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What is AMP and who needs it?

Student men using mobile phone on a city street finding out what is AMP and who needs it

AMP stands for Accelerated Mobile Pages, and is a way of speeding up the load time of a website on your phone. As 53% of mobile site visits are abandoned if a page takes longer than three seconds to load, it’s clear that loading speed is a crucial factor for people visiting your website. 

But is AMP the right way to go for your website, and if it is, how can you implement it? We’re going to take a deeper look at the world of accelerated mobile pages. 

What is an AMP?

Ann accelerated mobile page is a page written in HTML (the standard language for web pages) that has been stripped down to make it as lightweight as possible. This means that it loads faster and is ideal for mobile devices, as using 3G or 4G can mean content-heavy websites take their time to load. 

AMPs were introduced in 2015 and were primarily used for publishers and news websites, so their breaking content could be read on the go without long page loading times. It works by applying limitations on the design aspects of your site to ensure that it is as light as possible, but it also speeds up loading time even more by pre-loading your page before you’ve even clicked on it. This means when a user does click on your page, it should load instantly. 

AMP websites take up a very small part of the internet (0.064% of the web) but they are growing exponentially; 70% in the last year according to statistics provided by W3Techs.

Does AMP help my website rank for SEO?

Although implementing accelerated mobile pages on your site won’t directly affect your SEO ranking, there are benefits to having a fast-loading site for mobiles. From 2016, Google has been implementing their mobile first index, meaning the search engine will index your mobile site url before your main site. 

For responsive websites that have the same url for both mobile and desktop, this isn’t an issue, but there are many sites that have a separate, more lightweight page for mobiles so that it loads faster. This mobile first index has forced websites to consolidate their two urls into one, while attempting to maintain a fast site-loading speed for mobile users. 

By having AMP on your website, it will load incredibly quickly regardless of whether it is on mobile or desktop, and a fast loading time on mobile is a ranking factor for Google and could help improve your SEO. 

How can I implement AMP on my website?

If you are a tech and coding expert, you would be able to custom design a website to be super-lightweight and fast loading, or you can apply a standardised AMP solution to get similar results. The latter still requires basic coding knowledge, but the AMP project page gives you extensive step-by-step instructions on how to create AMP websites, stories, ads or email.

Should I get AMP for my website?

According to Google, the average mobile web page takes 15.3 seconds to load, whereas an AMP can take under a second. From this data, getting AMP on your site seems like a no-brainer, but the information can be misleading.

Many sites are optimised for mobile without necessarily having AMP, and can load in around two seconds. If you’re not sure how long your site takes to load on mobile, you can use a free speed test defining where the user would be searching it and what kind of mobile device they have. 

If your site seems to take a long time to load, it could be to do with the size and quality of the images you’re using. Fortunately there are a few simple steps you can take to manage the images on your website – have a look at our blog to find out how to check your images and improve your page loading time.

In most cases, it is not necessary for you to implement AMP on your website, unless your industry is very fast-moving. News sites are a prime example of websites that definitely should have AMP, as they load almost instantly and they often get featured in SERP panels. 

For a standard website, it is probably more beneficial to carry out some basic mobile optimisation instead of moving your whole website over to AMP. 

With Go Sitebuilder, you don’t have to worry about your website not working on a mobile device as all our websites are 100% responsive and can be used across mobiles, tablets and desktop computers. 

We provide ready made templates that are specialised for your industry, so you just need to upload your images and content and you can have a ready to go website in moments. We know that you’re busy, so we’ve made sure that even our website builder is totally responsive – that means you can edit and make changes to your website wherever you are. Try our 14-day free trial today to see where your new website can take you and your business. 

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How do I launch a new website on social media?

Black female food blogger taking a photo in a cafe wearing a light blue shirt and red hair bandana

Launching a new website on social media can be difficult if you don’t have a good strategy. In order for your new website to gain traction with social media users you need to create excitement and anticipation about its launch. 

The most important aspect when launching a new website is to ensure your website is beautifully created and easy to use. The best way to do this is to use a professional website builder. Here at Go SiteBuilder we aim to make the web design process as simple as possible, allowing you to create the best website for your business. 

Stay socially relevant 

In order to successfully launch your website you must make sure your social media profiles are up to date. Make sure you have a presence across multiple platforms and are keeping followers updated with what is happening in your business. Posting regularly and interacting with followers will make social media a more useful tool for your business. 

