Starting any business can be a difficult and time-consuming effort, and creating your company website can feel like one more item on your ‘checklist’ of things to get done. But many business owners fail to recognize the importance of continually improving their online presence and staying current with the latest trends in technologies or features.

I’ve written about the importance of your website in other posts and how it’s one of the most important marketing assets for your business. But keeping your site current and an effective marketing tool doesn’t have to become a time-consuming burden.

Here are some steps you can take right now and best practices you can follow to ensure your website works hard for your business and provides a great user experience.

Move to SSL

If your site is still running in HTTP instead of HTTPS your search position is likely being affected. In recent years Google has made changes to their algorithm that specifically prioritize sites that are running behind SSL and provide more security for users.

In the past, having your site run in SSL used to be a complicated and expensive option that would require a skilled developer and the purchase of an SSL certificate costing hundreds of dollars. Today, most top-tier web hosting companies offer plans that include a free SSL certificate as well as automated tools that make installation simple and easy.

Prioritize mobile

If you review the analytics for your website, it’s likely more than half of your users are viewing your website on a mobile device, so ensuring a great mobile user experience is more important than ever.

Optimizing your site for mobile can mean several things. First, the site needs to be designed as ‘responsive,’ which means the layout and page elements move and scale depending on the user’s device. Next, the site content needs to work in a mobile view, which means the text can’t be so heavy that it becomes a burden to read, and there aren’t any elements that break when scaled down such as multiple columns of information or complicated features that only work in the desktop view.

Keep in mind that Google also scores your website based on the mobile experience so making this a priority will also help your site’s search position and SEO.

Get to the point

Finding the perfect balance of content for any website can be challenging. But most UX (user experience) professionals would agree that simpler is always better.

The attention span of the average website user seems to be getting shorter and shorter each year, so grabbing that user’s attention and quickly communicating your brand value is key. This means creating smart, concise content that immediately engages without wasting time.

Some businesses still subscribe to the idea that ‘if some is good, more is better.’ Adding content or endless downloadable PDF files, specifications or other technical information can do more harm than good, and creates a confusing roadmap for your user to try to navigate.

Saying more with less is definitely a skill that might require the talents of an outside writer. Consider hiring an outside professional who can take an objective look at your business, your competition, your desired customers, and can help craft the messaging that makes the best first impression.

Stick with what works

In the early days of website development, many designers seemed to go out of their way to create the most ‘unique’ concept mostly for the sake of winning awards. Fortunately, in the past decade standards have been widely adopted that bring a consistent and predictable framework to website design and structure.

This means that on most sites you visit you’re already familiar with how to navigate the site, the structure of the content, how to contact or engage with the business and other standardized experiences that have become so common, they’re intuitive to new users.

When analyzing your own site, or considering a redesign or even updates, keep these standards in mind. Remember that your business website has utility and purpose. It isn’t an opportunity to ‘get creative’ and be different.

Avoid DIY solutions

Many people fancy themselves as ‘creative’ and think professional design is an unnecessary expense. But remember, design is a talent and skill that can drastically improve the perception of your business. In fact, many of the most successful global brands prioritize design in virtually everything they do and have very rigid rules for how their brand is visually presented.

You’ve no doubt seen ads for do-it-yourself platforms like Weebly, Wix or Squarespace that offer users the ability to ‘create your own website’ with templates and drag-and-drop editors—all for cheap monthly prices.

Unfortunately, as many people discover, the promise of being able to create your own website ends up being more complicated or time consuming than originally expected, and some end up abandoning the idea and hiring a professional in the end.

There are several reasons to avoid these platforms as I’ve written about here: Are You Building Your Website On The Wrong Platform?

Hire a professional

It’s a common cliche; if you think it’s expensive to hire a professional, wait until you hire an amateur, but there’s a lot of truth to this.

Business owners are faced with countless expenses that affect their bottom line, and it’s only natural to seek ways to cut costs and improve profits. Smart business owners recognize the limits of their own skill sets and aren’t afraid to admit they need professional help when it comes to areas outside of their own expertise.

Being an expert in marketing or website design is rarely a skill business owners possess. And with all of the other critical issues entrepreneurs face in managing their operations each day, it can feel like a frustrating burden.

Finding the right marketing or development partner who understands your brand, your goals, and your customers can make a dramatic difference in how your business grows and performs. Working with a seasoned and skilled professional who has the expertise to properly shape your brand messaging, and can present that information in a visually engaging and consistent manner, is worth the investment.

Final thoughts

Having a successful website goes beyond pretty pictures and great words. It’s the creation of a digital interaction with your brand and is one of the most critical marketing assets any company can have. It’s also an ongoing effort that needs to evolve as new technologies and features emerge that can improve or enhance your customer’s experience.

Investing in your business website and working with a professional can mean the difference between simply having an ‘online brochure’ or an engaging tool that has a direct affect on your bottom line.