Transform your site into the ultimate sales rep to boost leads and convert customers.

You’re missing a massive growth opportunity if you think your website is just an online business card or digital brochure. In reality, sites should function like a website sales tool designed to start moving users down the lead generation sales funnel. Why is this? Today’s consumers don’t just stumble onto your site; they actively search sites for three top reasons.

Before considering any company for products, services, or information, consumers like to:

• Validate business credibility
• Compare your offerings with your competitors
• Determine whether you’re worth doing business with

For instance, below are a couple of stats to back this truth.

1. Over 85% of buyers visit a company’s website before making a purchase decision.
2. Approximately 84% of consumers say a business’s website is more credible than its social media page.

The All-Important Question: ‘Why are websites not traditionally set up as sales tools?’

For far too long, companies and marketers have treated business sites like digital placeholders overloaded with information that visitors cannot decipher. Moreover, business owners may not know or understand the importance of leveraging their website as a powerful sales asset. But when we develop websites correctly and with the proper strategic functionality in mind, those sites have the potential to become our 24/7 sales rep! As a result, they perform the way we need them to by:

• Capturing leads
• Closing sales
• Building visitor trust even while you sleep

Yet, we must first recognize that this shift in mindset is essential for any small business looking to grow in today’s digital-first world. And that’s where BUILDINGBLOCKS, a leading digital marketing agency, comes in! Our latest article provides the top five things to consider when transforming your website into a revenue generator.

1. Website First Impressions Matter
2. The Best Web Design to Convert Visitors
3. What Websites Can Do That Salespeople Cannot
4. Consistent Tracking Yields Maximum Impact
5. A Strategic Partnership Matters

Your website is the first digital impression of your business. Does it make a good one?

A company’s website is often the first and most critical point of contact between that business and its potential customers. And since it’s an online representation of that business, it also makes the first impression visitors will have about the company. These days, people can make snap judgments about a business website in less than five seconds. Their initial online encounter helps them form an opinion about your site and business. Lastly, that first impression will ultimately influence whether they stay online to explore more and eventually convert.

Consider how users behave online: They seek clarity, speed, and trust signals. When a website is slow to load, chaotic, or outdated, it will likely cause them to leave, and for good.

What can you do about it?

• Include clean visuals and an intuitive layout
• Make key information (services, pricing, contact info) immediately visible
• Use trust badges, testimonials, and up-to-date certifications

 Stats to Remember

• 85% of consumers conduct research online before deciding to purchase
• 74% say the business’s website is their go-to source

 Takeaway

• An innovative website makes a significant and lasting first impression, helping build trust and inviting users to stay online long enough to take action.

A sales-driven website design is what converts visitors. Is your site set up this way?

Many small business owners may not know that what their website looks like isn’t the most important thing about its design. Instead, the most significant thing about a site is that it’s designed and optimized for sales. The sales-driven design is what converts visiting leads into customers.

In other words, an effective website doesn’t just look nice—it moves visitors through the buying journey. A strategic sales-driven design should include the following.

1. Strong calls-to-action (CTAs)
2. Lead magnets
3. Persuasive copywriting
4. Optimized user flows

Lastly, a conversion-focused site also answers key questions, overcomes objections, and prompts users to act, whether signing up, booking a call, or finalizing a purchase.

Try including:

• Sticky “Book Now” or “Schedule a Consultation” buttons
• Interactive lead forms or quizzes
• Pop-ups with compelling offers or downloads

 Stat to Remember

• 84% of consumers say a company is more credible with a website than with only social media platforms

 Takeaway

• Every website page should have a clear purpose, leading users one step closer to conversion.

Unlike a sales team, your website sales tool works 24/7! Does your website work for you?

Even your best salesperson can’t work around the clock, but your website can. Also, with automated and innovative tools, your site can nurture leads and drive revenue while you sleep. Whether through a live chat bot, a downloadable lead magnet, or an FAQ page, your website can answer questions and capture interest long after business hours.

Plus, today’s consumers are researching more than ever! For example, 81% of U.S. shoppers research online before visiting a physical store. That’s a huge opportunity to influence decisions before they even walk through the door.

Below are a few advanced features you should consider implementing.

• Automated appointment booking
• Email marketing integrations
• Instant downloadable resources

 Takeaway

• A well-designed site never clocks out—it sells, educates, and supports users 24/7.

Tracking and improving your site regularly is crucial for experiencing maximum impact and genuine growth. Are you practicing this?

The fact is, ‘You cannot fix what you don’t measure,’ and your website is no exception. If your site isn’t helping drive leads, sales, or client engagement, it’s not doing its job. The good news? You can turn your website into a powerful revenue-generating asset with intentional tracking and ongoing content, design, and performance improvements.

Ask yourself: “Is our website genuinely working for us—or is it just existing online?”

As a business owner, you may not check every statement below, but you should be able to confirm at least a few confidently. The following statements are key indicators of a site built to promote business growth.

• We have clear website goals (leads, calls, purchases, etc.)
• Our company regularly reviews and analyzes website data
• We test different CTAs or layouts to improve conversions
• Our team gathers user feedback through surveys or behavioral tools
• We conduct quarterly audits on content, design, and performance

If you couldn’t check most of these statements, it’s a surefire sign that it’s time to reevaluate your website’s impact. A well-optimized site isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity for modern business growth.

Are you ready to turn these insights into income? Let’s talk strategy with BUILDINGBLOCKS and implement the ultimate Website Sales Tool Checklist!

Firstly, know that having a business website isn’t just a task to check off your marketing “To Do” list—it’s the foundation of your digital strategy. The website is where your company earns the trust of its online visitors and provides the relevant resources they need. It’s also where those same visitors can gather first impressions and decide to do business with you.

When business owners and department marketers treat their websites like digital brochures, they miss out on the whole purpose and functionality of having a site. Businesses should leverage websites as dynamic, conversion-focused sales engines. That’s why modern web design has become more than just aesthetics—it’s about clarity, usability, UX and UI, automation, and sales psychology.

Credibility matters more than ever. A strong, well-structured website signals that you’re a legitimate, professional business that cares about the customer experience. And in an era where most consumers start online, your site is often your only chance to win their attention—and their business.

Whether you’re looking to generate leads, close sales, or position your brand more effectively, your website plays a critical role. Want to see where your current site stands? This FREE Checklist is a great place to start.

Click below to turn your site into a sales engine!

Looking for additional guidance from an expert? Schedule a Discovery Call to learn how we can help transform your website into a fully-functional revenue generator!   

The post The Website Sales Tool Every Small Business Needs for Growth appeared first on BUILDINGBLOCKS.

With Sagis’ phenomenal growth, they needed to revamp their online presence to accommodate an expanding portfolio and ensure a seamless user experience. This case study delves into how Sagis Diagnostics partnered with BUILDINGBLOCKS Marketing Solutions (BBMS) to overcome these obstacles and emerge with a stronger brand presence.

Our Client— Sagis Diagnostics:

Today, Sagis is a trusted name in pathology. The company is a physician-led pathology group that provides diagnostic expertise in a variety of fields, including dermatopathology, podiatric pathology, surgical & cytopathology, molecular pathology, and toxicology, to name a few. With a commitment to precision and excellence, it serves as a cornerstone in the medical community, providing vital diagnostic services to nationwide healthcare providers and patients alike.

Check Out Sagis’ New Diagnostic Experts Page!

Their Growth Problem:

As the Sagis team expanded, they became challenged with refreshing their messaging and consolidating their website and online presence to innovate, adapt, and best reflect and incorporate their extended offerings. This necessitated merging three separate websites and two new service lines into one cohesive platform. The existing websites included:

1. Sagis Dx
2. Sagis Podiatry
3. Sagis Toxicology

Sagis Former Website Homepage— BEFORE

In addition to merging the websites and brands, Sagis found it necessary for the consolidated site to have:

• Scalability as they continued to diversify
• A capacity to provide user access to any page on the site within two to three clicks
• An enhanced user-friendly admin interface, giving their team the ability to manage content on their own
• Exceptional UI/UX for the Resident Education portion of their website to add value and create more positive learning experiences for residents and medical students
• Improved patient and provider portals to ensure site visitors can easily and quickly access results, supplies, and needed resources and information online

The Solution:

BBMS didn’t just offer a one-size-fits-all solution. Instead, we developed a tailored strategy by taking a comprehensive approach to address Sagis’ multifaceted challenges. We created the following steps towards a custom solution.

