250 Effective Ways You Can Use Your Website

a three by three grid of graphic computer screens displaying various pages

Having a website does not automatically translate into having an effective website.

Throwing up a website without considering all the factors involved could hurt your business more than it helps.

At the same time, a website is a critical asset you need to have in place to compete at a high level.

Here are some interesting statistics from across the web to highlight the role of your Internet presence in the customer purchase process:

Only 7% of Americans don’t use the internet now which means 93% do. Over half of those searches come from mobile devices.
There are 5.6 billion searches on Google per day and 63,000 searches per second on any given day.
In 2019, at least 70% of people were researching companies online before visiting or buying.
A 2020 Sistrix study shows over 28% of people searching on Google click the very first link, with over half choosing from among the first three. You want to be as high up as possible for searches relevant to your business, whether that’s “Thai food” “maxillofacial surgeon” or “interior design firm.”
As of January 2021, almost 4.66 billion people (59.5% of the world population) use the Internet.
Over 50% of smartphone users discover a new company or product while searching on their smartphones,
At least 60% of customers expect brands to have content online about their business.
72% of consumers go online to find educational material, reviews, and testimonials before buying.
75% of online users will at least partly judge a company’s credibility based on its website’s design.
81% of consumers perform online research before buying.
84% of today’s consumers think a website makes your business more credible than companies that only have social media profiles.
90% of consumers claim that online reviews influence their buying decisions.
95% of people read at least one review before making a buying decision.
97% of people learn more about a local company via the Internet.

So, what does a website really allow you to do?

Good question. Below is a list of over 240 different things you can do with a website.

Obviously, you don’t have to tick every item on this list, but look through it and think about it. How many of these list items are you taking advantage of right now? Are there things listed here that you want?

Use this list as an inspiration or guideline for your website! Don’t think you have to have everything done tomorrow. You can implement things you like over several weeks, or longer, if needed!

If you want, you can have us do a free review of your website and other marketing assets. GO HERE NOW and get in touch!

And of course, if you ever want help with any of these items, we can help! CONTACT US and and let us know how we can help make your website even more effective!

No more talk, let’s get to it!

