Looking for that up-to-date gadget or that replacement part for your car? Need to upgrade your phone, or check the cinema listings?

These days you’ll jump on your computer or take out your mobile phone and see what’s on offer via the websites that come up in your Google search.

So, if you are in business and haven’t got a website for your company, why not?

And if you have got one, have you checked it’s relevant, up-to-date and works on all the latest technology?

No matter what the size of your firm, having an online presence can only boost your earning potential and promote your brand.

These days customers expect companies to have a website that they can check before they make a decision about a purchase or decide to use your services.

Before buying products the vast majority of people look for online reviews, so you can have a website with testimonials you could already be one step ahead of the game.

It also means you can be Open All Hours. The office may be shut, but people can still get in touch with you via your website. And people use the internet at all hours of the day and night.

What you need to do is check that your website is:

• Responsive: It’s no good having a website which takes ages to load with complex graphics and difficult to navigate content. Chances are customers will get fed up and try the next option in their Google search.
• Interactive: If a customer lands on your website and finds something they like, can they order it straight away at just the click of a button? Or can they send you a question or register an interest?
• Informative: Does it tell your customers what they need to know about your company and all the valuable services and goods you can offer them.
• Relevant: Do you keep your website up-to-date with all your latest products and offers. Bear in mind people’s attention spans are becoming shorter as they digest their news and information it bite-sized chunks through the likes of Twitter and Facebook, so make it attractive to look at too.

It’s also important to make sure your website is mobile-friendly.

More Google searches are made these days on phones or tablets than computers, but not all websites are mobile-friendly and some won’t display properly – again putting potential customers off and sending them to your rival’s website.

And don’t worry too much about coding or technology skills, running a website is becoming easier as the technology advances.

You can always get someone to help you such as Emerge Design. Call us at 01952 632750 or email [email protected].