1.    Voice of Customer Survey

BBMS gained valuable insights into Sagis’ target audience by conducting in-depth surveys. This tool facilitated the development of precise marketing personas and tailored messaging strategies, ensuring resonance with physicians, clinicians, and resident doctors alike.

2.    WordPress Integration with User-Friendly Admin Interface

Leveraging the power of WordPress coupled with a customizable website builder, BBMS crafted a sleek and intuitive admin interface. This solution empowered Sagis’ team to manage content effortlessly, streamlining operations and reducing dependency on external resources.

3.    Mega Menu Implementation

BBMS integrated a robust mega menu feature to enhance user navigation. This option enabled users to easily access specific service lines, fostering a seamless browsing experience. The mega menu also allows visitors to access any page on the site within two to three clicks.

4.    Resident Education Portal

Recognizing the significance of resident education and its importance to Sagis, BBMS enhanced and further advanced their sophisticated video library. The new portal offers resident doctors a comprehensive learning platform tailored to their needs and is equipped with advanced sorting, search categories, and viewing functionalities.

Sagis Website Homepage— AFTER

The Sagis Diagnostics Result:

They received a mega website with a seamless fusion of marketing innovation and functionality. Through strategic collaboration with BBMS, Sagis has successfully transformed its online presence, achieving remarkable outcomes. This consolidated website not only exuded professionalism but, more importantly, it strategically addressed the needs of physicians, clinicians, residents, and patients alike.

Furthermore, the intuitive admin interface empowered Sagis’ team, enabling efficient content management and fostering autonomy. Lastly, the dedicated Resident Education portal garnered accolades for its exceptional UI/UX, enriching the learning journey for residents.

Sagis’ partnership with BBMS exemplifies the power of innovation and collaboration in navigating the complexities of business growth and diversification. By embracing tailored marketing solutions and prioritizing user experience, Sagis continues to emerge as a trailblazer in the diagnostic healthcare industry and remains poised for continued success in an ever-evolving landscape of diagnosing potential life-threatening diseases.

Continuing to serve marketing solutions and partnering with Sagis Diagnostics has remained an honor for BBMS!

Check Out Sagis’ Molecular Services Department Page!

What website or marketing solutions can we provide for your business?

BUILDINGBLOCKS specializes in addressing the needs of growing businesses. Thus, we focus on scalability, diversifying services or products, and developing strategies to bolster sustainability and drive profitability. Our expertise lies in collaborating and partnering with businesses to ensure marketing success and substantial ROI, regardless of company size.

Whether you require a dedicated outsourced marketing department, additional support during peak campaign periods or experimental phases, or expert consultation, training, and tailored recommendations, we’re poised and committed to ensuring your ultimate success!

 Schedule your free consultation online, or by phone at 281-203-0529.

The post Anatomy of a Mega Website: A Sagis Case Study appeared first on BUILDINGBLOCKS.

The most significant aspect of building your website isn’t its beauty; it’s the marketing strategy behind the site. Every great website and web design should start with ensuring a firm marketing foundation. In other words— Marketing strategy comes first!

As a matter of fact, marketing strategy is what determines the following things for your business website:

• What ‘looks good’ visually
• The layout of the site
• The constructs of effective navigation layouts
• Its conversion into a revenue and lead-generating marketing tool that works!

Business owners always tell me they ‘just want a website.’ Then, I ask—  WHY Do You Need A Website? This question typically throws people off guard as they instantly conclude that needing a website means far more than just ‘wanting’ one!

So, I wrote this article to help ensure you’re on the right track when it comes to marketing your website properly. Simply ‘having a site online’ will never work if you don’t understand how to develop and incorporate a business strategy behind it. A marketing strategy for your site ensures that it will evolve into a wonderful and functional online tool! In addition, this article addresses three fundamental marketing strategy considerations for web design success.

Ask yourself the following questions beforehand to effectively market your web design.

1. Do I have a clear ROI tied to the development of my website?
2. What should my content and messaging convey to visitors coming to the site?
3. How can I effectively drive traffic to my website?

Question 1— Is there a clear ROI tied into developing your website?

With every digital marketing strategy, as a business owner, you definitely want to see a return on your investment dollars. And developing your website is no exception; you must incorporate an online strategy to acquire tangible results! Yet, some may wonder what building an ROI-based website would look like. Well, allow me to explain.

Over the years, I’ve learned there are three key aspects to having an ROI-based marketing plan for your website and its design. And the following factors can help businesses measure and determine an ROI from their company site.

Businesses need to think about the ROI for their website from perspective leads, marketing database building, engagement, and revenue generation.

The following criteria is an example of what I mean:

• A company site is generating 50 or more leads per month
• It’s building a marketing database of at least 100 new contacts per month
• Their site is increasing brand awareness by generating 2,000⁺ site visitors per month
• Generated revenues are measurable based on confirmed data

My Bottom Line for Investing in Web Design

No one spends money on marketing without expecting a return on their investment. And to achieve business goals tied to an ROI, you need a marketing strategy to help determine the best way to structure the website to accomplish your business goals.

Question 2— What content and messaging should you convey to potential customers visiting your site?

Brand messaging and engaging content are the most critical marketing strategies for a successful web design. So, ensure you know what you need to say and effectively communicate those messages on each page. And don’t let me get started on the significance of On-Page and Off-Page SEO strategies! That topic is a whole different story!

Providing relevant content marketing to your website will depend on your industry. And though this is true, what you communicate on your site goes far beyond the business industry. For instance, every great company’s web design should consider and apply the following content marketing factors.

You should always:

• Know your target audience on an intimate level.
• Clearly and confidently address their pain points.
• Speak their language to remain ‘relatable’ instead of saying what you think is clever.
• Guide visitors to the critical and accessible information they need quickly and effectively.
• Create a compelling call to action.

My Bottom Line for Content and Web Design

Content is king, and how well you communicate to current and potential customers on your website pages will reveal whether they’ll purchase your products or services. And most importantly, the planning of what you say on each page should be determined at the marketing strategy level before the design begins.

Question 3— How can your web design and marketing strategy drive traffic to the website?

We love that famous saying from the movie Field of Dreams— “If you build it, they will come.” But in the digital marketing world, that saying doesn’t work! If you build a website, no matter how fantastic it looks, simply creating and taking it live doesn’t automatically guarantee increased traffic or converted leads for your business.

Instead, a great website requires a strategic marketing plan of execution and inbound marketing tools to give it steady exposure. In fact, an inbound marketing strategy is what constantly drives new prospect leads and existing customers to your website. And if you apply it right, online visitors will be compelled to purchase more of your products and services once the site is built.

I’ve listed below the four critical factors for driving substantial traffic to your website.

1. Always utilize inbound marketing tools, like emails, blogs, SEO or PPC, and social media marketing.
2. Know which unique landing or website pages you’re driving people to during every inbound campaign.
3. Ensure content is always relevant to potential customer needs and in line with your inbound marketing communication or messaging.
4. Use the appropriate inbound marketing platform that considers your target audience’s buyer journey.

My Bottom Line for Incorporating Inbound Marketing

You must know the end goal before the design begins. Knowing this allows you to use your site as a tool to navigate users down a successful buyer’s journey. However, you must work on that end goal while developing your marketing strategy, which should be before the start of creating designs and page copy.

It’s time to develop a solid marketing strategy for your site!

Whether you have a marketing strategy or not, if you’ve grown tired of doing the same things and reaping the same results, it’s time to experience something different. After all, you had a great purpose in mind when you created your business, right? And why shouldn’t you see it grow, thrive, keep clients happy, and yield a substantial ROI? Let us help you strategize and see tangible results!

And because we’re here to ensure you experience those goals, connect with us online to talk strategy and how to best market your website. For instance, you can take the first step now by clicking below!

Analyze Your Website for FREE!

The post The Necessity of Marketing Strategy in Web Design appeared first on BUILDINGBLOCKS.

 Lead generation is a prime aspect of any business’s success. It’s the process of attracting and converting potential customers into leads – people who are interested in your products/services and have provided their contact information.

