How Has Covid-19 Impacted Shopping?

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a lasting impact on how consumers shop. As consumers look for contactless ways to buy essentials & non-essentials, they are ordering online, which has significantly increased online sales.

After two years, consumers are still buying online and are more likely to order through a website than ever before. According to www.digitalcommerce360.com, at the end of Q4 in 2021, online sales were up 50.5% compared to pre-pandemic. The US Department of Commerce, E-commerce sales for 2021 were at approximately $870.8 billion, an increase of 14.2% from 2020.

There Are Many Factors in Getting found Online

First, you must have a high-quality, professionally designed, mobile-friendly website. 

People establish an opinion about a website

within a fraction of a second of visiting it.

Does it have enough text to attract the right customers? This is the number one SEO item. Does it load quickly? Are you using "white space" effectively? Do you have the ability to use Geo Marketing? Does it comply with Google Core Web Vitals? Do all your links work properly? Are potential customers staying on your site for at least 30 seconds? (This is called bounce rate.)

A professional will know all of the above and more.  I find one of the most imprtant factors is organizing information correctly, and using hierarchy levels on your landing page or homepage. The order should be about, contact, blog, and product page. The next levels of the hierarchy is more individualized for specific content according to the business's needs. Creating orders allows people to locate the information they need more efficiently, lowering bounce rates and improving your website's search engine results.

Adding SEO, SEM, & Social Media Marketing

Businesses can increase their online visibility and traffic by launching search engine optimization (SEO) and/or ad campaigns. Social media, eMail & text marketing, Search engine Marketing with paid ads, and many other marketing techniques depending on your industry. With more traffic, companies will likely see an uptick in sales and revenue. 

5 Web Design Tips to Improve traffic

1. Optimize for mobile devices
2. Simplify navigation 
3. Use Inbound marketing like SEO, SEM & Social Media
4. Resolve technical issues like 404 errors
5. Reduce page speed

Professional Web Design is More Important Than Ever!

Consumers are turning to search engines first before buying a service or product more than ever. So, it's becoming more critical to have a well-designed professional website to compete. 

Most small businesses that don't already have a website plan to build one in the next few years, citing the benefits of having an online presence and the ability to showcase their products and services. 

However, simply building a website isn't enough; companies need to invest in marketing and maintenance to grow traffic. While the costs can add up, creating a high-quality website can increase sales. 

Are you planning to build a website for your business? Give us a call, text, or email for a free 15 min consultation.