Your website is one of your most important communication platforms. It is the basis for all information about you and your winery. This is where existing and potential new customers find out more about you. YOU decide how they perceive you. That's why it's especially important that everything fits here. How does that work? Here you will find 8 tips about what you should consider and how you can optimize your website:
8 tips for your website
A GUIDE TO OPTIMIZE YOUR HOMEPAGE
1. CAN USERS FIND ALL THE INFORMATION ABOUT YOU & YOUR WINERY THEY NEED?
Users visit your website for a reason. Maybe they are looking for more information about the wine they recently drank. Maybe they want to buy your wine, or maybe you were recommended to them and they want to learn more about you. There are different reasons why people visit a website. But they always have a certain expectation. Do you know these expectations? Can you fulfill this expectation? Think about the reasons why they might come to your website and check if all the information is available.
2. MAKE IT EASY FOR USERS
Online users are lazy people. So make it easy for them and thereby lower barriers. Every extra step to send you a request to buy your wine or to visit you could be an exit point where users give up and choose something/someone else. Sounds ridiculous, but that's how our online world works.
3. NOTHING WORKS WITHOUT NAVIGATION
I am not talking about Google Maps but about the navigation on your website or actually its usability. Have you ever tested your navigation? How well is your information architecture structured? Can you get to every page you want to reach? How are users guided through your content? Does the structure of the information make sense? Are there any difficulties or missing links? Get feedback also from customers - input from outsiders can be worth a mint.
4. USER EXPERIENCE - THE OVERALL IMPRESSION SHOULD BE RIGHT!
The user experience (UX) generally refers to the experience that users have with your website. It consists of 7 factors: valuable, accessible, desirable, credible, findable, usable, useful.
So not only content or the right structure is important on your website - the overall impression should be right.
5. CONTENT IS KING!
Content is not only important for the users who are already on your website but also for the search engines, i.e. SEO. Without content, your website cannot be SEO optimized. Why? Search engines need content to understand if you can answer a search query. So make sure that the required content is available on your site for the topics you want to be found for.
6. CURRENT, MORE CURRENT, MOST CURRENT
Being up-to-date is the be-all and end-all of any website. After all, we don't want to share incorrect or old information with our users.
If you have information like "Current Events" or similar on your website, make sure to set a reminder in your calendar to update them.
In addition, you should do a major check of your website about 1-2 times a year to adjust information if necessary.
7. BRANDING & TONE OF VOICE
Is your brand (logo, name...) well visible on your website? Does your website match your corporate design? Are your texts created according to your corporate language (tone of voice)?
As already mentioned - you decide how you want your users to perceive you. You hold the reins and can influence the first impression. This leads to the decision of whether you are attractive for new customers or not. So make sure that your website suits you and represents your values. As we all know, you can only make a first impression once.
8. PAGE SPEED
The worst mood killer of all. Poor page speed can lead to a quick dropout because your customers do not get the desired information. A lousy page speed can have several reasons. In any case, you should analyze them in detail and make the necessary adjustments.
You can use this Page Speed Insights Tool to see how good your page speed is.
Note
YOUR WEBSITE HAS MORE INFLUENCE ON YOUR EXISTING OR NEW CUSTOMERS THAN YOU THINK.
It is worth investing time here and making the necessary adjustments. Sometimes it can be easier/ more cost-effective to start from scratch. You should see these expenses as an investment, not a cost - because eventually, it will pay out. I promise!