And from there, you can nurture and convert those potential leads into paying customers. This blog post explores eight various strategies and best practices for effective lead generation. So, freely skip to the strategies that interest you the most!

Successfully leveraging lead generation strategies means using the following.

• • Target Audience Research
  • Content Marketing
  • Website Development & Optimization
  • Social Media Marketing
  • Email Marketing & Automation
  • Paid Ads
  • Referral Marketing Tips
  • Analytics Tools
  • Partnering with BBMS

1. Know Your Audience

As we always say, ‘The first step in successful lead generation is knowing and understanding your targeted audience.’ So, you’ll want to ask yourself the following questions when it comes to marketing to your ideal audience:

1. Who are they, and what do they want?
2. What are their pain points and challenges to getting what they want?
3. What motivates them to get it?

And once you’ve gained a clear understanding of the audience you’re addressing and serving, you can begin tailoring your lead generation campaigns to attract and meet their needs and preferences.

2. Create Valuable Content

We also consistently tell business owners¹ that developing valuable and relevant content is a crucial strategy for lead generation success. However, the ultimate goal here is to always offer content that addresses your target audience’s pain points and provides solutions.

And since ‘Content is King,’ great content allows you to incorporate this strategy into your:

• Blogs
• Video marketing pieces
• Social media posts
• Infographics
• And even e-books

In other words, what you “say” in your communications matters to your audience. And by regularly offering valuable content and adding it to your website, you’ll attract the right potential customers to your site, capture their contact information consistently, and keep your current customers happy!

3. Optimize & Develop Your Website for Lead Generation Conduciveness

Optimizing your website and ensuring it is responsive is highly conducive to turning it into a powerful lead-generating tool. And this fact also includes having clear calls-to-action (CTAs) throughout your site, such as “Download our e-book” or “Sign up for our newsletter.”

It would help if you also had landing pages specifically designed to capture contact information from potential customers. Lastly, ensure your landing pages are optimized for conversions with compelling headlines, clear benefits, and simple forms.

4. Use Social Media for Lead Generation

Another powerful tool for successful lead generation is utilizing social media marketing. For example, you can use LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to connect with potential customers.

In addition, these platforms allow you to share relevant content and promote your products or services.

Social media platforms are also great for running targeted ads and promoting lead magnets (e.g., free e-books, webinars, or consultations) that capture contact information.

5. Leverage Email Marketing Campaigns

Email marketing is another highly useful way to successfully generate leads. For example, you can use email to promote your content, offer discounts or special deals, or invite potential customers to a consultation or webinar.

In addition, email marketing automation through software programs, like MailChimp², can generate up  to 3x more leads! So, make certain your emails are personalized and tailored to your target audience’s needs and preferences.

6. Run Paid Advertising Campaigns

Paid advertising campaigns, like Google Ads or Facebook Ads, are also powerful ways to generate leads. And once you begin to target specific keywords, demographics, or interests to reach potential customers, you’ll find those who are likely to be interested in your products/services. So, ensure your ads are compelling and offer a clear benefit to the viewer.

7. Use Referral Marketing

Referral marketing is a strategy that business owners can utilize to incentivize existing customers into referring their friends and family to their business. For example, this strategy could be used in a referral campaign where you offer a discount or reward for each referral.

Yet, the true beauty of referral marketing is generating new leads and building trust with potential customers by leveraging your existing customer base!

8. Partner with Us for Measurable Results

Finally, measuring the results of your lead generation efforts is essential to overall marketing success. For instance, using analytics tools can help track website traffic, lead conversions, and sales. In addition, you can also use A/B testing to experiment with different strategies and see which ones are most effective.

So, by measuring your results, you can refine your lead generation strategies and improve your ROI. And with our partnership, you’ll be able to foster, deepen, and eventually strengthen your relationships with current and potential customers each time they interact with your business!

Remember, lead generation is a critical aspect of your business’s success!

By knowing your audience, creating valuable content, optimizing your website, using email automation, and social media, running paid advertising campaigns, leveraging referral marketing, and measuring your results, you can effectively generate leads and turn them into paying customers.

It’s time to take your business growth to the next level! So, download our FREE Lead Generation Checklist below, or call 281-203-0529 for immediate assistance.

^References

1. ^{Business owner and relevant content online concept by Brooke Cagle.}
2. ^{MailChimp Photo Image Icon. Thank you!}

The post 8 Lead Generation Strategies for Marketing Success appeared first on BUILDINGBLOCKS.

Dear Reader, if you view a company’s online presence as merely a digital brochure-type site, this article is not for you!

However, this blog is for “Non-Do-It-Yourselfers” who believe a business web design is a functional, interactive tool, used to help generate quality leads to the right resources, products, and services. So, keep reading if you could use a professional digital marketing partner who will—

1. Bring your site into the 21^st century with quality design aesthetics, functional navigation, and responsiveness
2. Provide exceptional web design UI and UX
3. Help you create attractive messaging and resourceful content that converts leads into happy customers

In truth, a professional website design comes with vital benefits critical to overall business marketing growth and customer satisfaction. And since it’s one of the top substantial investments for any business, hiring a professional marketing web developer and designer will enable you to experience those benefits and obtain a significant ROI.

Primary Benefits of Having a Quality Web Design

• Make a fantastic first impression
• Connect with happy customers
• Boost SEO & Move up in SERPs
• Build brand consistency
• Generate and convert leads
• Start with the Right Help
• Get Your FREE Website Analysis!

Let’s begin with Benefit #1— Professional web designs will help your business do MORE than make a lasting impression!

What perceptions do you think online visitors and potential customers have about your business when they first hit your website? Knowing the answer to this question is crucial to whether your site is an attractive and resourceful access tool for them or one that will cause them to click out within the first 3-4 seconds!

You’ve heard the phrase, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Well, that statement is dead today, especially regarding websites. First impressions are EVERYTHING when people visit a business site, as they’ll have immediate perceptions about a company based on its website look and layout! And since your ‘home page’ is the “book cover,” per se, milliseconds matter as you only get one chance to make a fantastic first impression.

In addition, you’ll need to ensure you know who is visiting your site and why. Knowing these things is critical to ensuring you meet their needs on Page 1 and throughout the site. Fortunately, all these elements are addressed and considered in quality web design.

And skilled developers/designers will create innovative engagements with online visitors through UI and UX encounters that help them—

1. Stay engaged longer
2. Have a pleasant experience with each visit
3. Quickly access exactly what they need from your website

Benefit #2— Responsive web designs connect you to more happy customers!

If you want your business to effectively attract and interact with more high-quality leads, potential business partners, skilled employees, and current happy customers, your site must be:

• Well-laid-out
• Trustworthy
• Resourceful

Surprisingly, your website’s design can provide visitors with keen insights into how you view them and how well you’ll treat them from the information and visuals on the site.

These days, people have more confidence in using nicely designed and highly functional/intuitive sites. Most importantly, they’ll frequent sites where they can quickly see and access the information they need without sensing their personal data could be compromised. A reliable, resourceful, and well-designed site helps your business build trust with its targeted audience.

And as a result, as they consistently experience pleasant encounters with each visit, they are happier and more willing to refer your company to others. And over time, you become a resource industry leader who consistently provides a responsive site that works.

Benefit #3— Would you like to boost SEO and move up in SERPs? A quality design with phenomenal content can make that happen!

The whole point of having a website for your company, great or small, is to get FOUND online. Your site is the venue by which people who want and need what you offer can find you. Yet, the only way people can find your business online is through a quality website design populated with content that matches your audience’s search behaviors. Although what you offer is essential, it’s not nearly as important as how you “position” your site’s content on that product or service.

Search engine bots and spiders constantly crawl sites to find relevant and optimized content that matches the millions of search queries occurring every minute. So, ensure your site has valuable and optimized content and that you’re consistently providing fresh content regularly. In turn, the more bots can match your pages to search queries, the quicker you move up on SERPs (search engine results pages).

However, when it comes to winning with SEO, this practice doesn’t happen overnight; the process of consistently incorporating SEO into strategic marketing plans takes time. And in the end, you’ll find the investments of time and treasure you put into your website well worth the return you receive from your SEO efforts!

