The world of digital marketing is more competitive than ever before. To ensure continued stability and growth, companies need to be adopting new strategies all the time in order to stay ahead of the competition. Optimizing a website for search engines is an essential step, but ranking in the highest positions will be ultimately useless if visitors find your website to be bland and generic when they click through. In addition to minimizing your sales, you will also find your bounce rate to be high, which will hurt your SEO. How can you make your website stand out in the crowd with unique features and content while still being engaging and relevant?
It’s certainly a tricky balancing act, but here are five tips to get you started.
- Tell your brand’s story
Generally speaking, humans prefer to buy from humans, and it is people who make a company unique. This is why it’s important that your prospective customers can see who they would be buying from or working with. You can do this via an ‘About Us’ page where you tell the story behind the company, including when and why it started and your company mission and values. Many brands also include a ‘Meet the Team’ page where they include bios of the key team members and photographs to show the people behind the brand.
- Create unique content (regularly)
Your website should be a resource of information and professional insight for your customers. You can do this by including a blog which features posts and articles on relevant topics with a unique insight which none of your competitors are offering. Try to build a relationship of trust with your readers and offer them real advice they can use and which showcases your expertise. Remember to update your content regularly to keep the information fresh and relevant.
- Show your professional credentials
Make sure that you are displaying all of the industry accreditations and insurances which are relevant for your business. This will show customers that you are professional and skilled in what you do, which could give you the edge over some competitors. For example, a pressure washing company should show that they have pressure washing insurance so prospective customers will have greater confidence when choosing the service.
- Use video to show personality
Video is one of the most popular and effective ways to communicate a marketing message today, so why not include a short introductory video to your service on your homepage? It provides a simple but engaging introduction to your company’s product or service and can also show personality if you make it fun and lighthearted. If you ensure it’s easy to share, you can also increase your exposure via social media.
- Avoid the use of stock photos
Stock photos can make a brand appear generic and faceless, and far too many companies rely on them. To make your website stand out why not hire a professional photographer and commission your own collection of imagery? You can even include your own employees rather than actors or models for even more authenticity.