Give your website a launch date 

By giving your website a launch date you create a sense of anticipation on the arrival of your website. Make sure you announce your website launch date about a month or so before you publish your website, this allows you to create a social media marketing campaign around your website. 

There are a couple of ways you can make the lead up to your website launch more engaging for your current followers and for new followers:

  1. Create a countdown – post something new everyday and remind your followers of how long there is until your website launches
  2. Use giveaways – this can be coupled with the countdown with a different gift every day for the last week for example. Alternatively, give the first 5 people who visit your website a service you offer (for example a photoshoot if you are a photography website)
  3. Give sneak peeks on what your website is going to look like and what you’re going to sell. For example if you are a clothing brand you may post photographs of your new clothes. 

Boost your posts

There are a few social media marketing tips to increase the number of people who see your posts on social media. Boosting the numbers of people who see your posts should increase the number of people who are exposed to your business. These people may look at your profile and follow you as a result of one boosted post. Some of these options are free and some have a cost associated with them: 

Use boost features:

Many social media platforms have services which will boost your posts so that more people see them. Often these services do cost a small amount of money, but if you have one post which you believe will help your website launch it may be worth it. Facebook also offers targeted ads that promote your posts to people within your target audience demographic. 

Work with influencers or general interest profiles:

If your website is in a specific field such as beauty, working with beauty influencers can help boost the exposure of your company. Often influencers will charge for these services or ask for products in return. Check out this blog for more tips on how to work with influencers.

Alternatively you could work with platforms that post photos from other profiles in their domain. For example, for a travel website you may approach an Instagram profile which collates and publishes other users’ travel photos (WildTravelers on Instagram is a good option) ask them to share a photo of yours. 

Use hashtags:

Using hashtags can help boost the number of people who view your posts. Many users of social media may search for hashtags if they want inspiration on a certain topic. If your post is under a hashtag they search then you have a higher chance of being noticed. 

Make your launch an event 

Once you have decided on a date to launch your website you need to decide what to post on the day. There are a number of ways you can create buzz around the launch of your website. For example:

  • Hold a launch party – this is where you can showcase your stock, and you can post photographs from the party on social media. If your store is only online, post Instagram or Facebook Live videos showing off your clothes and counting down to your website launch. 
  • Have giveaways as part of your launch 
  • Create enticements for people to sign up to your mailing list if they do it on launch day (for example 10% off your products). 

If you’re ready to build an amazing website for your business, then look no further than Go Sitebuilder. With a wide range of features, our simple website builder design means you can have a professional looking website up and running in minutes. Try our 14-day free trial today!

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Is there such a thing as a free website?

Is there such a thing as a free website?

Your business needs a website. You know that, but with so many options out there, how are you supposed to choose? There are free website builders, paid website builders, some with ecommerce packages and some without – with so many options, you need a way to whittle down your choices. 

First, make a list of the things you want your website builder to have. Do you want responsive web design, ecommerce capabilities or a personalised domain? Are you a budding designer who wants the freedom to create their own website or are you a rookie who wants ready made templates to make a professional-looking site in moments? You can get all of this and more with Go Sitebuilder, but finding the right website builder is a personal decision.

If you’re not sure what your website needs, we’ve compiled a list of what we think are important elements of the best website builders, and whether you can get them free or not. 

Personalised domain name

The name of your business is the first thing people are going to see when they look for you, so it’s paramount that your website reflects that. It’s well worth finding a website builder that gives you a personalised domain name as it looks much more professional; other free website builders will give you a domain that includes their own name, like www.websitebuilder.co.uk/yourbusinessname. This automatically shows that you aren’t 100% invested in your business. You are likely to have to pay for a personalised domain name, but we think it’s worth the money. 

Responsive web design

Responsive web design means that your website scales up or down in size to fit whichever screen it is viewed on, whether that be a laptop, mobile or tablet. This is increasingly important as mobile web usage overtook over desktop for the first time back in 2016, and the vast majority of people browse for content on their phone. 

Some free website builders offer some elements of responsive web design, and some like Wix are slowly adding more features that will make most of the elements responsive. If you’re not that tech-savvy, however, and don’t want to have to delve into the back end of your site to make sure it is fully responsive, go for a website builder like Go Sitebuilder that is fully responsive. Even our website builder platform is responsive, so you can update your website on your phone wherever you are!

