By: Melissa Lee, Marketing Communications Manager
On August 6, 1991, the first website was introduced to the world. Created by British computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee and launched at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), the objective was focused on information sharing and connections. Thirty years and 1.9 billion websites later, the objective remains the same. Websites – and the internet in general – are multifaceted, providing content on just about anything you can imagine. But at the end of the day, they exist to share information and create connections.
Today, websites are considered a necessity for businesses, not a novelty. According to a GE Capital Retail Bank study, 81% of consumers indicated that they visit a company’s website and research them online before making a purchase or requesting services. Additionally, a study by Stanford University shows that 75% of consumers admit to making judgments on a company’s credibility based on their website design. Put simply, businesses NEED a website, and it needs to be done WELL.
It’s important to note that there’s an art to website development and functionality. Key factors that consumers pay attention to when visiting websites include:
- Attractive design – Is it pleasing to the eye and easy to understand what the business is offering?
- Ease of use/layout – Can users easily navigate the site and find the information they are looking for in three clicks or less?
- Load Time – While showing quality images and graphics, does your website load quickly with minimal lag? The longer it takes for the website to load, the quicker users abandon their session. The ideal load time is under two seconds.
- Quality Content – Does your website offer content that is relevant to the user? Your aim should be to inform, educate, and provide solutions to their problem.
- Call-To-Action – Is there an easy way for the user to reach out to you for more information or set up an appointment? Make sure your phone number is easily visible in the header of each of your landing pages, and provide multiple form fills throughout the site.
- Mobile Responsive – It is a given in this day in age that a website needs to be coded to offer mobile-friendly viewing. In 2019, 52.2% of all web traffic was generated from a mobile device. If you have a website that isn’t optimized for viewing on both desktop and mobile devices, you ARE losing valuable traffic and potential leads.
This information may seem overwhelming, especially for those that don’t deal with websites and digital marketing regularly. But fear not! Through our partnership with TopSpot, Duro-Last offers a variety of templated websites for our contractors. You will work directly with a success team at TopSpot to customize your chosen template with information about your company and services. The technical stuff is taken care of for you within the template. This program IS AMP-Up eligible, so you have the opportunity to completely overhaul your web presence for minimal investment.
As you finalize plans to close out the unique year we’ve had and start prioritizing projects for 2022, now is the perfect time to investigate website upgrades for your company. If you’re interested in learning more about the templated websites available through Duro-Last, reach out to the Marketing team to connect with TopSpot and start the process. In the meantime, we invite you to explore the sample template to get an idea of style and functionality options.
