Your website is like a lens through which the world sees your brand. A hazy or unclear lens can cost your brand its reputation. Statistics never lie. Take a look at the following:
Source: webalive.com.au
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And here is a graph that shows you how bounce rate increases with the website load time.
Conventional websites have serious issues that will pop up at some point in time. Your revenue will suffer no matter how hard you try to fix them. So a custom web development solution is your best bet.
After reading this blog, you will understand what custom web development is all about. Stay tuned till the end to get bonus eCommerce website optimization strategies. So let us get started now! And to win this bet, one of the time-tested proven methods is to join a professional Web Developer Course that can teach you the industry requirements
Readymade Solutions vs. Custom Web Development
Custom web development is creating customized web solutions (mainly websites) based on unique requirements. The alternative to custom web design services is free CMS (Content Management System) or free website templates.
Full-fledged content management systems (CMSs) and platforms such as Drupal, Magento, WordPress, Laravel, etc., work well to an extent. But sometimes, you need more than just a simple website. You need features that can grow your business.
Custom web application development services also make use of the above CMS but in a more optimized way. So let us discuss how this type of web design service can benefit your business.
Benefits of Custom Web Design Services
1. Unique features tailored for your business.
Custom web development can create unique steps for user interaction with the website. You can customize workflows for your staff and also implement third-party integrations needed for the business. This is particularly true for white-label WordPress development, where tailored solutions can significantly enhance user experience and functionality, aligning perfectly with a business’s unique brand and operational needs. There are no limits to how you can experiment with the web solution.
2. Exclusive design to align with your brand’s identity
Many companies use the free website templates and themes that you are using right now.
Some web development services may allow you to change the background colors, replace the banner image, and do similar tweaks. But such customizations have a limited scope and leave no room for creativity.
When you opt for custom web design services, web developers can use the latest design techniques without restrictions. They can also build a website prototype, like the one shown in the image below:
Source: justinmind.com
3. Better website performance due to optimized functionality
Standard websites have features that you cannot get rid of if they are not needed. The performance of your website is burdened by unnecessary features.
Custom web development can solve your problem. For example, one custom Magento module can replace many free ones. It boosts performance, avoids conflicts, and helps your website function smoothly.
Smooth website performance has additional benefits like:
- Longer session duration
- Improved UI/UX
- More conversions
- Higher SEO rankings
- Customer satisfaction
- It cannot get any better than this!
4. Unlimited growth opportunities
Many startup owners feel a standard website is enough. Yes, it is enough in the short term but not in the long run.
Time flies, and business grows. Simple websites have little chance to adapt to the higher demand. In technical jargon, they lack scalability. Custom websites can scale up to the size you wish and whenever you want. They can handle higher traffic loads in a better way.
Essential Components of a Customized Website
The website is the first contact point between your brand and your customers. Here are some of the basic things you cannot afford to miss on your website:
1. Description and Contact Details
When someone visits your website, they want to know what you do and who you are. You have to convey to the visitors about your brand identity, background, products, and services. You can add the following details:
- A short history of your company.
- An exclusive webpage about the management of the company.
- A list of your reputable clients and testimonials from customers.
- A detailed description of your products and services with photos.
In addition, your target audience might want to contact you. So you need to ensure that the contact details are available to visitors. You can either add the information as another webpage or in the footnotes of your homepage.
2. Good Aesthetics
You might have heard that the first impression is the last. It holds true in the digital world. How people perceive your website decides if they pay you or not.
According to Standford’s web credibility guidelines, 75% of consumers admit to judging a company’s credibility based on its website design.
There are many aspects involved in aesthetics and web design. For example, the colors should complement each other. The fonts on your website must be consistent in size and style. It makes your website look elegant. Also, make proper use of every blank space on your website.
3. Dedicated Knowledge Base
Sales is not a website’s sole purpose. It should also provide value to its visitors in the form of knowledge. This value will urge your visitors to keep coming back to your website.
Your website’s knowledge base can consist of a simple blog, podcast platform, DIY guides, and many other things. The content should be both relevant as well as intriguing.
4. Clear Purpose or Direction
It sounds like a no-brainer, but many websites fail to convey their vision to visitors. Your custom web design should have a well-defined theme. The products and services should be categorized systematically. Everything should be well-organized and easy to find for your visitors.
5. Security
It is common sense, but some websites ignore website security altogether! Customers cannot trust you with their money if the website is not secure.
Although there are many aspects to web security, you may begin by obtaining an SSL certificate. All forms of communication between you and your customers will be encrypted.
Your customer’s credit card information, billing address, and contact details will be safe. Shoppers can have peace of mind while shopping on your custom website.
6. Mobile-Friendly Features
Did you know that mobile devices account for approximately half of the global web traffic in 2021?
We do not need to tell you at this point that your website should be mobile-friendly. A high-quality digital presence on mobile can work wonders for your business. It will also go a long way in retaining customers who are loyal to your brand.
Optimization Strategies for your Customized Website
1. Promotion and lead-capture strategy optimization
Promotional offers on your website can generate leads, but you cannot afford to look like some spam site. Create a separate landing page along with a lead magnet for every offer. Design the landing pages in the most creative way possible.
Capture the visitors’ contact information and also provide them with something valuable in return. For example, if you sell food products, give away a free e-book containing famous recipes. A good custom website design company will take care of all such aspects by default.
2. A comprehensive SEO approach
SEO optimization involves more than just keyword research. For example, you have to take care of off-site analytics and meta-tagging. Quality backlinks to and from your custom website can increase its SEO visibility. The list of examples can go on!
Consult your digital marketing team regarding SEO so that you do not lag behind. You can also contact any top website development company that also provides digital marketing services as a package.
