Whether you like it of not, your website is a big part of what people think about your company. It is an important extension of your brand. The problem is that most sites don’t work like they should. The main function of a website is to transform visitors into customers by providing useful content to create meaningful interaction.

We’ve compiled a short list of four elements that a website should have to jump start those interactions.

#1 Curb Appeal
When you watch all those house-flipping and home-remodeling shows, there is one phrase that you hear over and over: curb appeal. It’s important to have a welcoming, attractive street view so that people will want to find out more about the property. The same is true about a website. Your home page must look great and be easy to navigate in order to draw people in. This may be your only chance to make a good impression and to guide the user along the path to the desired action.

See elements 2-4 after the jump!

#2 Useful, Sharable Content
Your products/services pages should have clever design, great photos, and necessary information. It’s very important to thoroughly dissect the design and layout of these pages to include the content that is relevant to your target audience. Make sure your body copy is personal and honest. It can also be very effective to allow users to review the products and encourage users to share the page with whichever social media they like via well-placed social share buttons.

#3 Communication Made Simple
Although you should consider having some sort of contact information on each page, a well-designed contact form is a must. The people that visit your contact page are more serious than your average visitor. Basic contact info is good, but why not provide a simple contact page that makes it easy for them to send you a message? If you feel like your users would benefit from a live chat feature, you might want to consider including that as well. Increase your client base by making it simple for people to get a hold of you.

#4 Connection Points
Make it easy for users to connect with your vision and become passionate about your brand. Passion breeds passion. You want people to transition from customers into evangelists. Be authentic and allow others to join with you in championing your product/service until your brand transcends the tangible and becomes a force.

If you have any questions, about web marketing and design, hop on over to our contact page and drop us a line. We’d be happy to talk to you more about it!