Integrated ecommerce platform

If you’re looking to sell your products on your site, you’ll need a website builder with that capability. It is possible to get a free ecommerce platform, from Square for example, but they are fairly basic and don’t allow you to have a custom domain, shipping calculators, site statistics or integrated shipping labels, which make you seem more unprofessional. They do give unlimited product listings but there is a 500mb maximum website storage, which could become an issue if you are using high-quality photos and have many different products. 

We think it’s best to get an integrated ecommerce website that makes your life as easy as possible, including automatic low stock alerts, shipping calculators and unlimited space. 

Integrated blog platform

It’s no secret that blogging is one of the best new tricks to enhance the SEO on your website. If you want to give your website the best chance, try writing regular blog posts on subjects related to your business that you are knowledgeable about; this will help you look like a leader in your field and inspire trust in your potential customers. 

If you choose a few relevant keywords and use this in all your blogs, this will help Google rank you more effectively, so people searching for your products or services will see your website as soon as possible. 

Most free website builders will provide a basic blogging platform for you to use. Find one that has no limits on the number of blogs you can post, has SEO optimisation tools, and can easily be shared on social media. 

High quality web design

The most important bit! A high quality web design is paramount for your website builder, which can be difficult if you have no design experience. Many website builders will boast of hundreds of functions as a way of selling their product, but we’ve found that in the vast majority of cases, people just don’t use these functionalities. That’s why we’ve perfected our web design platform to have everything you need – and nothing you don’t. 

If you have no web design experience, we provide you with colour palettes and templates, but if you want more freedom you can play around as much as you want! Some free website builders have a limited number of templates, but at Go Sitebuilder we have hundreds, with many specialised for certain industries. 

Free website builders are available, but you will have to compromise on certain elements to do so. At Go Sitebuilder, we think it’s worth investing to make sure your website is the best it can be, so we created an affordable website builder – just £9 a month – that has all the capabilities talked about in this blog, and so much more. Try our 14-day free trial today to see what we can offer you. 

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How do I create backlinks for my lawyer website?

Serious professional female advisor consulting client on creating backlinks for her lawyer website

For many, SEO is a complicated notion, and backlinks are the hardest part of it. However, it’s a very simple concept that can give your lawyer website an invaluable boost and could help your site rank better on search engines. This means more people will see your site; and the more people who see it, the more clients you will get!

Before you work on getting people onto your site, you need to make sure that you have a stylish and professional website for them to visit – studies have shown that around three quarters of web visitors judge a site’s credibility within 3.42 seconds. If you’re worried your design skills aren’t up to scratch, try Go Sitebuilder; our website builder has beautiful ready-made templates designed for your industry, so you can have a great web design up and running in moments. 

What are backlinks?

Backlinks are part of an off-site SEO link-building strategy. The basic idea behind it is building a reputation for your lawyer website; the more people who link back to your site from theirs, the more valuable Google thinks your website is. 

It’s not just good for SEO; as an example, if a blogger writes an article on “The best online law firms” and cites your website as one of the best, this is good for your reputation and will bring more people onto your site, as well as boosting your Google ranking. 

One of the most important things to remember is that your backlinks have to be from related, high-authority sites. In previous years, people would use “link farms” where they would pay a provider to get other sites to link back to their site, but they were generally unrelated, low-authority sites. This used to work, but Google’s algorithm has since updated and now realises when link farming is taking place and penalises you for it. 

Creating backlinks is an invaluable part of your SEO strategy. It might take a bit of work, but it is definitely worth it. 

First backlink steps: online legal directories and social media 

These aren’t the highest authority sites, but they are directly related to your field, and will give you some quick and easy backlinks. 

Online legal directories such as FindLaw UK, Find a Solicitor and Infolaw are just a few directories you can get backlinks from; just contact them with your details and as long as you meet their requirements they will mention you and your lawyer website on their platform. 

Social media marketing is becoming an invaluable tool for businesses across all industries, so make sure you have profiles on all relevant social media, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Linkedin. Put your website domain in the profile for each social media, and you’ve already created your own simple backlinks!

Create valuable, shareable content

Don’t rush your content creation! If you spend the time to write a long-form, evergreen article that is genuinely useful to your audience, then you are much more likely to get shares and people linking back to it. A guide on how to hire a lawyer, or what paperwork you’ll need for certain situations will be useful for many readers and will retain its value for a long time. 

This may mean writing 3000-word blogs, or curating stylish infographics (you can use a free tool like Canva), and then share it on your social media and send it to your contacts in case they want to share it as well. 

