Why Websites
are Important
and How to
Make Them
Effective
MARKETING
Is your company using this
critical digital marketing tool?
By AKellsey Popowich, Growth Media Strategies
n effective website is an essential ingredient for success
in any industry. Although firms in the construction business
don’t typically sell products online, their websites are
a necessary tool in supporting a company’s brand and marketing efforts.
Websites help to differentiate a brand, communicate a value proposition
and generate new business. They are the most valuable component in a
firms’ online marketing presence.
Simply having a website, however, isn’t enough. Companies with minimal
online activity, or ones with sub-standard websites, may be perceived
as behind-the-times or incompetent. Firms need to ensure that their website
design and content is high quality and consistent with their brand. A
strong website will reinforce brand identity and will tell prospective customers
and industry professionals what a company is all about what unique
qualifications it possesses. Products and services should be presented in a
relevant and concise manner. Features such as customer testimonials, job
stories, press releases and blogs can be incorporated to generate interest
and increase website traffic.
A well-designed website must also receive traffic in order to be effective.
Website traffic is both an indicator and driver of growth in business. It
can help to determine how well marketing efforts are working, gather data
about website visitors, improve SEO and search engine credibility and
increase clients. Achieving these benefits requires driving traffic to a website
in an effective way – with a focus on quality, not just quantity. High
quantities of traffic mean higher brand awareness and online visibility, but
high-quality traffic typically means a higher ratio of conversions and sales.
Increased website traffic helps improve search engine rank, which in turn
generates more traffic, but businesses should ensure that the increased
traffic is associated with an increase in engagement, as well. If traffic is increasing
but conversion rates are decreasing, the site is not receiving the
right traffic. The primary goal with website traffic is to drive more qualified
visitors – those who are most likely to convert into leads and customers
– to a site.
There isn’t one tool that generates high-quality traffic to a website.
Rather, there are a mix of channels that work together.
Online directory listing
Website traffic can be increased through industry directories and review
sites, such as heavyconstructionguide.ca. These sites typically allow businesses
to include links to their own website, which directs prospective customers
to a specific site or page. Another effective way to increase traffic is
to use a free Google My Business listing. Note, an optimized Google My
Business listing gets seven times more visits than an incomplete one.
Search engine optimization
While many construction firms acquire much of their business from referrals,
prospective clients will use an online search to locate or research a
firm. Therefore, it is important to be in the first page of search engine results
when customers search for a construction or building service in their area.
A premium listing in a Google search is achieved through search engine optimization
(SEO). SEO is the process of increasing targeted traffic to a site
from free or “organic” search results or search engines.
KITTISAK TARAMAS / 123RF
thinkbigmagazine.ca | Quarter 4 2020 | Think BIG 45
/heavyconstructionguide.ca
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