Need Leads? The 5 Must-Have Skills Of All Successful Website Designers
The 1990s were a simpler time, a more innocent time. The era of the Backstreet Boys and Titanic. When you needed to find a local business, you pulled out a gigantic yellow phone book. If you search your memories, you might even remember what you could call the Geocities era of website design, back when we thought the Internet was something that came in the mail on AOL CD-ROMs and dial-up was cutting-edge technology.
Unfortunately, too many amateurish website designers think their job involves building a stylized webpage, writing an invoice, and handing off the site to their client. But for small businesses that actually want their website to generate leads, that’s the definition of a losing strategy. We’re only 15 years removed from the 90s, but we’ve entered a new era of web development several times over since then. If you need to hire website designers for your brand or company this year, then web design is just one in a long list of skills your web services team needs to have.
So what should you look for when choosing a web services team for your business? In no particular order, here are five must-have skills you deserve:
Mobile Development
Although Silicon Valley fanboys might tell you different, not every business needs a mobile app. Even so, a mobile friendly website is essential. Not only do 37% of consumers say they would be more likely to make a purchase on a mobile-friendly site, but by May of 2013, 63% of cellphone owners used their mobile devices to browse the Internet, a number that keeps growing. Web services companies that can’t update or design your site for mobile users are just wasting your money.
Search Engine Optimization
At least 61% of consumers say they research products on the Web. It doesn’t matter if custom website designers make you the greatest, most user-friendly site in the history of the Web. Without SEO services working in tandem with your web services, no customers will find your site in the first place.
Pay-Per-Click Campaigns
Google has a powerful PPC advertisement platform called AdWords, and web services professionals must be certified to use the system. If you want to advertise on Google, then consider hiring a web development team that can provide PPC campaign management.
Social Media Marketing
Many businesses wonder whether social media marketing will actually benefit them. Will it generate leads, or is it just a distraction? That all depends on how your web services team utilizes it. With the right reach and experience, social media marketing can be an effective way to spread the word about your brand, pulling in new potential customers to your site.
Brand, Business Development
Hopefully by now you understand why it’s not enough to simply build a website. If you want to generate leads and grow your business, then you need to grow your brand. Experienced web services teams know how to provide valuable new assets like online shopping carts, video production, and other value-added approaches to eCommerce.
If you hire a web services company that can only provide custom web design, then eventually you’ll need to find someone to provide SEO services, then a social media agency, then… If you want to get ahead, and fast, then find a web services team that can manage all your digital needs under one roof.