Now is the time to invest in a long-term strategy for your website and online presence so that you can grow your business. If you’ve already been doing this, props to you! If not, this could be a game changer to keep your business alive and make it thrive. The effort you put in now will pay off in the future.

First Impressions

A good majority of us are home and glued to our screens. Working, shopping, streaming, researching, reading – whatever it is, we are on our computers and devices a lot. And it’s not changing anytime soon. This means that your website serves as your window to the world and should be visually appealing at first glance. Don’t you love it when you visit a clean, well-designed site that’s beautiful to look at and has meaningful content? It’s a pleasing, memorable experience. On the flip side, how about when you visit a site that’s poorly designed, doesn’t function well and looks amateur? You’re out and on to the next one.

Branding

Branding is way more than a logo. It’s not only your image, but also your voice. It’s what will help establish trust with customers and clients. Having solid, consistent brand guidelines applied to your website and digital platforms will keep your business looking professional and trustworthy. These guidelines should also extend to any print collateral and physical space you occupy. At some point, we’ll be out and about again. An effective online presence will keep you connected to your audience and strengthen your business in person.

Another important aspect to keep in mind with branding is that it should be flexible and responsive, and able to work across multiple platforms seamlessly. How does it look on a desktop, a laptop and mobile devices? Just like we update our wardrobes and hairstyles from time to time, we should be updating our brands. This could mean a simple review and refresh of what is already established, or it could mean a complete overhaul. It depends on a number of factors. Does your brand look dated? Has your business slowed down in the last few years? Is your logo visually pleasing and succinct wherever it lives? Are you using consistent color palettes, fonts and imagery? Consistency builds trust, which in turn can build long-term, loyal relationships with your clients and customers.

Branding yourself professionally is a worthwhile investment. If done well, it should have a timeless aspect that may need a refresh from time to time. We need to be adaptable with technology moving at the speed of light. Investing in your brand can really boost your business online now and offline in the future.