Benefit #4— You can build brand consistency.

Professional website designs can certainly help strengthen your business brand identity and make it even stronger! And with a boost in brand identity, you also gain an edge over the competition. Yet, you must establish that brand, work on establishing and maintaining it consistently, and then watch it grow.

Even by making a few minor yet substantial brand updates to your highly-functional website, you’ll see a significant difference in how visitors respond to it and your brand. Again, consistency is the KEY!

It’s also worth mentioning that professional website designers will always have a bigger picture in mind while developing your site. For instance, they’ll help you incorporate content brand messaging on each page while ensuring the entire site has consistent visual brand guidelines. All these elements, like logo usage, fonts, messaging, and corporate brand colors, directly help you experience growth as you build your business brand to faithfully serve your customers.

Benefit #5— Lastly, quality web designs help generate and convert leads!

Generating lead attraction and conversion are just two ways we measure marketing success at BUILDINGBLOCKS. And once you’ve mastered the process of measuring how many leads you gain over time, you’ll see positive growth with each conversion! Yet, the criteria for experiencing an increase in lead conversion is to ensure your content, lead magnets, and calls-to-action are accessible and appealing enough to guide potential leads/buyers through the sales funnel.

The ability to attract the right kind of customer leads and drive traffic to your site is an art and the key to increasing your bottom line! However, having a professional web design is the first step AND the best start to getting people to your site and keeping them engaged long enough to convert! The longer you can get visitors to stay on your website and keep coming to it, the better.

Great web designs allow visitors to:

1. Explore products and services
2. Become familiar with your brand,
3. Access resource information through—
   • Intriguing calls-to-action
   • Lead magnets
   • Free promotional downloads

All these elements work in tandem to ensure you obtain a substantial ROI, real results, and significant growth.

Take the first step to having a functional, responsive, and optimized website.

Get your free website analysis! You cannot know where to take your business until you first know your starting point. And our web analysis helps you determine a baseline so you can set realistic goals. In fact, you may be surprised at what your website already has and how it’s currently working for you. Or, you may be shocked about what’s NOT working for you and the opportunities available for improvement.

Regardless of your website status, we’re here to help turn it into a lead-generating and functional tool that works. Even more, we want to see the results bring a substantial ROI. So, let’s get started! Call 281-203-0529 today, or get your analysis by clicking below.

The post What a Quality Web Design Does for Your Business appeared first on BUILDINGBLOCKS.

What is SEO? The People Want to Know!

Skip through to what interests you!

• • Let’s Define SEO
  • Discover Its Effectiveness
  • SEO Top Five Benefits

1. 1. 1. REACH More People
      2. IMPROVE Website Visibility & Usability
      3. INCREASE User Engagement
      4. ENHANCE Content Marketing
      5. OBTAIN Quantifiable Results

• • Making SEO Work for Your Company
  • Get Started with One Click!

Search engine optimization, commonly known as SEO, is an inbound marketing strategy a business can use to improve its website visibility through specific search queries. Its ultimate goal is to help increase the quantity AND quality of online traffic (generated leads) to your site.

And applying SEO strategies means consistently implementing best practices, shifting, and adjusting marketing content to enhance your brand’s online profile and awareness. In addition, SEO consists of various digital marketing tools, like keywords, backlinks, website speed, content blogs, page mechanics, and meta-descriptions— all intricately working together to drive people to your online business.

Find Out Now w/a FREE SEO Analysis!

However, please be advised that it’s not this quick fix, one-and-done type of thing you apply to a campaign as a marketing tactic. SEO is an ongoing digital marketing application you can incorporate to reach, connect, and continuously serve your customers with excellence while also becoming more visible to potential customers online!

Why is it so effective in digital marketing?

Successful search engine optimization for internet users coming to your website is just as vital as customer service excellence over the phone! In fact, the top keys to SEO effectiveness include learning to:

• Serve clients’ needs through online quality assurance
• Adhere to various search engine guidelines and best practices [Per Google, Yahoo, and Bing]
• Understand customer search intents and preferred content
• Provide the resourceful information and answers your searchers need

In truth, SEO works because it serves as both a customer research technique and an online sales channel for your business. And the key to its effectiveness is discovering how to incorporate the technical and strategic elements simultaneously to meet customer needs and present it in a way that’s appealing to search engines.

And remember, applying SEO takes a little trial and error to find the best strategies for your business industry. So, no ONE methodology works for every company, but there are common practices that have proven efficient when you apply and incorporate the right ones into an appropriate strategy campaign!

What are the immediate benefits of incorporating SEO into my online marketing plan?

If you want your business to have long-term brand awareness, grow its target audience reach, and obtain an ROI, then a digital marketing SEO strategy is just what you need. In this section, we’ve provided five prime benefits we believe are most prevalent when implementing SEO.

1.    Search Engine Optimization ultimately helps you reach more people online.

While the goal of many digital campaigns is to zero in on a targeted audience, SEO helps companies attract any online visitor searching and intending to find matched products and services. Even more, it will work at any given time, regardless of which stage a customer or client is on in their buying journey.

However, the solution to ensuring your business can expand its reach is to consistently utilize targeted and focused keywords that match your products and services. In addition, you’ll want to incorporate top keywords on your website and in all publications over time. Again, this doesn’t happen overnight; but with time, you’ll reach more prospects and potential leads¹ who may take strong interest in your company.

2.    SEO helps improve your website visibility and usability.

As long as you apply SEO best practices to each of your website pages, usability and visibility will increase over time. The solution involves consistently pushing out and publishing relevant and resourceful content on your website. And website content that is appropriately saturated with industry keywords helps bots regularly search your site and move you up in search rankings.

Overall, SEO makes business websites search-engine-friendly while also improving site visibility and the experiences of visiting website users. But, again, you must put in the work to consistently develop high-quality and insightful content that will attract visitors and bring your site to the forefront!

The Best Recipe for an Engine-Optimized Site!

1. 1. Add a teaspoon of high-quality backlinks on your high-volume pages.
   2. Stir in the PROPER WEB DEVELOPMENT TECHNIQUES that ensure your site is fast and responsive.
   3. Incorporate KEY SITE STRUCTURE & NAVIGATION during its development.
   4. Consistently add FRESH RELEVANT CONTENT to your site.
   5. And lastly, always remember to hold regular SEO SITE ANALYSES & AUDITS to check and ensure it remains optimized.
      

3.    It can also enhance user engagement rates.

Are enough people frequenting your website? Most business owners don’t know unless they have an outsourced digital marketing partner measuring this for them. However, a well-optimized website will typically bring in quality leads and steady visitor traffic. But to keep visitors engaged, company sites must have resourceful online content that matches a searcher’s intent.

And when they do, those sites usually have visitors who will spend more time browsing them. Yet, here comes the best part— Increased engagement rates on a business website can ultimately lead to more conversions and increased ROI. So, if you want to improve your user engagement rate, ensure you have a responsive, mobile-friendly website that is analyzed regularly, checked and cleared of any errors, and updated with proper SEO page mechanics as needed.

4.    It Works Hand-in-Hand with Content Marketing

Genuine industry content and SEO go together like macaroni and cheese! So, each time you develop and post valuable digital marketing content for online visitors, you help increase your rank on SERPs. And as I’ve said many times, ‘All content isn’t created equal.’ So, ensure it is high quality and optimized with the keywords for which you want to rank.

Bottom line— search engines and bots love crawling fresh, updated content. And the more they can find new and reliable information from your website, the more attention they bring to it. Fortunately, you can put out helpful content in many ways, like via content blogs, web pages, digital ads, emails, social media posts, and even through images and videos. And these content venues will ultimately help your site rank better.

5.    SEO can provide your online business with tangible and quantifiable results.

One of the many things we love most about SEO is that it eventually helps you track changes in your rankings, lead conversions, and site traffic volumes. For instance, the Google Analytics² platform offers a comprehensive suite of information, enabling you to access data on an extraordinarily granular level.

The following list consists of types of information you can find through SEO analytics results.

• • Gain a better understanding of how visitors find your business online.
  • Learn which keywords are working best
  • And see what your site is ranking for
  • Find out which pages are the most popular
  • Discover how visitors reacted to specific calls-to-action
  • And learn where there’s room for improvement.

