Will Your New Website Be Fit for Purpose?

When launching a new website, it can be easy to jump straight in and launch your site without putting as much thought into it as you perhaps should.

You may be so keen to get your site up and running that you do not spend time focusing on the important factors that will make your website stand out from the rest and help to win you business online.

So will your website be fit for purpose? Here are a few things that you should be considering to help you answer that question.

Launching your new website is only the first stage of the process. After you have launched it, you want to make sure it is as effective as possible, and this involves regular testing.

You may want a specialist to help you with this stage, but you can also use Google Analytics. Use A/B split testing to test different versions of your landing page, and you can then use the results to make changes to the design to get better results.

Make sure your website does what it should

Every website should have a purpose, and by considering the above areas you can ensure yours does too. Don't launch a website just for the sake of having one, but instead think carefully over every aspect of your site to ensure that it is fit for purpose.

You don't want to launch a website just because you think you should. Although it's true that most businesses do need one, you really want to make sure you know the exact role that your website should have.

Do you want it to be a simple brochure website that provides basic information about your business? Or do you want to improve your brand image, encourage people to call for quotes, sell more products directly via ecommerce, or sign people up to your email list? 

This is the first thing you need to know in order to decide whether your site really is fit for purpose because then you can focus on making sure it fulfils its aim.

Once you know what your site's aim is, make sure this is made clear on the landing page. Visitors should be in no doubt about the purpose of your site, so you need to clarify this as soon as they land on it, and this is something our website designers at CSI Media can help you with.

Do you want them to fill in your form to receive a quote? Do you want them to buy your products directly? Would you rather they sign up to your email newsletter? Whatever action you want visitors to take, make sure there is no confusion when they land on your site.

Although you may want visitors to carry out a specific action, don't make it difficult for them to find your contact details.

For some reason, many businesses make it difficult for visitors to find the basic contact info, and this can be off-putting when that is the only thing the visitor wants to do.

Create a link to the contact page in the main menu and include as many ways to contact you as possible, including:

• address;
• phone number;
• email;
• contact form;
• social media accounts.

Even better, include some contact info at the top of every page so that visitors never have to search for it.