Guest blogging

This is where you write content for free for another website, but they publish your name and website domain along with your blog, to create another backlink and bring more people to your site. This is time consuming, but it can be very valuable if you choose the right websites to contact. 

You can also do a similar thing by presenting yourself as a resource. Contact podcasters, your old university or the HARO network (a resource that connects journalists with useful people to interview), and offer your services as a legal professional. Each time you are mentioned on a podcast or a relevant online site, you’re creating another organic, high-authority backlink to your lawyer website.

Be a resource on forums

There are often questions posted on forums like Quora that are asking for legal advice. By searching for questions relevant to your field, you can present yourself as an expert and answer them, giving a link to your website in the answer in case they want more information. This is providing useful, valuable information for a potential client and giving you a backlink!

Look for blog communities around lawyer and attorney issues and get involved; the more active you are on the internet, the more opportunities you will have to link back to your site and build authority for your lawyer website. 

The most important part of building backlinks is having a beautiful website to link to! At Go Sitebuilder, we know you’re busy with your law firm, so we’ve made it as easy and quick as possible for you to get a functional website online. Try our 14-day free trial today to see what we can offer you!

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What are the best photography website designs?

Female photographer in front of waterfall - Iceland thinking of the best photography website designs

Designing a website for a photography business can be an exciting process; there are so many options in terms of layout, design and types of content that you could include. 

Building the right website for your business can be difficult, and with so many options you may fall into some bad web design habits, such as creating an overcrowded website. However, at Go SiteBuilder our ready made templates are designed to guide you every step of the way to help you create a professional and stylish website.

In a creative industry such as photography, showing creativity and flair in your web design is incredibly important. Without a well-conceived web design visitors may be discouraged from using your services or browsing through your work. Creating a website that displays your photographs beautifully and gives the visitors all the relevant information is vital. 

Key aspects to consider:

Web design can be confusing and overwhelming, especially if this is the first website you have designed. When designing a website, there are some key elements which you must think about before designing your website. The best photography businesses carefully consider these key components when designing their websites:

  • Web design – does your web design really reflect your business and your aesthetic?
  • Layout – is your website easy to use and navigate?
  • Portraying your business model – does your website show what kind of photography you offer?
  • Showing your work – what type of gallery layout do you want? For more inspiration read our blog on how to create a photo gallery.

For more information on what to include in your website check out our blog on what features you should include in your photography website. Below we are going to give some examples of the best examples of photography websites in different styles to help you design the best website for your business. 

Landscape Photography Website: Colin Prior Photography

Source: Colin Prior

This website is a stunning example of how great web design can show your photographs in their best light. The large header photograph is part of a slideshow that changes between equally beautiful landscape pictures. The layout is simple yet effective, with a clean minimalist aesthetic allowing the photographs to shine. 

Portrait Photography: Joe McNally

Source: Joe McNally Photography

This photography website clearly shows the type of photography that the company specialises in. There is a range of photographs on the homepage, immediately exposing visitors to the photographers style. The sidebar menu shows the various styles of photography that they specialise in. Although this layout may not be an option with many website builders, there are more simple ways to achieve the same look. For example using a collection of photographs in a gallery on your homepage will give a similar effect. 

Fashion Photography: The Fashion Camera

Source: The Fashion Camera

This fashion photographer has taken a slightly different approach to her website, by focusing on her personal connection to her work. This creates a connection between the visitor and the website owner. Certainly not a strategy every business may want to use but for this type of photography using your point of view can be useful. The muted colours and font create a stylish website with an effective design and layout. 

Art/Concept Photography: Shaw and Shaw

Source: Shaw and Shaw Photography

Shaw and Shaw’s photography website is a great example of how colours and unique design can elevate a website. This is particularly effective in this photography style of art or concept work, where aesthetic is so important. The multicolored menu draws the eye but doesn’t detract from the photograph above. The website mostly operates on a slideshow with a page of information at the end. Although not the most informative, the unique elements of this website make it memorable and successful. 

Wedding Photography: Holly Rose Weddings

wedding photography site homepage with married couple

Source: Holly Rose Weddings

The design for this wedding photography website is very effective. The colour scheme is muted and the design is minimalist. These soft design decisions create a beautiful wedding website which ties in with the photo shoot chosen as the header. The menu is simple and easy to navigate as a header menu. 