Moreover, with SEO, you’ll always have the opportunity to—

• • Take deep dives into your site’s health.
  • Use the insights and analytical results to make necessary adjustments to your strategy.
  • Upgrade and change each digital campaign to measure improvements.

How can an SEO strategy work for my business?

First and foremost, you must develop your digital marketing strategy around SEO best practices! And this is where marketing professionals like BUILDINGBLOCKS come in! Over the years, we’ve learned to grasp the best ways for businesses to leverage SEO strategy for their industries. For instance, our motto is ‘Everything starts with an IMPACT plan from which you can build on.’ So, based on your business growth needs, goals, and investment type for a planned ROI, we can incorporate the best course of action for obtaining accurate results!

Overall, there are two main ways search engine optimization helps your business.

I. SEO can ultimately give your company a competitive advantage!

Although heavily investing in SEO isn’t the be-all and end-all, the amount you invest should make sense and align with what’s best for your business industry and goals. Because what’s most important here is that if your competitors are investing in SEO, you should too! After all, you cannot win the game if you’re not playing!

However, before incorporating an SEO strategy, research your direct business contenders to learn their weaknesses and strengths. Knowing this is vital to incorporating an effective strategy and increasing traffic to your website. In addition, there are two other things you must also do:

1. Research your target audience’s needs. Consistently provide the search venues most conducive to their finding your business online. The more you provide relevant and matching search content, the easier for them to find you online. And, eventually, the higher you rank in search results.
2. Keep your website up-to-date by doing the following:
   • Loading fresh and resourceful content pages.
   • Maintaining website performance checks regularly to confirm loading speed and responsiveness remains accurate.
   • Providing positive user experiences to ensure visitors can easily access what they need!

II.  It also helps improve your rank position in local searches.

In applying the things above to gain a competitive edge, you not only help your company maintain that edge, but you also gradually move up the search results page. Page one is the ultimate goal and advantage, as it’s where businesses get over 90 percent of the search traffic!

And when it comes to local searches, most people today want access to products and services that are conveniently nearby. In truth, they prefer getting what they need asap rather than waiting for a delivery or utilizing services more than 20 miles away. So, part of your SEO strategy should include keywords and phrases like “coffee near me³” and “nearby,” or using local service zip codes.

Did you know that 28% of local smartphone searches result in conversions— meaning they end in a purchase? And since Google conducted this study in 2016, we’re sure the percentage has increased since then! Therefore, having a local SEO strategy is also vital to improving search rank position.

To begin, you’ll want to ensure you have a Google My Business account and start setting up reviews for customers/clients who are nearby and have encountered your business. Reviews and ratings are a vital part of establishing credibility and building trust!

Okay, I’m ready to get started!

Incorporating a marketing strategy with SEO provides crazy benefits in bringing more traffic to your website and providing long-term exponential growth. As long as you’re attracting quality leads and ensuring visitors can easily connect and access what they need online, you’ll soon experience success and yield a substantial ROI.

And here’s the best part, getting started with us is just one click away!

GET YOUR FREE SEO ANALYSIS!

 ^References

1. ^{Reaching more online customers and generating more leads with SEO. Photo concept by Anastasia Nelen.}
2. ^{Tangible SEO Results- Digital Marketing Google Analysis. Image by Myriam Jessier.}
3. ^{SEO local business search image concept by Patrick Tomasso.}

The post How to Make SEO Work for Your Online Business appeared first on BUILDINGBLOCKS.

This week’s BUILDINGBLOCKS article addresses the remaining three factors affecting total website design and development costs.

Freely jump to any particular factor or section that interests you, or continue enjoying the read!

• The Skinny Review
• Fourth Factor: Content Development
• Fifth Factor: Website Size
• Sixth Factor: Overall Service & Maintenance
• Getting Started

In case you missed “The Skinny— Part 1” of this blog article, here’s a recap of the first three factors that affect website design costs.

During Part 1, we discussed the first three factors that affect web design costs.

The first factor is site type.

Site type addresses who will build it or by what means. In other words, will you choose a do-it-yourself site builder template, work with a freelance website developer, or hire a professional custom developer? Each type has an associated cost, with site builder templates being the least expensive on average.

Factor two— website design and layout.

This particular factor addresses what the site will look like, its visual aesthetics¹, and the consistent layout flow on each page. The more elaborate and animated a site is, the more it will cost for the design work aspect, especially if companies require custom features, exceptional UI (user interface), and additional designs for responsiveness.

The third factor is site functionality.

‘What do you want your website to do for the people visiting online?’ That is the top question pertaining to site functionality and interactivity. Functionality has a lot to do with programming, and similar to design, functioning must be responsive and create a favorable UI. However, functional features must include high-level responsiveness so the site can show well and work on any digital platform. By this, it should also provide a positive UX (user experience) for visitors.

Overall, the true website costs of plan development, building, and site maintenance depend highly on six primary factors, namely—

1. Site type
2. Website design
3. Functionality
4. Content
5. Site Size, and
6. Monitoring and maintenance

Due to these essential factors, website prices will always vary from as low as $500 to upwards of $50,000 or more. In the end, website cost is determined by what each company needs on their site to conduct business online, stay connected to customers, and remain industry competitive.

Now that we’ve recapped part 1 of this blog series, let’s take a closer look at the remaining three web cost factors: Content, Website Size, and On-going Maintenance.

Does your business need a new website design for 2023? Now’s a great time to start planning!

Schedule Your FREE 15-Minutes

Factor 4: Content is still King $Ka-Ching next to website functionality!

Next to site functionality and layout, content is the second most critical element to consider in website design cost. It’s about ‘What words are on each page and how are they being conveyed?’ Not only does content lure visitors to your website, but also its amount is what determines page numbers and cost.

In addition, fresh, relevant, and optimized content is your essential communications tool, so utilize and incorporate it wisely to help promote site visitor connections and your ROI.

For example, when content developers write copy messaging using SEO best practices, the chances of a site connecting potential leads and customers to business product and service solutions increase astronomically.

There is a power that comes with content marketing. Many people still wonder, ‘What exactly does content do for your website?’ I say, it’s naturally simple yet strategic.

• • • Content is essential to connecting customers to your products and service solutions.
    • It’s also vital to helping increase SEO rankings so your business appears on search queries (SERP).

The three aspects that ultimately affect content pricing for website pages are:

• • Who is providing the content?
  • Will the content be enhanced for SEO?
  • How much content will there be? (Number of pages.)

Content Logistics also affect design cost- Who will write the content, and how will it be provided?

The logistics of getting content onto each website page is also where costs can vary. For instance, companies that already have relevant content but may need refreshening, optimizing, and copy rearranging for new site pages, will pay less for their itemized content portion. On the other hand, those requiring content writers for page copy development and optimization will pay more.

Consistently Adding Fresh Content to Your Website – Blogs Are Essential!

By far, blogging is the best way to continue adding relevant and engaging content onto a site. For instance, if you want to ensure your website functions like a lead-generating tool, industry resource articles help make that happen!

As a vital part of a website marketing strategy, blogs also consistently show Google that a company site is active, competitive, and marketable in its industry. So, what you say and how well you say it matters and should always be conveyed through content marketing messaging.

Since blogs also fall under website updating and maintenance, additional content marketing costs are associated with writers adding these new pages. So, businesses can have staff write and post blogs regularly, or they can choose to hire a marketing industry expert to write and publish articles on the site. And, of course, the latter typically includes higher costs, usually at a per-word or per blog-type rate.

Bottom line? You’ll always want to ensure your content is on-point, relevant, and consistent with keyword searches and brand messaging. If not, you could end up having a beautiful site you paid thousands of dollars to build, with no potential customers visiting it.

Factor 5: Your website size, or its number of pages, is another price factor.

One of the first questions a web builder program, freelancer, and professional developer will ask is— ‘How many pages will your website have?’ If you’ve just started a business and must be frugal with your funds, beginning with a basic web builder site is best. You can have anywhere from 3-7 pages, but the average small site consists of five pages.

Of course, the bigger the website, the greater the cost. Large corporations can have hundreds of intricate pages on their site, but small and mid-sized business sites may have 20 or fewer. Along with builder development, design, functionality, and content, page count determines its size and ultimate cost.

