The little pig that devoted time and effort in building a brick house was safe from the big bad wolf. And while there are no nasty wolves in modern business, fierce competition, meticulous demand, and low success rates constantly chase owners. The digital age takes business into the future, yet owners are better off returning to basics when it comes to online optimization and sales. The following plugins keep browsers on pages and buyers interested in offered products and services. Make a list of holes in your foundation as you check off the following ways to build a solid and profitable website.
Make it Mobile
Four out of five consumers use smartphones to make a purchase. What sites look like matters as much as the competitive prices of products and services. Potential buyers desert sites with a click when it's not mobile friendly. WPtouch Mobile instantly improves experience, making a page easy to read and fast to load. The paid version hosts added themes, support, and automatic security updates.
Make it Fast
Online vendors face a 67% cart abandonment rate. A number of factors, such as slow loading pages that frustrate consumers, increase the likelihood of abandonment. The Spark theme, with a PHP-based delivery system, makes pages super quick. (Use PageSpeed Insights.) Spark automatically adapts to a user's browser and device, facilitating mobile and desktop experiences and purchases.
Make it Secure
2014 is 'the year of the hacker,' with a number of small and enterprise-level brands suffering breaches in security. Many hacks and identity impersonations are preventable. Be proactive in protecting your site and visitor information from rogue behavior. iThemes Security plugin scans for vulnerabilities, detects bots and roguish activity, and creates backups of your site's database.
Make it Functional
Online vendors have many advantages over brick and mortar competitors but proximity is not one of them. Making a poor impression lowers sale and prevents a consumer from returning to a site. Broken links are similar to a dirty lobby, a hair in food, or a slovenly dressed in-store worker. The Broken Link Checker scans posts, pages, and comments for broken links, ensuring consumers may click through to pages without error and impediment. The plugin alerts search engines of broken links that otherwise influence and lower web rank.
Make it Distinct
Influential parties know presentation is important; it's not what is said but how it's relayed. Owners need to know which web pages and blog posts generate the most interest and sales conversions. Creating custom variables with Google Analytics for WordPress, webmasters track consumer behavior and gauge what content resonates and most successful in facilitating conversions and sales. Add distinction your online voice and identify favored personalities via analytics.
Make it Graphic
The web's provision of multimedia is a big reason for its popularity. Users watch video, listen to sound clips, and view images on maps for a better experience. Consumers grow accustomed to a range of offered information, including details regarding store and brand locations. The Google Map plugin installs a widget and code, so potential buyers may see a visual representation of your locations as well as related information. Moreover, webmasters may link the plugin with Facebook Fan Pages for added exposure.
Make it Shareable
74% of adult browsers use social sites like Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Every published page is a chance to go viral. Increase the likelihood of mass exposure and social proof by making service and product pages, contact forms, and URLs associated to demos shareable. ShareThis gives readers access to over 120 social networks, hosts a share counter, and provides social analytics for better content management and exposure.
Make it Purchasable
Why have a site be a cog in a larger and longer sales cycle? In 2007, it took half as many attempts to reach a cold call prospect as compared to today. Counter the autonomy of the sales cycle with digital means of purchase. The WordPress PayPal shopping cart transforms webmasters into digital storefront owners. Allow consumers to buy with one easy click. Customize 'add to cart' prompts on pages and posts to increase on-page optimization. Every master started as a beginner and each successful business is built upon sound foundations. Begin building your power site brick by brick, minding the core essentials regarding user experience, engagement, and sales.
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