If you’re ready to build an amazing website for your photography business, then look no further than Go Sitebuilder. With a wide range of features, including multiple gallery options our simple website builder design means you can have a professional looking website up and running in minutes. Try our 14-day free trial today!

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How do I attract customers to my website?

Shot of happy and successful business colleagues giving high five in office after attracting customers to their website

Every burgeoning business needs an online presence. Bringing your business online means you can massively grow your potential customer base, as well as giving you the opportunity to stand out amongst your competitors with a slick website. Already got your website made? Then you’re halfway there! The next step is attracting customers to your site, and we have some useful tips for you on how to do just that.

Not got your website made yet? Visit our site builder here and get started! 

Design the perfect site

One of the most important aspects of your website will be the web design. A well laid-out, easy to navigate online store demonstrates professionalism and reliability to your visitors. You don’t have to be a web design pro to help your online business flourish. Go Sitebuilder boasts a huge library of website designs that help you easily build your website exactly the way you want it.

High quality descriptions of your product will also convey professionalism to potential customers visiting your eCommerce site. Sprinkle some key words and phrases that people would search for in your product descriptions to ensure that visitors stumble upon your website. 

Product photos are just as important as product descriptions; professional-looking photos of your products show a degree of credibility to your online store’s visitors. Make sure they show all aspects of your product and that you have at least two or three images for each one. 

When creating a website for your business, it is important to create a domain name that reflects your brand. Ideally, you want your domain to match the name of your company. This reinforces your brand and makes it easier for customers to find you and return to your online store. 

Understand the power of social media

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest. The list of possible social media platforms available is exhaustive. Share a link to your new website across all of your personal social media accounts to increase traffic to your store. Networking on LinkedIn, at both a personal and company level, will also be a valuable tool in promoting your business.

Don’t just rely on personal accounts, as it can look unprofessional. Create social media accounts for your business as well – social media is a great way for your business to interact with potential customers online. Maintaining a regular flow of updates helps to keep followers informed about your business, as well as bringing a sense of personality and approachability to your brand. As many as 80% of users on Instagram alone follow at least one business, so this is a channel you should definitely be exploring. 

For each of your business social media accounts, make sure you have a link to your website in your bio, as well as sharing it in individual posts.  That way, every time someone visits your page, they will always see a link to your eCommerce site first.

As well as helping your customers stay abreast of your business, social media is a great tool for learning about your customers. Using analytics (usually built into the platform) to stay informed of your customer base’s interests, demographics and what time they are online, can help you to create content valuable to them at times they’re most likely to see it.

A blog is a great platform to allow customers to keep up to date with any news or updates from your business. Sharing a link to your online store throughout your blog is an absolute must if you want to drive up clicks. Remember to keep up a steady stream of updates in order to build a bigger following. With Go Sitebuilder’s fully integrated blog platform you can get started on yours right away.

Promote your business everywhere

A bulletproof way of ensuring people hear about your new online business is to tell them about it. Simple, right? Tell your friends, tell your family, tell anyone who’ll listen. As long as you keep talking about your online store, people will keep hearing about it.

Post in local groups to get your website in front of a relevant audience. Most towns and communities have dedicated Facebook groups for their residents to post in. Utilise these to keep everyone in your area informed about your business.

If you’re using Facebook as part of your social media strategy, then you can reach potential customers through Facebook’s targeted advertising, where adverts for your website will appear in front of your target audience. You can apply the same principle to Instagram, who are also under the Facebook umbrella, but you’ll have to do some research to work out who is more likely to buy your products.  

For local businesses, registering your business with Google Places is really handy as it means it can be found more easily with Google searches, as well as ensuring it appears on Google Maps. Yahoo! and Bing have similar business databases which are also well worth signing up to.

The only thing left to do…

…is get your website started! We hope you’ve found this blog helpful. Make sure to let everyone know that your website is up and running and your online business will be flying!

Get your website set up now – Register for a 14 day trial today and see how our website builder can help you create a beautiful, professional blog hassle-free. 

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What are the most important elements of an amateur sports club website?

People doing yoga stretching to be added to a sports club website using Go Sitebuilder

Designing a website for an amateur sports club can be overwhelming if you don’t know where to start. With so many different website builders offering a range of features, figuring out what you need for your sports club can be difficult. At Go Sitebuilder we aim to make website building as simple as possible, by having an easy-to-use interface and giving helpful hints and tips in our blog. 