In the end, your basic website must include the following prime pages:

• Home Page
• Products and/or Services Pages – Usually 2 to 3 separate pages
• About Page – Who are you? What value proposition or solution(s) do you provide? And why is your business important for the online visitor?
• Blogs Page – An active industry blog page is NOT an option; it’s a “must’ion!”
• Connection/Contact Page – What if visitors want to reach you? They need to be able to contact, purchase something, or access services from you, so your information is vital to closing the sale.

Factor 6: HOW and WHO will monitor and maintain your asset is the final factor in determining overall website design cost.

Like your smartphone and other digital device needs regular maintenance, modern websites are online devices that also require routine maintenance and updates. Without it, they could crash, go offline, or even be compromised through advanced hacking techniques. So, you should know how much it costs to build your site and what it takes to maintain it securely.

Overall, website maintenance and monitoring are the most variant of all the pricing factors to consider in its build and upkeep. Maintenance will depend on:

• The type of site you have— its functionality and complexity
• Your invested maintenance budget, and
• Which maintenance features are must-haves to keep your site up and running

Web monitoring and maintenance costs vary. And you pay either monthly or annually, depending on your preferences and the service provider(s) you choose. And on average, companies will spend between $400 to $50,000 annually on vital maintenance fees.

The primary elements of website maintenance must include features like:

• • Annual Web Hosting Fees – Where will your website domain name live and be maintained?
  • Website Domain Name – What is the name of your website (the URL that includes the domain name)?
  • SSL Certificate – What is the digital certificate, or ‘Secure Sockets Layer,’ that authenticates your site’s identity and enables encrypted online connections?
  • General Website Maintenance – The fee you pay to ensure someone fixes things that break down, like site code, functionality, domain identity, etc.
  • Content Management Systems (CMS) – What software plan will you use to help create, manage, and modify your website content without needing to rewrite code or know how to write site page code?
  • E-Commerce Functionality – If your website uses e-commerce, who will maintain and update its functionality or resolve issues/problems that appear on it?
  • Developer Fees – Whether you used a web builder, freelancer, or professional developer, they all will have additional maintenance fees for your site.

Website Maintenance is Essential to the Health of Your Site

Overall, the more features and functional elements a company site has, the more it will cost to keep it running securely and smoothly. However, when people opt not to invest in site maintenance and regular server monitoring, their website becomes extremely vulnerable. As a result, the chances of functional and programming crashes, breakdowns, and compromised security significantly increase.

Is your site more than three years old? Let’s talk about options for something new!

Whether you have an old geriatric site or no site, we can help begin the conversation about options that will work best for your business. To get started, however, take the first step and contact us online or call 281-203-0529.

Then again, if you’re not yet ready to meet, go ahead and get a FREE website analysis on us. See how well your site is currently performing and check its status. Click the link below to get started!

^References

1. ^{‘Work Hard Anywhere” web design photo concept by Kevin Bhagat.}

The post Part 2 – The Truth About Website Design Costs appeared first on BUILDINGBLOCKS.

In truth, the cost of a website and design for digital marketing in 2022 depends on six key factors.

However, to begin, we’ll discuss the first three website design factors in detail for this article. And in the following one, you can learn more about the other three.

So, freely jump to the factors and sections that interest you the most, or continue enjoying the read!

• Getting the Straight Answer
• First Factor: Site Type – DIY Template, Semi-Pro Standard, or Custom
• Second Factor: Website Design
• Third Factor: Website Functionality
• How to Start Right!

How much does a website really cost? Short answer— ‘It Depends!’

Website costs will always have a ‘value range’ due to multiple consideration aspects surrounding the overall investment. First, you must understand that general website design and development include costs to strategy-plan for it, build/develop it, and then maintain it. So, when people ask about website costs, I always reply with an answer most prefer not to hear – “It depends.”

But the blanket answer for website costs in 2022 can range between $500 and $50,000⁺. However, that range starts at a highly-affordable DIY site build to a standard build in the middle and ends at a comprehensive and professional website with custom features.

Therefore, the three most significant counter-questions I ask clients who inquire about website costs are:

• ‘What do you want the website to do for your business and ROI?’
• ‘What business problem will this new website solve for your current or potential customers?’ And,
• ‘What value does that solution bring to your organization?’

So, regardless of cost, every business must consider developing their website design based on strategy, value offering, and a clear return on investment.

Considering a new website design? Keep reading, OR:

Schedule Your FREE 15-Minutes Today!

Factor 1: What type of website do you desire? The D-I-Y Web Builder, a Standard Site, or a Custom Build?

Website type refers to who will build it and how. In other words, site types can be DIYs, standard builds, and professional custom builds. As a business owner, you may choose to develop the site yourself, have a freelance contractor build it, or hire an experienced marketing agency web developer. However, most small business owners can quickly determine site type based on their budget and/or how much they want to invest in its development.

Do-It-Yourself Site-Builder Templates

For budgets well under $5000, you can choose a DIY website builder option and research various software plans that offer basic site templates for simple builds. Some of the most popular web builders include Squarespace and WIX; however, several more options are available depending on your budget.

With some businesses, this option works well, as they only pay monthly fees for their website. For example, monthly costs with web builders can range from $15 to $500/month, depending on the host builder, the template you choose, the complexity of the site, and its size.

However, keep in mind the following five key considerations:

1. 1. You’ll invest much of your time and energy in building the site. And you must make time to consistently add new pages and fresh content to keep it active and relevant.
   2. Building your own website also means losing precious time for developing, expanding, and building new business opportunities.
   3. In most cases, you don’t own your site’s technology. So, you must build it to fit around the confines of the chosen template.
   4. Once you stop paying the monthly fees, your site shuts down and is no longer visible or operating online.
   5. There are limited custom features, images, and functions due to how the templates are already designed.

Yet, on average, businesses can expect upfront costs of anywhere between $0 to $250 for a very basic, DIY site. After the initial fee, they begin paying the ongoing monthly fees to maintain it. Also, since hosting fees are another primary factor of website costs, we’ve omitted them here and will address them in the Part 2 blog. But you can determine costs for maintenance based on which plan you choose; there are many options.

Standard Freelancer Sites

Say you’d like to hire a freelance contractor to build your company website. Of course, most will charge anywhere from $1500 to $5000 to build your site, in addition to maintenance and annual hosting fees. At the same time, they’re also likely to use a website builder software plan to build your site. (The previous option discussed above.)

A word of caution— Be fully aware of cheap-cost offers from freelance designers; you’ll get what you pay for in such scenarios. For instance:

• • Businesses may not get what they expect from their site— like proper site optimization, functionality, and/or visual appeal.
  • They may get a nice, basic-looking site that merely serves as an online business brochure.
  • Typically, there is no genuine marketing thought or strategy development behind building the website.
  • Contractors will usually perform the bare minimum to get your site up, which is generally what you instruct them to do— set pages, content you provide, and basic navigation based on a chosen template.

So, as a rule of thumb, it’s always prudent to do your research before hiring a semi-pro. Check reviews, references, and portfolios to see past works and projects. Doing your research gives you a better idea of what to expect and can make an informed decision.

The custom website

If you prefer a business website that has highly connective appeal for online visitors and potential customers, then a custom-designed high-level site is what you need. Professional website developers and experienced marketing agencies have the know-how and capacity to build a customized site that can be found online through search engine queries and provides visitors with a fantastic user experience. Yet, it is equally important to do your homework and research agency developers to ensure you make the best choice for your company.

Custom sites derive from sitting with a professional developer to plan strategically on what you want the site to do for your business and for the visitors who click into it. There is much to consider, with content marketing and brand messaging being the top priority for the website. Unique and customized content and keyword research help people find your site online. And how they experience your site when they arrive on it is determined by how well your site is developed through highly-functional design.

Although professional custom websites can cost anywhere from a minimum $7,500 and up, you truly can get what you pay for in lead generation and increased traffic flow to your site. In the end, you’ll find that a professional site is worth every dollar. And with thorough strategy planning, you’ll see it can help yield a substantial ROI!

Factor 2: Your Website Design Layout

Website design is the overall look and feel of your website. We call it the UI or User Interface, which is the visual aesthetics of the site that appeal directly to online visitors.

