If you want to have a successful business, you’ll need a website, but not just any website – it has to be some that people like visiting and want to go to, ideally more than once. In other words, it needs to be welcoming. The good news is that it doesn’t usually take much to turn a dull and uninspiring website into something that welcomes visitors with open arms, so keep reading to find out what to do.
Keep It Clean
First impressions count for a lot when people visit a website; if the first impression they get is a positive one, they’re more likely to explore further and hopefully make a purchase. If it’s a negative one, they’re more likely to go to a different site and buy from your competitor instead.
One thing you can do that will help make a good first impression is to ensure your website is clear and uncluttered. By keeping the homepage (and any other important landing pages, come to that) clean, simple, and organised, visitors won’t want to rush away, and they’ll find it easier to work out where to go and how to make a purchase.
Real People
Another way to make your website more welcoming is to include an about us section or page that has information (not too much, of course) about the people working in your business. Make sure you’ve got some great headshots to really send the message that these are real people and they’re here to help their customers as much as possible. If it’s hard to get everyone together to professional headshots, think about organising AI headshots instead; you’ll get great results that can help welcome visitors to your website.
Having these images of your real team creates a sense of trust and familiarity, making visitors much more likely to engage with your content. It’s also a good idea to make sure any other images you have on your site match up with the tone of your business so they give the same welcoming feel when people see them.
Interactive Elements
If you can engage your visitors by incorporating interactive elements on your website, you’ll make them feel welcome and they’ll want to stay for longer, which is great – the longer someone spends on a website, the more probable it is that they’ll buy something.
Make sure you include polls, quizzes, and surveys on your site that encourage people to join in. You can even add videos or perhaps apps and games specially designed for your business that will help people remember who you are and give them some more information about products or services, for example. Most web design companies will help you implement features like these and will offer more ways of making your site as interactive as possible. It’s easy to do, meaning you have no excuse to ignore it!
Inclusive Design
To truly make your website welcoming, make inclusive design a priority so that anyone who might want to visit can do so.
Examples of what you can to do achieve this include adding ALT text to images, providing captioning for videos, and ensuring that your website can be navigated using keyboard-only controls. A welcoming website is one that everyone can use and explore, so this is the ideal solution.