Whether you are building a website for a football club or a boxing school, showcasing your best assets is vital in attracting new talent and sponsorship. In the UK there are over 6,000 amateur sports clubs, which means whatever sport you are working in, there is plenty of competition around you. In this blog we are going to talk you through the most important elements of a sports club website. If you use clever web design and a great website builder you can create the best website for your sports club. 

Clear Information

This may seem obvious but ensuring your website shows all key information is vital to attracting visitors. All information regarding your club should be easy to find on your website, for more help with navigation tips, check out our blog on why navigation is so important. Your website should also be up to date with all recent news and events. 

Make sure you include contact information, location (whether this is your offices or where you train) and office hours. Additionally, as there are specific types of sports clubs and levels for different sports, including detailed information is also important. Consider the following questions when writing about your sports club:

  • What level do you play/train at? 
  • Is there a specific age group you are targeting?
  • Do you have any special awards or trainers that you can mention? 
  • Mention the type of club and ethos you have. For example, are you more focused on development or competitions? 

Photographs and Videos

Your main selling point is how good your team/players are at their sport, so make sure you show them off! Have a range of photographs showing members at their best. If you have photographs from events such as  regional matches or  tournaments include them, especially if a member or team was placed top in the competition. 

Depending on the type of club and your ethos, consider including photographs from more social gatherings. Many new members will look for the spirit of the community they are looking to join, so whether your socials are a curry night or an awards ceremony at the end of the year, ensure to include photographs of them. 

Team or Coaches page

Whether you have a team or coaches page is dependent on whether the focus of your sports club is on the performance of your team or the development led by your coaches. Having this page is a great way to show visitors the people involved in your club. This  personal touch to your website is great in making your community feel more involved in your activities. Ensure you include photographs of your team or coaches, so that visitors can connect more with your website. 

Recent News and Matches

If you want fans to stay updated on your team, having a news page is vital. Including a range of news stories about your club will ensure that visitors stay engaged with your website. Consider the following topics when writing news bulletins:

  • Recent matches or competitions and their outcomes 
  • League table updates 
  • New player/team member/coach updates
  • Tips and advice on how to get involved 
  • News about training sessions or community activities
  • Fundraising events or targets 
  • Updates on alumni if they go on to be more successful in the sport 

With many website builders, visitors can leave a comment on your news stories. This is a great way of keeping fans feeling engaged with your news and getting a feel for their opinion on developments in your sports club. Keeping visitor engagement up is seen to have positive effects for your website and your business. One study showed that if visitors are encouraged to engage with a website, it fosters the idea of a partial owning of the product and therefore an increased attachment to the product. 

Eye Catching Web Design

As with any website, having effective website design is key in creating a standout website. Make sure you think about aspects such as colour, font and layout when designing your site. The design you choose should reflect the type of club you are and be easy for visitors to use. For more inspiration take a look at our blog on the best designed football websites.

If you need a great website builder for your sports club, then look no further than Go Sitebuilder. With a wide range features, our simple website builder design means you can have a professional looking website up and running in minutes. Try our 14-day free trial today!

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How Can Law Firms Make Their Website Elements More Engaging?

Young and charming businessman is thinking about how can Law Firms Make Their Website Elements More Engaging

People want professionalism, accuracy, and consistency from the law firm that they’re going to trust to handle their legal affairs. This means that a polished, informative layout is all the more important for law firms’ websites than the average personal platform. An engaging site that reflects the quality of your service is key. You already know that you’re going to be giving your clients excellent legal advice, but they don’t!

We know that lawyers are usually busy with cases – they don’t have the time to spend hours building their own website from scratch. But by using a website builder such as Go Sitebuilder, with simple to use features and ready-to-go templates, you can quickly create a professional website that suits your branding.

If your website is the first part of your firm that clients see, you’re going to want it to convey your credibility, solid expertise, and importantly, stand out from competitors. Creating an engaging website is crucial to this, and making some small changes to make your website more effective should not be overlooked.

Choose a website builder that can handle web design

Aside from ensuring that your content is accurate and free from typos, one of the most important (and easy!) ways to improve a lawyer’s website is to turn your thoughts to your web design and make your website elements more eye-catching. This is simple to do with the help of a website builder that can handle the trickier aspects of web design like Go Sitebuilder, which lets you use different elements to highlight important aspects of your page. You’ll be able to create a striking website with infographics, images, and videos to suit your needs, with no prior design or coding experience required.