Even with a simple website design, developers can create a highly-aesthetic appeal for site visitors. For example, their combined use of color palettes, typography, images, and digital animations can provide site users with easy visual flow and guidance.

In general, the more elaborate the design, the higher the cost. This notion applies simply because creating an appealing UI requires a lot of thought, strategic planning, and the appropriate time for design application and testing. Overall, an excellent website design should delight and effortlessly guide online visitors and potential leads to the goal of conversion.

The following criteria make up the general costs of website design.

• • Design Style/Theme and visual flow
  • Images and placement, product or service descriptions, and design layout
  • Animated features
  • Functionality placement for products and services (E-commerce, portals, etc.)

Website design costs are typically included in the cost of functionality and/or programming, so the price ranges below include both factors.

Factor 3: Website Functionality and Programming

Regarding the bulk of total costs that make up a website price, content is one factor, and website functionality or programming is the other. And since they are the two most vital aspects of what makes a website a website, their cost factors make up most of the total price.

However, we will discuss content marketing for your website in Part 2 of this blog. So, let’s talk more here about website functionality. First, we define functionality in terms of what the site can DO through clicking interactions and how easily users can navigate through to access needed information. For example, if you’re going to invest in a dynamic website, know that functionality is essential to its digital marketing success and your ROI.

General website design consists of two parts:

1. 1. Visual design or UI – which we already discussed above.
   2. Functional layout or UX – which we’ll discuss now.

When addressing functionality with clients, it’s the part where I ask them what they want their website to do for them and their customers. For example, ‘What do you want visitors to do, or how do you want them to interact when they hit the site?’ ‘Does the site need e-commerce for selling products and services?’ Or ‘Will it strictly serve as an industry resource tool for making customer/client connections and storing a wealth of crucial information?’

All aspects of functionality can be determined through the website’s layout, mapping navigation, and the types of pages to include. So, the better the functionality, the greater the user experience (UX) and interface (UI), too, as both design and functionality go hand-in-hand.

Unfortunately, some companies still become enticed with a website’s aesthetics or beauty and ignore that it falls short of delivering the simple functionality that keeps users online. Consequently, the business and its potential clients lose when functionality is missing from the equation. And as a result, people cannot find what they seek from the site, and the company doesn’t get the ROI results they expected.

Adding up the costs where functionality is concerned may include the following features.

• • Well-defined and simple site navigation layout
  • An easy-to-follow design that provides a positive UX
  • Interactive multimedia
  • Website responsiveness – Is the site compatible and easily functional on any digital device?
  • Excellent product and service elements with detailed descriptions and e-commerce options
  • Distinct and clear CTAs and functional interactions
  • Database integration
  • An active company blog page providing consistently fresh resource information

Analyze your current website and receive insights for starting off right!

Regardless of which route you choose for building your website, discussing your needs with marketing professionals is always prudent. That’s where BUILDINGBLOCKS comes in to provide the valuable insights and recommendations you need. Whether you work with us or not, we aim to help you develop a complete understanding of your marketing needs and have the perspective for making an informed decision.

So, let’s get started! First, click the link below to receive your free website analysis so you’ll know the full digital status of your site. Then, connect with us online or call 281-203-0529 to talk more. Remember, we’re here to help you determine which digital marketing plan best fits your needs!

The post The Skinny on Website Design Costs – Part 1 appeared first on BUILDINGBLOCKS.

The approximate time for an online visitor to form an accurate opinion about a website? Roughly 50 milliseconds; that’s it! At half a tenth of a second, a potential buyer has determined if a website is worthy of their time and attention. So, first impressions matter regarding web design and overall functionality.

Yet, those two factors are just the tip of the iceberg. There are various reasons why people will “Click Outta’ Site” and never return. In this article, I discuss seven top reasons why visitors will leave your website. But before I dig deeper into this subject, I believe GoodFirms were dead-on with their statistics.

One of their recent surveys, for example, reported that a little over 71 percent of web designers think non-responsiveness was one of the top reasons people left websites. How so? When visitors click on a website, they expect to find what they’re looking for immediately, and in that process, they also expect the site to be visually appealing enough to stay.

Source: GoodFirms

Before reading more, find out if your site holds one or more of the following click-off reasons!

Top SEVEN Reasons People are Clicking Outta’ Site – Your Website, That Is:

1. Unsecured Site
2. Slow-Loading Site
3. Not-Mobile-Friendly Site
4. Poor Functionality Site
5. Hard-to-Navigate Site
6. Content-Heavy or Irrelevant Content Site
7. Fails-to-Meet-Expectations Site

1.     The Unsecured Website with a Security Problem Loses Face!

According to DataReportal, 33.1 percent of online visitors fear their personal data may be misused or compromised on certain sites. So, if your site even remotely feels like a ‘red flag’ to security-conscious users, they’ll click out quickly.

User hesitation increases drastically on sites that appear to have a security problem. For example, if your URL address doesn’t begin with “https,” the site is typically not SSL certified, and browser communications will not be encrypted. This type of issue, and other security threats where people feel trapped or locked into a site, can scare users away.

However, you should ensure your site is secure for visitors by having an SSL certification and displaying universal trust symbols and security badges that internet users recognize on the homepage. Running a secure website with reputable security providers helps enhance your site’s trustworthiness and keeps visitors online a bit longer.

2.     The Slow-Loading Site Surrenders the Sale!

Eighty-eight and a half percent of web designers believe that slow-loading pages are the main reason people click off of a site. In truth, visitors get antsy and abandon websites altogether when they don’t load within a few seconds. And this fact is especially true when people know they have other online places to search for what they want and need.

In the minds of most online visitors, slow-loading¹ sites can equate to websites that “don’t work right” or “have security problems.” Although this notion seems slightly cruel, in reality, a slow site can have a massive impact on overall business sales. And in the end, you lose as customers quickly move on to a competitor’s site to find what they need.

However, with today’s digital marketing technology, you can find the culprits of a slow-loading site, like big images, flash animation overload, and large scripts or files.

3.     Not-Mobile-Friendly Sites Show Themselves Friendless!

According to DataReportal, 92.6% of people search online using their mobile phones. This stat makes perfect sense given the times in which we live. We take our smartphones everywhere we go; we even sleep with them! So why wouldn’t we use its convenient searching features to find products and services online?

As such, it’s imperative that businesses also ensure their website is mobile-friendly by having a responsive design. If not, they run the risk of losing substantial sales opportunities.

So, show your site to be mobile-friendly by ensuring its design can display information and function properly on any digital platform. In this, your website will gain friends while generating quality leads and potential customers who are looking for what you offer in quality products and services.

And if you genuinely want to confirm whether your site is mobile-friendly, click this nifty Testing Tool from Google to find out.

Dig Deeper with a FREE Website Analysis!

4.     A Poor-Functioning Site is as Broke as the 10 Commandments!

It’s true; 42% of people have reported leaving a site because it functioned poorly and they had a poor UX (user experience). In other words, if your website doesn’t look or work right following how people search for what they need online, they’ll click off quickly, assuming your site is broken.

Thus, user experience and interface matter more than ever when keeping folks engaged on your site. For example, you must ‘give the people what they want’ online if you expect them to give you what you want!

Using a poor-functioning site is like choosing beauty over brains!

So, make your website design and page navigation simple, ‘to-the-point,’ and easy for visitors to search online and enjoy their stay. Each time users click, it should be smooth and instant, and your pages should be visually appealing, engaging, and intuitive to how people utilize the internet. Trust us; people will make snap judgments about your site within a few visual cues and interactive clicks. And if things aren’t functioning the way they should, you’ll lose visitors in seven seconds or less.

Remember, business sites can be as beautiful as exotic flower bouquets, but people will deem them ugly if they don’t function properly because they cannot access what they need. So, pretty isn’t everything in this case, but proficiency is!

5.     The Hard-to-Navigate Site Always Plays Hard to Get!

How many clicks does it take to frustrate visitors and cause them to leave a website²? You don’t have to ask Mr. Owl; it doesn’t take much!

In essence, sites should never be difficult to navigate or require visitors to click endlessly through an abyss of pages. As long as the clicks are easy and users sense they’re getting closer to what they’re looking for, they’ll click and remain engaged to get there.

