5 steps to a website that works for you

Creating social media profiles for your company is a quick and easy way to reach customers, right? Not so fast.

The algorithms of many social media platforms have become pay-to-play sites, rewarding accounts that use advertising dollars on promoted content.

Setting up and maintaining your own website gives you the freedom, flexibility and ownership of your content and brand voice.

A great website is goal-oriented, search-friendly, convenient, organized and trustworthy, according to Dave Meyer, a certified Google trainer and president of BizzyWeb.

Meyer shared his insights earlier this year during the Propane Education & Research Council’s Energy for Everyone Marketing Conference in Minneapolis.

Your website’s goal: Serve as a resource for customers, encouraging them to engage with your company.

1. Goal-oriented

First, evaluate the reasons your propane company needs a website. Some reasons might include: to build brand awareness, generate leads, make sales, re-engage customers, attract employees and provide customer support.

Meyer suggests setting goals for your company’s website. For example, maybe your company wants to increase unique website visits by 20 percent over the next three months or add 500 new email subscribers in nine months. Once you set a goal, you can measure your success by tracking data from online sales, contact form submissions, phone calls or website engagement.

A free Google Analytics account can help monitor how visitors behave on the website. Set up Google Analytics at g.co/analytics.

2. Search-friendly

Searches on Google for “now near me” have increased more than 100 percent year over year, according to Meyer. Customers are looking for local businesses, like your propane company, now more than ever.

A search-friendly website should be built with the following characteristics:

• Have a fast load time. Prioritize and improve the speed of the website.
• Create useful content. Publish original and relevant information for customers.
• Include text linkbacks. Take customers to other useful content on your site.
• Set up page titles and descriptions. Include keywords your customers will search for.
• Develop clear information architecture. Organize the site for both customers and Google to easily navigate.
• Use responsive design. Make sure the website works on all devices and browsers.

Google offers a search console that can help you check on your website’s search results and adjust as needed. You can monitor the data using g.co/searchconsole.

3. Convenient

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, customers expect more convenience with online billing, flexible delivery options and even virtual consultations.

Not only do websites with a mobile-friendly design rank higher in search results, but the design also makes it easier for customers to navigate.

Having a fast load time improves both search results and customer engagement on your site. Improving your load time by 0.1 second can boost conversion rates by 8 percent, according to Meyer. Test your website’s loading speed at g.co/testmysite.

4. Organized

Having an organized website is key for search engines like Google.

Information architecture is a plan to organize your website’s content in an effective way. Developing clear information architecture helps build a search-friendly website, Meyer says. His three tips for organizing your website are:

• List pages of your website in a navigation menu.
• Assign a clear call to action to each page.
• Highlight the website’s helpful information with visual elements.

Once your website is organized, suggests using Google Trends to look for ideas and learn what topics are popular among your customers. You can use keywords in your region and see related searches. Find popular search terms on using g.co/trends.

5. Trustworthy

A secure website builds trust with your customers when they enter personal details or payment information. A secure socket layer certificate will authenticate the identity of your site and let visitors know it’s a secure connection.

Including reviews and ratings on your website from customers will establish credibility, Meyer says, and help validate potential customers’ decisions to do business with your company.

Finally, be sure to provide up-to-date contact information on your website so customers feel confident they can receive support from your team.

Read more: Meet propane customers on Google