Use infographics to complement your legal advice 

Including legal advice on your website is a good idea that can be useful for potential clients, and shows that you want to help inform the public. For example, using facts and figures in an infographic to highlight a legal fact, such as the number of people that could be accessing a given legal service, will jump out to people visiting your page and may resonate with potential clients, highlighting the relevance of your firm to their legal needs.

Graphics can also be a great way to showcase personal testimonials to the quality of your service and references from large companies that you have helped in the past. This will add to the reputability that you convey to prospective clients, and give them confidence in the services that you can provide. In fact, law firm marketing company The Modern Firm’s research shows that the testimonials page is the most clicked on part of any law website. Big names and complimentary remarks can stand out much more effectively in a nice graphic, so make sure to include them on your website.

Use images for trust and credibility 

Include photos of the practicing paralegals, lawyers, and partners at your firm to add an approachable touch to your website. People value transparency from their law firm and want to know what they’re getting. By including a ‘who we are’ or ‘meet the lawyers’ page, you’re letting your clients put a friendly face to a name.

You’re inevitably going to be meeting your clients face-to-face. By showing the lawyers working at your firm, their qualifications and areas of expertise, not only will clients get an idea of who may be the best person to handle their case, they’ll know who to expect when they walk into the office for their consultation. People are attracted to companies with a human touch. Show your clients who you are, stand out from competitors, and let them envision working with you!

Add videos to inform and explain

By adding a video to your website, you can take this personal touch even further. Hearing you explain your services or the steps within a legal process can instil confidence in potential clients like nothing else! A well-edited, professional video showing your team articulating themselves clearly on relevant topics, thus evidencing a thorough grasp of their areas of legal expertise will make a client’s decision to work with you easier. It may even be able to answer some of their questions before they make the call or step into your office. This kind of video content can result in people staying on your website for 60% longer than if you had no video content at all, so it’s a good idea to invest some time in this area. 

A variety of informative videos, and infographics can give potential clients a greater understanding of the legal process, provide clarity on their concerns and influence how they approach you, ultimately making your job easier. Whether you’re an established firm, just starting out, or if you are thinking about making the move to becoming a freelance lawyer, having a website is proven to be a powerful business tool.

Have a look at our blog on why lawyers need a website to read more about the benefits – or why not register for a 14-day free trial with Go Sitebuilder, and see how our features can make your professional legal website the most appealing on the web!

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How do you introduce a current website to social media?

Happy smiling black woman using smart phone. Thinking about how she can introduce a current website to social media

So you’ve already set up an amazing website but are yet to connect your website to your social media. Creating an integrated online presence for your business will drastically improve interaction with your business, on your website and on your social media platforms. 

The most important aspect of integrating your online presence is to ensure you have a strong website. Using a website builder such as Go SiteBuilder can be a really useful way to ensure that you have stunning web design and an effective layout. Make sure all pages of your website are finished and you have added all the information you need to before you start to introduce it to your social media. 

Use your social media presence

If you already have a strong social media presence then introducing your website to potential new customers is much easier. A strong social media presence is indicated by a high number of followers and engagement levels (i.e. followers like and comment on your posts). If you have a strong social media presence there is a higher chance that followers and others will visit your website once you integrate it into your social media platforms. 

However, if you do not have a strong social media presence already there are some ways you can easily improve it. Social media is extremely important in growing your business; with over 3.48 billion users across social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, creating a presence is vital to access such a large market. 

Ensure you have social media accounts across multiple platforms, whether you pick two or all social media platforms. Think about what you post and how often you post, as this will increase engagement. For more tips check out our blog on how to create a social media marketing strategy.

Ensure you link your website correctly

This seems like an obvious step but many social media platforms fail to put the correct links in the right places for their website. Your website’s homepage should be linked in your ‘bio’ or ‘profile’ depending on the social media platform. Remember that on Instagram you can’t add links to separate posts, so you need to make sure the link is in your bio. 

If you make a post about a specific part of your website, for example your gallery page, make sure you put a link to your gallery page in the description. Although this will not appear as a hyperlink on some social media platforms, having the link is still very important as users can copy it and find the page your post is about. 

