In my last article ("Getting online" in CMP 4.4) I looked at how to purchase a domain name, get it displayed on the Internet and set up your e-mails using your new address. Now the next step is to design your website so that potential clients actually have something to look at.
In the past you had to be an expert in writing HTML code in order to actually build a webpage, but the good news now is that so many web experts have already gone through the hassle of doing this and turned them into templates for you to use - for free. Simply type in "free website template" into Google and you'll find thousands of results. This will provide a "quick and dirty" way to get on the web, but as is often the case, you get what you pay for, and you should always remember that your online presence is a representation of your business.
I've always thought that if you want a quality website - and are not a developer yourself - then you should get the help of an expert. There are mortgage broker-specific templates available for less than $500, but with these you run the risk of having your website look very similar to (if not the same as) many of your competitors. Ideally, it's far more effective to source this part out to a third party or have your in-house web specialist do it for you.
To find a good web designer, word of mouth is always the best option. If you know someone with a great website, ask them who designed it. If instead you choose to do a local search online or through the Yellow Pages, just make sure you check out their previous work and speak to a few of their previous clients.
Once you've found a designer, it's important to be prepared and know exactly what you want. In fact, by drafting a simple brief using the steps below, not only will you be saving valuable time in the original consulting process, but you can be confident that what eventually appears on your domain is exactly what you envisioned.
What type of website should I get?
When putting together a website you have to establish what its purpose will be. Will it be a lead generator, an information resource for your customers, or do you simply want a place to direct your customers to fill out applications? This decision will fundamentally change what type of website you should use and ultimately its design and usability.
It's cheesy but true - your website is your virtual storefront and an extension of your business. If you were designing a store for your business you would make sure it was pleasing to the eye, customers could find their way around, access your most popular products and make a purchase easily. It's the same with a website - make sure it has the same look and feel as your business, make the layout clean and simple and organize information so visitors can effortlessly find what they're looking for.
The foundation
Let's assume that you're looking to put together an information website with loads of content that your customers will find useful, along with an online application form. Where to start?
Well first, all websites start with a homepage. You also need contact information and details on your company - so that's three pages already. Then you can look at what content you'll have on the website and how it would be best to organize it.
If you specialize in residential mortgages and refinancing in Alberta then it would make sense to have a section on getting a mortgage in Alberta and steps in refinancing. Then you can add an online application form. So now you have six pages:
Homepage
Contact us
About us
Residential mortgages
Refinancing
Online application
This results in a nice website with useful content for your visitors, contact details so they can get in touch with you and an online application form to fill in if they're interested in taking the next step with you. It also provides a good starting point, keeping in mind that websites are not static, but dynamic and flexible. In other words, you can always add more pages, content, edit and update current information as your site grows.
Design
Website design can be very personal as you may like different colours and images versus the next person - all these personal touches will add to the visitor's experience. The colours and images should reflect your business (i.e. corporate colours) but the basic design should be created with your main goal in mind (informational versus lead generation).
An informational website design would make the useful, relevant content the most prominent feature and focus on keeping the site 'sticky' by enabling visitors to easily navigate and find various stories. On the other hand, a lead generation website would be designed to funnel all visitors through to only complete a single action, such as filling in a form or making a call. Each webpage is made up of three components: header, body and footer.
The header is, as you may have guessed, at the top of the page and usually contains the company logo and main contact info. If you have a toll-free number or e-mail address, put this in the header so your visitors don't have to go searching for it.
The body is the middle and main part of each page, consisting of valuable content and navigation (which is further outlined below). When a visitor first arrives, they should be able to instantly tell you're a mortgage broker. This may be obvious, but can often times be overlooked. How can you do this? An accurate website name or URL such as johnsmithmortgages.com would be a good start, but an image of a family in front of a nice house would also be useful, and an introductory paragraph telling the visitor what you do is also a good idea.
The footer is, of course, at the bottom of the page. It's useful to include links to your main pages in the footer so that users may scroll down the page reading all of your great tips, but rather than scrolling up again to go to another page, you've handily provided them with an easy link to click on. It's always about making your site easy to use, as you want your visitors to come back.
In this regards a clear, simple navigation is important. The navigation is basically links that send users to other parts of the site and help them find information. For our sample website, there should be distinct links that direct users to the six main pages. Most Internet users look for this navigation on the top of the page or on the left-hand side, so it's probably best to put it there, as this is what people are used to so it makes it easier to use. Keep the navigation consistent throughout the site and in the same location, so visitors don't have to go looking for it.
Each page should also be designed to direct users to a certain action which is the "call to action." In this case, if you want them to read your useful tips, then you should have a prominent link or introductory paragraph with a title such as "top Alberta mortgage tips" to make them go to this area of the site. If you wanted them to fill out an application, then the page should be designed so that an "apply online" button or link is the most prominent. Try and keep only one call to action on a page or you run the risk of cluttering it up and confusing people - which will send them elsewhere.
Once you've settled on the layout and design of the homepage with the above items (header, content, navigation and footer) you can simply copy and paste this page, which will act as a template, renaming it with each of the sections (contact us, about us, etc). The header and footer will stay consistent and all you have to do is change your content. There you have your basic website design and layout.
Content
Now that your pages have been through layout it's time to add the content. This forms the main component of your site and should be tailored to your target audience. If you're a broker in Alberta then you should have as much useful information as you can add for a mortgage shopper in that province.
Search engines love new, relevant content so it's valuable to add more information on a regular basis. If you can put aside 45 minutes once a week to write an article for your site, you'll realize how quickly it will grow.
Another great tool to add content is a blog. There are many 'plug and play' blog tools available which mean you simply download the software for free, upload it to your website and you can start writing articles and entries within minutes. This also helps organize your information very easily and most are search engine friendly. The most popular software for this is Wordpress and there are very straightforward instructions on its website on how to add this to your site.
Meta tags
I'll quickly mention meta tags. These are tags located in the top of the page that tell search engines what your website and pages are about.
There are three main meta tags - title, description and keywords. The title and description tags are the most important as these are the ones that show up in the search engine results. The title will also be displayed at the top of the Internet browser, such as Firefox or Internet Explorer, when a visitor goes on to each page. The description and keywords aren't shown on the actual website, but are simply used by search engines to find out what your site is about.
Many users will click on different links depending on the page title and description, so make sure to add a descriptive title such as "Alberta Mortgage Broker Homepage" along with a description of each page to make it the most useful.
Try and keep these tags short and concise as most Internet browsers only show the first 64 characters of the title tag and use the first 165 characters of the description. It is also good not to repeat the same phrase in all of your meta tags, as search engines could potentially interpret this as junk.
These few tips should provide a great starting point for you to have an effective online presence with a clear layout, sleek design and relevant content. It's important to remember that websites are continually evolving and not permanent, so once you've got it up and running you can add, edit and change things later on as you learn what works for you. This should benefit your customers and ultimately generate more business for you.
Kelvin Mangaroo (Kelvin@ratesupermarket.ca) has international experience advising clients on Internet marketing strategies and is the founder of the mortgage rate comparison website, RateSupermarket.ca.