In addition, website navigation should be easy for visitors to decipher with straightforward tabs that effortlessly lead people to what they need and guide them through your site’s sales funnel. Visual cues and design aesthetics with relevant content messaging and connective words make visitors feel at ease and confident about finding what they’re looking for online.

So, if you don’t want people to leave your site to search elsewhere, do the following:

• First – Understand what’s most important to your potential customers, site visitors, and targeted audience when they come to the website.
• Second – Set up your navigation so the most significant pages and information appear on the home page or within the first few clicks of the site.
• Third – Ensure your menu includes key product and/or service information on the front end of the website, where it’s highly visible for visitors to find.

6.     Irrelevant, Outdated, and Heavy Content Sites are a Turn-Off and Click-Off!

Though Google search engines use perceived authority as a leading factor in assessing websites,  people do too³.

Suppose online visitors notice that your product and service descriptions, blog content, videos, and other content marketing information consist of irrelevant and outdated information. In that case, you exponentially lose your place as an industry-leading authority.

However, keeping your site content fresh, relevant, and engaging makes your business more resourceful and appealing to those you’re targeting online.

As I’ve mentioned before, when people visit site pages riddled with words and thick paragraphs, it can be a big turn-off and click-off if they seek precise information. So, ensure your product and service pages are clean, include accurate content, have visual appeal, and get straight to the point!

Although blog articles can have much more content, they, too, require refreshing and updating. You’ll also want to break blog content into bite-sized and easy-to-read sections with bullets, tables, tagged images, and great CTAs.

7.     Users are Dog Tired of The Fails-to-Meet-Expectations Site!

Regardless of how or why online visitors land on your website, they’ll have some expectations when they get there. People visit sites because they believe they’ll find the information, entertainment, products, or services they need. So, you must rise to the occasion and meet their expectations if you don’t want them to click ‘outta’ site!’

The main ways companies fail to meet user expectations include:

• Using bait and switch tactics
• Posting misleading content information
• Exaggerating capacities or capabilities
• Omitting or limiting full details and specifics

Though it’s not always easy to develop and maintain consumer interests, businesses must keep their messaging honest and straightforward. Failure can come at a grave cost, especially when consumers are more than happy to use social media and review platforms to blatantly point out their dissatisfaction! So, use best practices to ensure your information is—

1. Compelling enough to attract the right audience, and
2. A precise representation of your online offerings.

How does your business website fair?

Find out now by getting a website analysis from BUILDINGBLOCKS or contacting us to discuss your online marketing needs further. Call 281-203-0529 or connect with us online today!

^References

1. ^{Website loading concept photo by Mike Van den Bos.}
2. ^{Woman frustrated online, photo concept by Elisa Ventur.}
3. ^{Website visitors confused and underwhelmed, photo concept by CharlesDeluvio.}

The post Why Potential Buyers are Clicking Outta’ Site! appeared first on BUILDINGBLOCKS.

In 2020, during one of my Let’s Build Business videos, I shared insight about the “Five Thou Shalt NOT’S of a Web Design.” Well, many of you enjoyed that clip and began considering how to make your own company website shine a little brighter!

Our Let’s Build Business series is all about helping you develop effective lead generation strategies. And we accomplish this in two ways –

1. By getting more of the right targeted prospects to your website, and –
2. Converting those prospects into new qualified leads that you can “nurture.”

In this article, I elaborate on the “Thou Shall Not’s” of web design features that will turn visitors off when they’re on your site.

However, in light of the Holiday Season, I’ll call them the “Five Golden WRONGS!” These web design faux pas will ultimately cause buyers to leave your website with no intent on coming back. So, continue reading, or jump right into them!

• Nix all the bells and whistles!
• Flash Animation, moving text, fancy cursors, and music are archaic!
• It’s a big “no-no” to post online images without ALT tags or text captions.
• Dead links on your site will eventually kill your entire site!
• Don’t list all your products or services on one page.
• The One Golden RIGHT!

Today’s web designs don’t need all the extra bells and whistles; people ultimately want something simple yet elegant.

As a business owner, you may be wondering why you shouldn’t toot your own horn on your website. But the answer is simple; visitors desire to get to the information they need quickly. “Salesy,” flashy, and highly distracting sites quickly become turn-offs for the majority of visitors who are immediately interested in purchasing products or services. So, beyond the bells and whistles, people just want easy access to straightforward information and the assurance you have what they need. Therefore, it’s best that your website is responsive to search needs and creates a positive user experience for visitors.

Bells and whistles are like having every widget, and form you can find, stuffed onto a home page. And the greatest problem with too much bling is it distracts the buyer from their purpose of visiting the website. Remember, they’re online to find solutions to their problems. So, keep your web design clean, elegant, and to the point instead of flashy or confusing.

Another golden “WRONG” of a web design is to incorporate flash animation, moving text, fancy cursors, and music.

The bottom line is that those features are old-hat, outdated, and absolutely unnecessary. Adding such elements to your site is like viewing an annoying digital commercial. Also, small businesses may not be aware that these programming features can slow page loading time¹ substantially, therefore negatively impacting SEO performance. For example, Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs) will only rank websites with the most valuable and relevant content, and those providing the best performance experiences.

Source — via GIPHY

Gone are the days of 1989 and ’90 when web designs first came into play, and online visitors looked for specific characteristics on websites! People were initially fascinated just by the sheer technology of sites back then. They also loved the flash elements simply because of what was presented on screen.

But today, mindsets and search intents are different, and people are more focused on what a site can DO and PROVIDE for them. Although web designs should still trend and appeal to the senses, they must also visually guide visitors to relevant information. So, think of modern websites as having one divine and commanding purpose. – “Thou shalt give the people what they want and help them find it easily and quickly!”

Make sure never to post digital images without ALT tags and text captions.

One of the biggest mistakes unseasoned bloggers or designers make is adding images to blogs and site pages without a tagged description. The problem with inappropriately posting images online is that search engines cannot read them from your site. This inability to pick up the image will most certainly affect SEO ranking.

However, descriptive text about the image helps increase your rankings because it’s part of SEO best practices. For instance, always ensure your images are tagged with page or blog title words similar to this SEO image tag example.

‘seo-best-practices-for-web-design-include-image-tags’

Remember, dead links on your website could be killing it slowly and lowering its online rank position.

Dead links are hyperlinks that lead a buyer to the online ‘Land of Nowhere’ or an error page. Your site could have both internal and external dead links. The internal ones should take visitors to another page within your website, and external links take them to other websites. However, if those links are no longer good or end in error, they will negatively impact your site performance as well.

We’re firm believers in checking web links frequently to ensure they still work. This process is crucial for internal links that lead to outdated pages on your site or if you’ve updated them. It’s also especially vital to routinely check links on your web pages and blogs that take visitors to other website sources for additional information.

Last but not least, make sure to never list all your products and services on all or any single page of your website. This practice is definitely another golden WRONG of web design!

These days, people don’t particularly enjoy looking at long, ever-scrolling web pages! Instead, they want to get to the point as quickly and efficiently as possible. So, when it comes down to web design, don’t list all your products and services on one long, continuous page scroll.

Of course, your website needs to share the product or service solutions you offer. However, breaking them up naturally into separate pages is best for focus. For instance, successful companies continue to market online because they can showcase the products or services their customers enjoy most. In addition, they utilize smart navigation in their web designs to help visitors find what they need while also creating a positive UX (user experience) each time they frequent the site.

There’s one straightforward way to help turn your web design wrongs into rights!

The good news is these issues can and should be resolved if they’re a part of your current web design. And should you choose not to eradicate them and update your site, you’ll run the risk of losing quality leads. Furthermore, you may also not see the kind of ROI you desire.

However, connecting with an experienced, outsourced marketing partner is the first step in helping rid your website of design faux pas. And in doing so, you’ll immediately begin seeing improved rank position as more buyers have better user experiences on your site. Consequently, when your site is professionally designed, you also increase the probability of acquiring even more qualified leads.

So, learn to start making various changes to your site by contacting us today. And for immediate assistance, call us at 281-203-0529. We Wish You a SAFE & HAPPY HOLIDAY Season!

^References

1. ^{Loading GIF sample concept – Beta Foosball.}
2. ^{SEO concept image by Merakist.}

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