess!

• Link Building. By seeding the downloadable content on other (relevant) sites and linking this back to your site, you automatically gain more traffic to your website – and if you’ve followed all the tips above the phone should be ringing in no time!

Not sure whether your website is up to scratch? Let us give you a honest no technobabble review – for free! Post your website address in the comments box below and we'll be in touch!