It’s hard enough to keep up with what happened yesterday, and what to fix today. So when it comes to planning for the future, many businesses find that there’s hardly enough time, and an overwhelming amount of information regarding what may or may not happen.
We don’t have a crystal ball when it comes to knowing exactly what will happen in the future of your business, but we definitely have a solid understanding of how customers are using the internet. Luckily for you, that means we can give you the 3 must-have items that you’ll need in your online presence, and in that sense, you’ll be adequately prepared for the customers of today and tomorrow!
The 3 Things That Tomorrow’s Customers Want From Your Website
1. Speed and cleanliness. Your site needs to be fast, and the design needs to be simple and clean. Why is this important? First, today’s and tomorrow’s customers are increasingly using tablets and smartphones to access the internet, and those bandwidth speeds are often slower than the traditional wired connection.
Second, people are expecting shorter, simpler content that is related to exactly what they searched for online. If your content is cluttered or lengthy, there’s a good chance that customers will immediately leave upon seeing it, which hurts your readership and also your website’s bounce rate. Bounce rate is critical for finishing at the top of search engine results.
2. Social communities. It’s no secret that billions of people are using social media, and it’s becoming expected that every brand have a presence in social networks. It’s becoming the avenue of choice for customers to interact with companies, so it’s something you’ll definitely want for your own purposes as well!
3. Proof that you’ve got it all. This is the final (and mostly unvoiced) requirement of tomorrow’s customers. Since the beginning of time, human beings have been on the lookout for signs of danger and signs of safety. The contemporary version of this is no different. If you don’t have the 3 elements above integrated into your site and apps, then customers aren’t going to trust that you’re a safe a legitimate business.
There are great examples of these integrations across the web, and you’ll want to take a look at sites in your industry to learn how your competitors are (or aren’t) accomplishing this. If you’re in the business of washers and gaskets, for instance, then you’ll want to take a look at the “About Us” page of trusted parts suppliers, and note how they integrate social media communities, clean design, and keyword-rich content. Sometimes it’s easier to start with a great example, compared to visualizing your design from scratch!
