You have probably been postponing or pushing aside the idea of revamping your site, likely because you think it is too expensive or you just don’t have the time to do it. In this day and age where a website is the main source of information for customers about a business, you cannot afford to leave it to chance. A recent study involving local consumers showed that 28% believe that having a smart website adds credibility and they are more likely to buy from the website. You therefore need to take time to ensure that your site fits the bill. The following tips will help you create an appealing website without having to spend a lot of money or time.

Strategic blogging

If you don’t have a blog for your website, you need to have one. A blog allows you to update the content of your website frequently and easily. Blog about your niche industry, how to solve problems related to your field or how to accomplish a certain task for your readers. Hire a freelance writer to do this for you if you don’t have the time to do it. A blog is an information resource where visitors can learn about your industry without necessarily feeling that they need to buy from you to benefit. By providing value to visitors, you develop readership and authority which translates into sales in the long run.

Add video

The closest thing to real life on the web today is video. By incorporating video into your website, you add that extra touch of reality that your visitors can connect with.  About 60 hours of video are uploaded on YouTube every minute. You can decide to either tap from this huge online resource or take your own videos using a smartphone or a Flip video camera. You can start with a welcome video that tells your visitors what you do and what your business is all about right on the homepage. Your blog can also feature video posts where you post talking heads interviews or your own testimonials. Videos that feature industry thought leaders and ‘how-to’ content are particularly popular online and can help boost your website as a valuable resource for information.

Free resources

No one wants to buy all the time. As an expert you also know that there are many products and services or valuable information you can give out for free without hurting your business. For example, if you are a web designer, can you offer free tips on how to create a simple blog layout? If you are a software engineer, can you offer advice on how to hire the right developer for a web application? You can even offer a free download of the checklist you use before developing an application for a client. Being a free resource will allow you to garner a fan base that will be willing to buy from you when you finally launch a book or a service that they may need.

Social media tools

Almost every article you come across on the web has a sharing option to either Tweet it or to post it on your Facebook wall. This is a great way to build awareness about your brand’s products or services.  In addition, search engines like Google are using social elements to determine the relevancy of your content. The more your content is shared, the more valuable it is perceived by search engines and this will gain you more ranking points. Adding sharing buttons on your website has never been easy. There are free widgets across the web that give you the code needed to display the share buttons on your site or blog. Some even tell you where to place the code on your web page. By having share buttons on your website and blog, you make it easy for visitors to share your content right within your website without having to navigate to social networks. It is well-known that people are more likely to listen to their friends’ recommendations than to what an expert in the field might say. By not allowing sharing on your website, you are missing out being recommended by your visitors.

Install analytics

Analytics are software tools that you use to monitor how your website is doing in terms of website visits and conversions.  Free tools like Google Analytics can even help you determine where your website visitors are coming from, which pages on your site they are visiting and for how long. By looking at these statistics, you are in a better position to see how your site is performing and what you need to do to improve your website visibility. Google Analytics will even recommend what keywords people are searching and which ones are driving traffic to your website. By looking at keywords that perform well on search, you can then incorporate these into your site which will help boost your search rankings and help you be found easily. By learning how your visitors interact with your website, you are more likely to create content that resonates with them.