With the advent of smartphones and an almost constant presence on social media (not to mention all the e-commerce options available on the various platforms), it’s easy to think having a website isn’t as important in this day and age. The truth of the matter is that because of smartphones and social media it’s never been more important to have a website, and to make sure it is regularly updated with fresh, relevant information for your customers.

Think of it this way: in the early 2000s, most people could only get online once they could log onto their computer at home after work. Now it’s estimated that almost 80% of adults in the United States have a smartphone, which means 80% of adults can now check their email, social media, AND their favorite websites at any given time.

Consider these statistics from sweor.com, as well:

1. As of Q2 2018, smartphones held a 63% share of all retail website visits
2. Mobile traffic as a share of total global online traffic in 2017 was 52.64% (and that number has only risen since then)
3. Mobile devices are projected to comprise 63% of global internet use by the end of 2019
4. In 2018, mobile ecommerce revenue accounted for 50% of total U.S. e-commerce revenue
5. Average smartphone conversion rates (clicking a link in social media that leads to a website or other linked content) are up 64% compared to desktop conversion rates

These statistics and many others illustrate that if you aren’t publishing regular information on your website, you should definitely start incorporating it into your marketing strategy! 

First, Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

Approximately 3.5 billion Google searches are performed every single day, over 50% of which are performed from mobile devices. With so many searches and so many websites to sift through, it becomes more and more important for your website to have the best possible findability, or in Google terms: SEO. With the use of keywords that are specific to your clients and your product/service offerings, you can increase your relevance in Google’s eyes. This will improve your Google standings and the likelihood of a potential customer finding your website. 

Google ranks content based off of factors such as keywords, inbound and outbound links of other reputable sites, and producing high quality content. Content that is 500 words or more, features high resolution imagery and is grammatically correct are just a few contributors to this. SEO isn’t a “do it once and you’re set”, though! If you think about it, trends are constantly changing, and that’s no different for your clientele. As your clientele and/or product/services grow and change, you need to make sure the verbiage and copy used on your website is always updated to be as pertinent and relevant to your audience in order to maintain your SEO standing with Google.

Second, adding value and becoming the subject matter expert.

We mentioned conversions earlier, but let’s dive deeper into it now. Social media platforms are a great place to offer snippets of information and build relationships with your ideal customers through targeted ads and a dynamic strategy. Social media is an IDEAL outlet where you can link content that brings value to your potential customers [and current ones] that keeps you top of mind. Developing quality content that lives on your website and sharing it to social media allows you drive traffic to your website (where conversions should be taking place) and serves a dual purpose to SEO because you aren’t fighting through the millions of landing pages that Google is ranking. 

Here’s an example of how this customer journey might work - a personal finance consultant, might post some easily implementable personal finance tips on Instagram like “keep most of your money in your savings account, as your savings account has a higher interest rate than your checking account”. A client who is trying to figure out what to do with her extra money sees some of your tips, implements them, and realizes not only that they work, but that she also wants to learn more.

As a follow up, you share a post that says, “Today I’m sharing the top 10 things I did at the beginning of my career that have set me up for financial success! Visit the link in my bio to read the blog and find out how you can make a lasting impact on your financial future”. More information like this is exactly what your client was looking for, so she clicks the link. After reading the blog post, she starts implementing your advice and reading even more blog posts.

Two months later, she’s gone through most of your blog posts and has begun to think of you as the subject matter expert. At this point, she realizes she’s ready to take it to the next level and so she heads to your “Work With Me” page. She reaches out via email and the two of you set up a time two weeks from now to begin her personal finance coaching sessions. Because of your up to date, relevant content on your website, you have a new, loyal, paying customer! None of this would have happened had there not been that added value you shared on your website.

But what TYPE of content should you be sharing, how frequently, and where should you be sharing it on your website? In next week’s blog post, we’ll be covering what types of content you should be sharing, how to structure that content, and exactly where on your website you should be sharing it. This is a good one for anyone looking to start designing their new website or for those of you who need to do a little redesigning of your existing one. Make sure to check back in next week for some easily implementable steps to take with your website!