6 Must-Have Features of a Custom Website
In this digital world, people have the luxury of shopping for their choice of products or availing of the needful services while sitting in the comfort of their homes or workspaces. Just a few clicks and whatever you need will be at your doorstep within a specified time. So, customers today prefer a quick and convenient fulfilment of their needs, which explains why every business has an online presence today.
To meet the needs of this digitally-oriented population, you must go digital. So, as a business trying to expand its reach and build a strong foothold in the industry, building a custom website is key. Going online is how you will reach your target audience. But building a website is not enough; you must build one that echoes reliability and attracts and retains your potential customers. For this, there are certain features that your custom website should have. Skim through this list and make a checklist before you engage with web design in Sydney.
Let’s get started.
User Personalisation Options
Personalisation is how your website will address the unique needs of your customers. While you cannot possibly have a different website for each customer, you can add certain personalisation options and create a unique experience for every visitor. Today, all websites are embedded with certain cookies that enable them to store user preferences and information like location, language, screen size, device type, etc., by analysing past purchases and interactions. That way, a recurring visitor to your website will have things set as per their preference and help create a personalised or exclusive experience.
Personalising your website can significantly help improve your retention rate and reduce your bounce rate, making your customers feel seen and heard. Also, the added convenience of not having to go through the same steps repeatedly gives your website increased preference over your competitors.
Sitemap
A sitemap gives your website a basic outline to visitors and search engine crawlers alike. Building a website would be an effort made in vain if:
- Your potential customers are unable to find what they are looking for
- Your website doesn’t rank on top of SERPs.
That’s why a sitemap is a must-have feature for any website. Like any map, a sitemap tells users the location of each element of your website. It’s a basic overview of your website and how to avail of each feature. This is what a sitemap does on the surface, but more importantly, it makes it easier for search engine crawlers to browse through your pages and index them correctly. That way, every time a search relevant to your website is made, your website is the one that pops up on the top. So, a sitemap can help make your website rank higher and promote user-friendliness.
Attractive CTAs
The key purpose of a website is to promote sales and encourage interaction with your business; therefore, CTA’s are one of the most important components of your website. As the name suggests, CTA’s promote action or interaction with your website. Once visitors are done browsing through your website, these CTAs should answer the question – What’s next? If the users cannot track these CTA’s in one go, they will leave without registering their presence. So, CTA’s are a must-have feature for any website.
Types of CTAs Your Need to Have on Your Custom Website
- Lead Generation CTAs (Get a free quote)
- Subscription CTAs (Subscribe to our newsletter)
- Purchase CTAs (Add to cart, order now)
- Discovery CTAs (Request a demo, click to view new features)
- Lead Nurturing CTAs (Start your free trial)
Social Media Integrations
In this age, if you are not using social media to promote your business, you are not doing it right. Considering how there are over 3.78 billion active social media users, social media profiles are one of the proven ways to reach your target audience and promote engagement. While social media marketing is in trend, its reach would be limited if you’re not integrating your social handles into your website. For instance, after browsing through your website, a visitor might want to know more. Here, your social media buttons can direct them to your Facebook or Instagram page and help them better engage with your business and brand.
The basic social media integrations that any website has includes the following: :
Also, note that a solid social media presence can echo credibility and help build a sense of trust. So, maintain your social media handles and integrate them into your website.
Interactive Dashboard
Your website’s homepage is your visitor’s entry point into your business and often becomes a deciding factor in whether they will further engage with your website. So, you have to ensure your website is informative and interactive. With the right content, you can ace the informative part, but for making your dashboard informative, there are certain factors you need to consider. Building an interactive dashboard is about making your website navigable, user-friendly, readable, shareable, etc.; also it can significantly help bring down your bounce rate and help generate better leads.
Features of an Interactive Dashboard
- Drill-down or drop-down menus.
- Clear content hierarchy (H1/H2/H3 tags, font size, etc.).
- Content filters for personalisation (Language/location/demographics based).
- Zoom-in and zoom-out options.
- Social sharing options
Self-Service Features
The one key difference between an offline store and your website is that a website is up and running 24*7 or 365/366 days a year. That way, your potential customers can access your business at any time at their convenience. To make the best use of social media, you should optimise your website with several self-service features that can keep the interaction going even when you are not online.
Some key self-service features include:
- A diverse & informative blog section
- FAQ’s section and help guides
- Chatbots or live chat
- Video guides and community answers
- Client testimonials and product reviews
So, add these features and make sure your website can offer quick solutions/answers to your potential customer’s questions or needs.
To Sum Up
This was our list of 6 must-have features for any website. Without adding these features, any web development project is incomplete. So add them to your checklist and ensure that your chosen web design company in Melbourne incorporates them into your website. Make My Website is a key player in the web design industry, so connect with them to develop a top-notch custom website for your business.
