In 2016, the amount spent on digital advertising will hit a new high, projecting to exceed $60 billion for the first time in history. According to Ad Age, this number will continue to grow until the digital advertising spends top TV ads in 2019. With all of this money being invested into ads seen on desktops, mobile phones, and tablets, it’s more important than ever to ensure that your business can convert potential customers into sales once they click your ad and explore your website. By reflecting the unique voice and personality of your business online, your website can be a driving force to increase sales and engagement among potential new customers.
If your advertising dollars are doing their job and helping you stand out among the competition on search engine results pages, your business must be able to capitalize on the opportunity and convince interested visitors to become loyal customers. Beyond just the technical aspects—a responsive design, easy-to-use navigation, and optimized content and structure—a website must be able to convince a visitor quickly that the business is relevant to their needs, knowledgeable and trustworthy within the industry, and welcoming, engaging, or interesting to the consumer. If the website doesn’t function correctly or doesn’t provide the information the visitor wants to see, your advertising dollars are going to waste and your potential customers are going to your competition.
To accomplish your advertising and sales goals, make sure that your website sounds, looks, and reads like the rest of your marketing efforts. If you want to represent the most cutting-edge technology and knowledge in your field, use a higher level of writing and vocabulary to express this directly to your visitors. Create a clean website that gets right to the point without too many frills or distractions. On the other hand, if you want to be seen as a more comfortable, casual environment, make sure your content and pictures show the type of customer you are looking for, and the type of employees they will be interacting with. Whatever you do, be honest with your customers! Your brand is unique and personalized to your business’ structure; misrepresenting your brand and misleading your audience leads only to dissatisfied customers and unsuccessful businesses. With a website that speaks to your brand, you can be sure that you will be connecting with the customers that are most likely to convert into sales.