Kathie Zipp is managing editor of Solar Power World.
What would a visitor say about your website? Have you really looked through it lately? Do you have one?
Today, a website is most likely the first place people come to learn about your company. A visitor’s experience with your website could greatly impact his or her view of your company and whether they proceed with your service. As an editor, and consumer, I’m constantly exploring websites and working on our own site. I’d like to share some basic best practices to ensure your website represents your company the best way possible.
Eye-appealing and easy to navigate
Your website is the face of your business. If it looks thrown together, cluttered with information and poorly designed, customers may see your business as unprofessional, inexperienced or even untrustworthy. The best websites are user friendly with a clean, professional design. Start by choosing attractive, high quality photos that reflect the work you do, especially for your homepage. Text color is also important. It may sound obvious, but you want the visitor to be able to read your material. Ensure there is contrast between the text color and the background (no bright yellow on fuchsia!). Make headlines and sections clear by using bolded or larger font.
On that note, organization, structure and content should all be catered to your target audience. Consider who you are trying to reach and what kind of information they’re looking for. Then, ensure that information is accessible and easy to find. Most people don’t read websites; they scan them. If they can’t find what they need quickly and easily, they will get frustrated and leave. Structure your content in a hierarchy for easy navigation. Also, when was the last time you checked links on your site? Links that don’t work or take a long time to load can deter visitors. This goes for videos and other multimedia as well.
Who you are and how to contact you
The answers to these questions should be the easiest to find on your website. Most visitors either want to learn about what you do or how to contact you. Including clearly marked “About us” and “Contact us” pages is a great way to do this. Then, make sure these pages have adequate information. Your About page should clearly state the services you provide and for whom (this is also something to consider saying on your homepage in a short line or slogan). Other great information to include on your About page is a brief explanation of how and when your company was founded, as well as a company mission statement.
It’s also nice to add some faces, whether it’s on the About or Contact page. Headshots with titles and brief bios for key executives and departments, if not your whole company (depending on size), can add a nice human element to a visitor’s experience. Including contact information, such as name and email, is helpful. Specific email addresses to real individuals are always preferable because they can direct people to the right person (I’m obviously overjoyed when companies have a specific media contact). However, if your company prefers to keep this information private, at the very least the visitor should be able to find a general name, address and phone number or contact form under the contact page. But contact forms and info@xyz.com email addresses are only as good as the person checking them. Ensure someone does and responds to all inquiries promptly!
Create content
Your website’s focus should be on meeting your audience’s needs, not just selling to them. Quality, consistent content can help attract and engage with your audience. I think, at the very least, it’s a good idea to include a news section and project portfolio. Again, selfishly as a member of the press, I want to see what’s new, and your visitors do too! Sharing releases with updates on projects, changes in your business or anything else new keeps you looking relevant and active. Don’t forget to include a contact for more information on the bottom of every release, if not also on your news page.
Including a project portfolio on your website is a great way to demonstrate what kind of work you do and showcase your experience. Whether this is accomplished through simple posts, a slideshow, or clickable thumbnails with captions, each project should include the name, location, commissioning date and size. Portfolios I find most impressive include additional project partners and component brands and models. Some great websites even link to more information about the project.
I see the next level of content as blogs, videos or other multimedia. If your company has the resources, these can be great tools for attracting and educating visitors. The keys to producing these effectively are to keep them relevant and consistent. Publishing one blog every six months isn’t going to impress anyone, but every month or week could. Consumers are more wary of a sales pitch than ever, so keep your content relevant to your audience. A good place to start is considering your audience’s pain points and creating content to educate them on how to resolve them.
Another good place to share educational content is on a “Why solar” or “Solar FAQ” page. One of our industry’s greatest challenges is educating the consumer. Many homeowners and businesses still need to be taught about the benefits of going solar and why it may be right for them. Having a page with FAQs and posts about why solar makes sense or links to additional solar resources helps visitors feel comfortable with the idea of going solar. Delivering this type of relevant content to your audience can help position you as a thought leader and develop trust with visitors.
Other things to include on your website include memberships, awards and social media icons (linked!). We want to follow you!
These are just some basic tips. There are many aspects of website design and performance I didn’t touch on, such a mobile optimization, but there’s a plethora of additional resources and services available to help you create the best website for your business. Your customers will thank you!
