Traits of a Million Dollar Website

A website is more than just a way to make a name for yourself online.

In today’s digital world, most companies know that they need to have a web presence if they want to be successful. In fact, the majority of your customers will now research your products and services online before they ever reach out to your company. You won’t get far unless you have a site that engages and delights your users.

Of course, a website doesn’t just attract customers; it also acts as a powerful way to grow your company and develop your digital strategy. With the right website, you can even capture the attention of business brokers who are willing to purchase your venture when you’re looking to start something new or launch your exit plan. The question is, what separates a million-dollar website, from any other site?

1. Credibility

One of the biggest traits that make successful websites so lucrative is their credibility. When someone lands on a website that looks as though it was thrown together in a day, their chances of making a purchase starts to drop. After all, no-one wants to spend money with a business they don’t feel they can trust.

Credibility is also important when you’re trying to sell your business in the future, as it tells the individual investing in you that you’re worth their time and money. A company that has the trust of its customers can also earn the respect of a buyer. So, how do you make your site more credible?

• Create an “About Us” page: Let your customers know who you are and where you came from. An “About Us” page is your chance to tell your story and show your clients what makes you special.
• Keep your site updated: No-one trusts a website that looks old and outdated. As trends in website design and usability continue to change, make sure that you’re staying on the cutting edge. A design team can help you with this. You can also think about adding in new and popular elements for your online presence, like social profiles and more.
• Leverage social proof: If you want to convince other people that your company is legitimate, then you can’t just tell them how great you are and expect them to take your word for it. Social proof in the form of referrals or reviews from other customers is far more convincing. Ask your favourite clients to leave their comments on your website, product pages, and social media profiles.

2. Simplicity

A website can be interesting, engaging, and credible without being complicated. When users come to your site, they want to find the information they need quickly, and make purchases with as little friction as possible. In fact, 62% of companies today see customer experience as a crucial competitive differentiator.

The concept of user experience or “UX” design has become a hot topic in recent years for several reasons. The right user experience ensures that visitors know how to use, understand and enjoy your website for as long as possible. The more time they spend enjoying your site, the more likely they are to convert into paying customers. In the same vein, the more happy customers you have, the more valuable your business becomes to potential buyers. There are plenty of ways you can improve the simplicity of your site:

• Make navigation easy to use: Provide a menu that can send your customers to important pages on your site within seconds. Make sure scrolling bars and internal links work properly too.
• Use a consistent layout with plenty of white space, so your users don’t feel overwhelmed or confused.
• Put buttons, drop-down menus, and other items in logical places so that your visitors don’t have to search to find them.

A professional designer or UX expert should be able to provide plenty of insights into how you can improve the value of your website with a few simple structural changes.

3. Visibility

Often, the most valuable websites of all are the ones that appear in the right places at the right time. When someone’s looking for an answer to their problem in the digital world, they turn to search engines. Google, Yahoo, and even Bing can provide instant solutions to a range of issues, by sending customers to the website that’s most relevant to their needs. Ensuring that your site shows up on the top of the search engine results pages means that you get more organic traffic and more opportunities for conversions.

While improved conversions will help to boost the profitability and growth of your business while you’re at the helm, they’ll also give you a great selling point when it comes to looking for a broker. You can boost your SEO potential in various ways. For instance:

• Publish regular content and blog posts: Adding a blog to your website where you can publish thought-leadership content is a great way to improve SEO. It shows your customers that you understand your industry and their concerns and gives you a chance to start embedding keywords naturally into your site. Those key terms will tell the search engines what you want to rank for.
• Edit meta descriptions and tags: On-page SEO is rarely enough for a great website. If you want to create a million-dollar online presence, then you also need to embed keywords and SEO solutions into your meta-descriptions, tags, and other behind-the-scenes elements.
• Address technical issues: A great user experience doesn’t just delight your audience, it supports your SEO strategy too. While a slow-loading site can cause your customers to hit the back button, increasing your bounce rate and reducing your ranking, a speedy and efficient site shows the quality of your site.

SEO experts can help you to manage your on and off-page efforts for SEO and develop domain authority over time.

4. Entertainment

As mentioned above, a website with a good content strategy can give you the SEO boost you need to drive organic traffic. However, the right content on your website can also be a lot more valuable than you’d think. By posting thought-leadership articles, eBooks, and even videos, you can show your followers just how much you know about your chosen niche. This boosts your credibility, and also gives your customers a reason to keep coming back and checking your website for new updates.

The more customers return to your website, the more you can nurture them into making repeat purchases. Keep in mind that studies suggest it takes between 6 and eight touch points between a brand and customer to generate a viable sales lead. Keeping your customers engaged with your website means that you spend less time on expensive customer acquisition measures, and more time retaining happy clients. Entertainment on your site can come in many forms including:

• Q&A Sessions
• Videos
• Podcasts
• Live Video
• Articles
• Case Studies
• Whitepapers
• eBooks
• Infographics

The right content could even boost your marketing potential by convincing your customers to share your posts for you. This word of mouth marketing can boost brand awareness and help you to earn the attention of valuable people in your industry.

Designing a Million Dollar Website

While anyone can set up a website today thanks to solutions like WordPress, it takes hard work to transform that digital presence into something profitable. The right website needs more than just a good selection of products and services to offer customers. Your site should also have the right design, functionality, and entertainment to delight and engage your audience.

Designing a million-dollar website isn’t easy, but if you start your process with the four traits above, you should have everything it takes to make your online venture shine.

Bio: Jock Purtle is an industry leader in valuations for high-growth eCommerce and internet-based companies. As the founder of DigitalExits.com, Jock has years of industry expertise under his belt, and has been featured in numerous high-quality publications like CNBC, Forbes, Business Insider, and Forbes!