Building Successful Websites

it is my goal to help website owners design, build and maintain a successful online presence. The following are a few points from what I've learned over the years and also what I've been learning here at Wealthy Affiliate.

It's not all design

While the design is a crucial part of a successful website, traffic is equally one the pillars for a successful website to stand on. What good is a beautiful website if no-one comes by to see it?

It's not all SEO & traffic

For those who have heard these buzzwords ("SEO" and "traffic"), "SEO" stands for "Search Engine Optimization," improving the way your website is read by search engines like Google, and traffic means people visiting your website. This is where equally a good design comes into play. Getting eyeballs on your website is not necessarily good if everyone who visits only turns away after having looked at it for just a few seconds because it's too ugly or visitors can't figure out how to use it.

A clear call to action

One of the main areas where website owners miss it is having a clear call to action. Without a call to action, visitors don't know what to do next. Sure, if you have a blog and you want to help people with your content, maybe that's all you can think of offering your readers. However, there must be more than that. Users tend to want to share what they've just read with their friends - here, a simple call to action would be having some sharing buttons. Or is you're a local business, you might want visitors to be able to subscribe to your newsletter, or get in contact, or possibly even buy a product.

What are you offering?

Ultimately, the reason why visitors come to your website is that you are offering something that they are looking for. To have a successful website, be clear about what you are offering and try not to be too broad in terms of the audience you're trying to cater to. The more specific your content is, the higher the chances are for visitors to find you for the right reasons, finding what they're looking for, getting their needs met, and (hopefully even) buying what you're selling.

If you have any questions about your website or would like to offer any insight you have gotten over the years, please leave a comment. I would love to hear all about it!