Launch your website

Even though your website already exists, having some kind of recognition on your social media is really important. You may wish to launch your website as if you have just published, if so check out our post on how to launch a new website on social media. However, if you want to create more of an integrated ‘soft launch’ to your website, this can be done in a number of ways, for example:

  • A post dedicated to each section of your website – include screenshots of your website 
  • Reviews of your website/comments on your website 
  • Tips on what website builder you used or how you created your website
  • Showing any new changes you have made to your website 

Promote your website

Introducing a website to social media can be difficult, especially if you do not have a large social media presence. There are a variety of ways to promote your website. The easiest way is to ensure you use hashtags and location tags to your advantage. This means following trending hashtags and adding them to your posts when relevant. By using trending hashtags you increase the chance that social media users will see your posts. 

Location tags are a little different as they do not work for every business. However, for businesses such as photography, travel or fashion they can be a great way to promote your posts. This is most useful on Instagram, but can be used on other platforms. Users search for a location to see posts relating to an event in that area. Therefore, if your post is featured among others in this location tag then more people will see your posts. 

If you’re ready to build an amazing website for your business, then look no further than Go Sitebuilder. With a wide range of features, our simple website builder design means you can have a professional looking website up and running in minutes. Try our 14-day free trial today!

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Why does an electrician need a website?

Electrician Installing Socket In New House and needing a website with Go Sitebuilder

It doesn’t matter if you’ve been an electrician for years or if you’re just getting into the trade, an electrical website will be a great asset to your business. It can bring in more customers, make you stand out against your competitors and boost your reputation – both online and in person. According to a Bright Local marketing study, more than 90% of consumers use a website to learn more about your services before deciding which business to use, so getting a website up and running is paramount. 

If you’ve been put off from getting a website because it seems complicated, or you have no design or coding experience, don’t worry! Choose a website builder like Go Sitebuilder which has ready to go web designs specially designed for your industry, and all you have to do is upload your images and content and you’re ready to get online!

Let’s take a look at why you need a website and how you can capitalise on yours to grow your electrical business.

You reputation is based on your web design

A Blue Corona study revealed that 75% of people judge the credibility of a contractor based on their electrical website design. This is a huge proportion of people, and so your web design has to be professional and stylish. 

By using one of Go Sitebuilder’s web design templates, most of the work is already done for you. You don’t have to worry about whether your colours are clashing, your fonts are distracting or your text is overwhelming – we’ve done it all for you!

A few tips to get the most out of your electrical website’s design; make sure you use high quality and relevant images, that your navigation is clear and easy to find, and that you have a clear call to action on the homepage. For more inspiration have a look at our blog posts on web design, but don’t overthink it – simple is better. 

Showcase your expertise

People are going to visit your website to decide whether you are the person they want to fix their electrical issues, so you have to show them why you are better than your competitors. One way of doing this is highlighting the qualifications you have, and any areas you specialise in. 

This makes it much easier for a potential customer to choose you; if they have an issue with electrical wiring in Victorian homes, for example, and you have a specialised qualification in that area, then they are much more likely to decide that you are the best option. 

By showing that you not only have qualifications, but that you also update your skills with training courses or workshops on a regular basis, you can also stay ahead of the competition. 

Get your electrical website in front of the right people

Being an electrician requires you to travel and visit people’s houses, so where you are based geographically is extremely important. There is no point in your beautiful designed website coming up on people’s Google searches if they live 500 miles away. So what can you do to stop this happening?

Registering your business on Google My Business is a great way to make sure your website gets in front of the right people. This means that when people google “electrician near me” your website will come up in the business section, along with your contact details, reviews and images. This streamlines the process of reaching out to customers and is a great way to raise awareness of your business in your local area – sixty-four percent of consumers have used Google My Business to find contact details for local businesses. 

If you have any questions about doing this, have a look at our blog on how to get your business on Google. 

Show the value your work

One of the most important parts of any electrical website is the testimonials page. This is where previous customers can rate your services and leave comments about the work you did for them. This might seem like a lot of work but it is a fantastic way to foster trust with potential customers; the majority of people will rely on testimonials when deciding on which electrician to go with. 

It’s also a good idea to link out to third party listings like Yelp and Angie’s List so that your website address is visible on other websites, not just your own. 

Rather than just relying on other people’s opinions on your work, prove that you take pride in your electrical expertise as well by offering personal or professional guarantees. This is another way to give yourself an edge over the competition in your area and is likely to inspire trust in your customers. 

There are so many good reasons for you to have an electrical website, why not make one today? With Go Sitebuilder you can have a stylish and professional website up and running in just a few minutes, with a personalised domain name and five contact email addresses. Try our 14-day free trial today to see what we can do for your electrical business!