3. Chatbots for customer support
With a custom web design, you get the flexibility to incorporate chatbots into your website. When prospects visit your site, the bot can assist them with basic queries. Besides, the bot can forward vital questions to a dedicated support executive for resolution.
A sitemap is like a blueprint of your website that can help visitors find what they are looking for within a short duration. It ensures that people do not get lost while browsing your website.
It also helps search engines find, crawl, and index your website’s content. Search engines can discover which pages on your website are most important using sitemaps.
There are four main types of sitemaps:
- Normal XML Sitemap: It is the most common type of sitemap and resembles an XML sitemap. It links to different pages on your website.
- Video Sitemap: It helps Google understand the video content on your page.
- News Sitemap: It helps Google discover content on sites that qualify as Google News.
- Image Sitemap: It helps Google find all the images hosted on your site.
Having a sitemap is not compulsory, but it can help your custom web design to a great extent.
5. Testimonials page
Client testimonials build trust among new customers and influence their buying decision. Ask your custom web design company to show you some good templates. You can see an example of a creative testimonials page below:
Source: toptal.com
Engage with your target audience using social media. Customized social media plugins can help you start conversations on Twitter or Facebook. It will create awareness among people about what you do.
Besides communication, social media marketing has many benefits. Visitors can share your website’s blogs on their Facebook wall or Instagram stories. On the other hand, you can respond to your customers’ comments and connect with them in real-time.
Social media plugins enable the push buttons on your custom website. You can also track follower counts, amplify your social media content, and do more things using the plugins. For example, Socialsnap is one of the best social media WordPress plugins in 2021. It is very popular with 230,000+ downloads.
Source: neilpatel.com
Optimization Strategies for your Custom eCommerce Website
All of the points discussed in previous sections of this blog apply to eCommerce websites as well. However, there are some specific things you should know about eCommerce stores. So here are some effective optimization strategies for your online store.
1. Update or upgrade your store software
Check the version of the eCommerce software or platform you are using. Also, see if the store is well-equipped to meet current market demand. You may know that multichannel marketing and automation have evolved significantly in the past few years. You cannot win over new customers if the store lacks new features. So think about it and consider upgrading your eCommerce software.
2. eCommerce SEO strategies for Product and Category pages
On-Page SEO
We assume that you have set up your eCommerce website. Now, you have to ask the developers to optimize your website’s content and source code. Here is a checklist of what they need to do:
- Create a search engine-friendly URL structure for all of your product landing pages and category pages.
- Optimize the meta title, meta descriptions, H1 tag, and content based on keyword groups. Adhere to the Google guidelines strictly.
- Include rich snippets while creating the product pages. It boosts their visibility and also gets them indexed quickly in organic searches.
- Use your keywords in the alt text of your product images.
Off-page SEO
Off-page SEO includes paid marketing, link building, social media marketing, and other marketing practices that improve your search engine ranking. Here is a checklist for your reference:
- Contribute guest posts on authority sites.It will get your site high-quality backlinks and boost quality traffic. Working with a backlink service is another great way to improve your backlink profile.
- Post or upload your product details on social bookmarking sites and forums, such as Pinterest, StumbleUpon, and Reddit.
- Develop connections with social media influencers and work with them consistently. In this way, you can take advantage of their following as well.
- Ask your customers to review your products on your company’s social media channels, Amazon, Yelp, and other platforms.
SEO through blogging
Publishing informative blogs on your eCommerce website can improve your online visibility, engage your audience, and promote brand loyalty. Take a look at some blogging tips:
- Create relevant blogs for your target audience.
- Include relevant keywords in your meta title, meta description, headings, and also within the content.
- The blogs should contain internal and external links.
- Avoid SEO malpractices such as keyword stuffing in the blogs.
3. Optimize the Checkout process
Your customers should be confident to click the Buy button, and you can ensure it in the following ways:
Reduce Friction during Checkout
- Eliminate unnecessary steps that hinder your customer from checking out. For example, you can also allow customers buying less than five items to checkout as a guest. You can provide them with an option to sign up later.
- Your checkout form should be short and easy to understand. If you require some specific information, mention the reason(s) why you need it.
- Provide chat functions or direct access lines to call customer service.
- Ensure the buyer knows about shipping charges and other applicable taxes in advance.
- The promo codes should be readily available to apply during checkout.
- Registered customers should have the option of one-step checkout.
Multiple payment options
Offering several payment options and EMI plans will let you tap into a broader market.
Shopping cart abandonment emails
Do not make the mistake of ignoring users that were a couple of clicks away from checking out. Ensure that they get an email reminding them about the items they left in their shopping cart. Include a direct link in the email to complete the payment.
4. Optimization of the eCommerce Website Homepage
Homepages serve the purpose of greeting your visitors and then redirecting them to other products and landing pages. Sadly, many brands misuse the homepage by posting loads of promotional content with no further directions.
Here are some expert tips to optimize eCommerce homepages:
- Highlight best-selling items to help visitors make a good choice.
- Use social proof to build authority and trust.
- Do not overload the page with lots of graphics and copy. Adopt a simple yet elegant theme for the homepage.
- Always provide a search box on the homepage of your eCommerce website.
So these were our bonus strategies for eCommerce website optimization. You can also browse through some of the best eCommerce tools in India for your next venture.
Conclusion
We hope you learned a lot about custom web design services. Learning never stops once you have started exploring any technology. We cannot cover all the nuances of custom web application development in one article. Your web developer can explain everything in detail.
Leave a comment below if you liked this blog, and also share it with your peers.
You can partner with a custom website design company to get a tailored solution for your business needs. With an emphasis on your specific objectives and needs, they design visually appealing and functional websites.
A Digital marketing expert with a passion for all things digital. With a wealth of experience in the field, can excel at crafting and executing data-driven marketing strategies that drive results. Also, loves to travel and explore new things.
