Long gone are the days when a logo and a simple description of your business was sufficient enough for a business website. In an era where so many businesses are going online, your website needs to act as an effective sales and marketing tool or you will fall out of line with your competition. These days, it’s hard to imagine planning a professional marketing campaign without considering your website, Personal Brand, and other essential elements.

You should pay your website the amount of attention it deserves because a website that is left to its own devices can be little more than a drain on your resources. A website that is given the right amount of attention, however, can be the jewel in your marketing campaign. That isn’t just the case in a business to customer model, either. When it comes to business to business marketing strategies, your website’s performance is every bit as important.

Here are five essential elements you’ll want to ensure are a strong part of your business website.

Clear website architecture and navigation

Every page on your site you deem to be important should be linked directly from your homepage. Having a clear site navigation not only makes it easier for your site visitors to find what they’re looking for; it also helps the search engines to index your pages more easily.

Consider deploying a silo architecture when planning your website. Silo architecture helps to better organise your pages into various sections.

Content is still king

While content may not be everything, it is still the main thing. There’s just no substituting for high-quality content. Whether it’s delivering useful information to site visitors or a part of your overall marketing plan, content still really, really matters.

High-quality content can inform your prospects what you’re all about. It can also position you as an expert in your market. More importantly, it has the power to engage by not only keeping your visitors on your site, but also impressing them to the point that they return again and again.

A clear call-to-action

You should know what you want your visitors to do once they’re on your site. Common calls to action include requesting a quote, signing up for a free consultation, and purchasing a product or service.

Your website should not only make it clear to the visitor what it is you want them to do, but you should also be guiding them to it. By the time they have reached the call to action, you should have provided them with all of the information they need.

You should also have a contact option in the top right of your site, as well as in the footer, so that they can contact you with any questions they may have.

Mobile friendly

These days, the majority of site visitors access the Internet from mobile devices, which is why all major websites now have their web developers create a mobile-friendly version of their site. Many smaller businesses are taking the same approach, so if you want to avoid falling behind your competitors, take note.

If you don’t have a website that is mobile-friendly, you are ignoring a large part of your market. Mobile responsive web design is the best way to achieve this as it ensures that your web content is optimally displayed for whatever device it’s being opened on.

Furthermore, search engines such as Google will check how mobile-friendly your website is when preparing its search results for mobile devices.

Define reviews and metrics

Monitoring your website’s performance is crucial when it comes to tracking its effectiveness. Always have a list of your website goals nearby and ensure that your website is performing in alignment with your overall marketing plan.

Create parameters about what should be measured and tracked in order to determine how well your website is performing. Analyse your website regularly and take note of what you have observed, including the all-important numbers, such as site visitors and percentage of desktop users vs mobile users, for example. Also, note down anything you have personally observed that you feel can be improved.

In conclusion

The next time you speak to your web designer or developer, make sure to go over the above points. You should also feel comfortable with asking them for any further tips on how to make your website more effective. When speaking with your web developer or any other web professional, you will often find you get back similar results but with one or two unique answers. Only by seeking more information will you get closer to delivering a website that will become the marketing powerhouse it has the potential to become.