You can allow folks to research and shop in the middle of the night if that’s how they roll.
You can have a vital piece of your marketing running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, including nights, weekends, and holidays.
You can have marketing, branding, sales, customer service, relationship building, global reach, Q&A, social proof, etc, all day every day.
You can own and control an incredibly valuable and affordable marketing asset.
You can use your website analytics to figure out if your social media pages are sending traffic to your website.
You can use your website analytics to figure out if your social media posts are sending traffic to your website.
You can use your website analytics to figure out whether other websites are sending traffic to your website, and which ones.
You can use your website analytics to figure out if articles you’ve posted on other sites are sending traffic to your website.
You can use your website analytics to figure out what your most popular pages are and make them even better.
You can use your website analytics to figure out what your least popular pages are and work to improve them.
You can use your website analytics to help define your typical website visitor based on various demographic data.
You can use your website analytics to determine the effectiveness of your various product pages and improve them.
You can use your website analytics to determine the search terms people use to find your site.
You can use your website analytics to understand the path people take when exploring your site.
You can use your website analytics to design funnels that you can track and improve based on visitor behaviors.
You can use your website analytics to determine your most popular product and service pages.
You can use your website analytics to determine the bounce rate from specific pages and improve that bounce rate.
You can build your online authority using your website through the use of quality content including articles, images, video, and audio.
You can communicate the problems you solve for your customers, how you do it, what you offer, and why they should care.
You can explain WHY you do what you do.
You can establish your place in the industry simply and inexpensively.
You can show visitors who you are, what you do, why you are different, and why they should choose you over your competitors.
You can create the ultimate representation of your brand in the digital space.
You can set the tone for the entire brand experience using colors, shapes, and symbols so that you can incite feelings that will draw your audience in.
You can build brand awareness, increase brand recall, and support brand recognition.
You can tailor your site to match your brand identity and ensure that all of your marketing messages are consistent.
You can use your unique brand voice (personality, words, language, tone, story) creatively and memorably to shine through so that visitors can get to know, like, trust, and understand your persona, brand, and business.
You can communicate the mission and values of your business.
You can own and control a space that allows you to share who you are and what you are all about.
You can talk about what your company has achieved and what it can achieve in the future.
You can showcase your personal story to your prospective customers and clients.
You can show visitors a clean, useful, and informational website that makes visitors feel like your business is the right choice for them.
You can use your website design to give people a sense of what it may feel like to visit your physical location.
You can help people easily find quality and reliable information about your business in a central location.
You can list your open hours or hours of operation.
You can share your email address.
You can display your phone number.
You can include the physical address of your business.
You can post a map with precise directions to your business.
You can integrate your website with Google/Apple/Bing Maps so people can find you more easily.
You can create a separate page for each physical location of your business.
You can include a separate page for each item or service you offer.
You can add a contact form and encourage people to get in touch with your business.
You can allow someone driving by your physical location to click the pin on Google Maps and be directed to your business information and website.
You can have a virtual business card for your company.
You can enable other businesses looking to use your products or services to review your website and confirm general information about your business, team, and offerings.
You can present any professional certifications you’ve earned over the years.
You can feature any awards your business has received over the years.
You can showcase the various accreditations you hold for the business.
You can list your business website in dozens of online directories since very few of us use the Yellow Pages anymore.
You can enable comments, which allows you to build community, connection, and loyalty through engagement.
You can promote goodwill in front of customers and target audiences.
You can stand out from your competition with a quality, informative website that sets you apart.
You can better compete because all of your top competitors have websites.
You can level the playing field even against the giants of your industry.
You can make sure people can find you, because if you don’t have a website, they’ll find someone who does, as in your competitors.
You can more easily let potential clients and customers compare your business against your competitors.
You can enter the 21st century because you will probably be considered out of date by those who have grown up on the internet.
You can stay relevant and visible as we continue deeper into the digital era because without a website your business will become invisible to everyone.
You can own the one and only place on the internet that you can truly control.
You can control how you position your business.
You can present and display your content however you want.
You can control the narrative about your business.
You can influence your brand perception by writing your own story on the website.
You can be free to express your opinions without the risk of social media and big tech censorship.
You can meet the expectations that people have for businesses to have a website in our modern digital age.
You can make sure that today’s impatient customers don’t look elsewhere.
You can increase your chances of gaining customers since potential customers are usually more likely to buy from a company with a website than one without
You can have a website that makes you look even more professional.
You can increase the amount of trust people have in you and your business.
You can establish, build, and boost your business’s credibility among potential customers.
You can avoid the damage to your credibility that not having a website could cause.
You can avoid having customers question your legitimacy as a business.
You can establish your small business’s legitimacy.
You can show potential customers that you’re serious about what you’re doing and that you have something to offer.
You can legitimize your business in ways no other social media channels or online assets could.
You can show your audience that you do indeed exist and give people comfort that you are a real business.
You can allow visitors to your site to validate your business information.
You can make your business feel more “real” to people in general.
You can give other businesses looking to use your products or services the ability to review your website to confirm your validity as a business.
You can allow consumers to gauge the trustworthiness or ‘fitness’ of your business.
You can validate your expertise and make your business more trustworthy.
You can take advantage of a massive opportunity to improve your online reputation.
You can help potential customers feel confident that they are purchasing from a reputable source.
You can offer social proof and build trust with potential customers.
You can give customers a positive experience and make them feel comfortable using your services, as they will assume they can expect that same positive experience in all areas of your business.
You can avoid seeming as though you’re not tech-savvy enough to keep up with the times.
You can avoid seeming too small-time for your customers.
You can show off the logos or a big listing of your current and past clients to visitors as proof of your amazing products and/or services.
You can use contact forms to facilitate inquiries from potential customers and encourage them to contact you.
You can use contact forms to facilitate feedback from existing customers.
You can use scheduling tools on your website to allow visitors to schedule appointments or book a call with you, and ditch the back-and-forth time-wasting dance you have had to do in the past to get anything scheduled.
You can set up a payment system so that if you charge for appointments, they can pay you before the appointment.
You can publish your contact information in your header or footer so it appears on every single page.
You can much more easily control conversations than you can on social media, resulting in much more constructive conversations.
You can more easily have detailed conversations about complex topics.
You can allow visitors to spend lots of time with you and to get to know, like, and trust you through your amazing and deep content.
You can set up chatbots and offer two-way communication which is essential for building strong relationships with your customers and also helps you understand their needs and desires, so you can better serve them.
You can make sure customers are always able to find you – anytime and from anywhere – at their convenience.
You can allow customers the convenience of shopping or researching from the comfort of home, with no added pressure to buy, which many of them may prefer.
You can continue to find and secure new customers, even outside of normal business hours.
You can allow potential customers to find all the information they need in one place.
You can include AI-powered chatbots on your website that can solve the basic problems of your customers exactly when they need it the most.
You can be accessible at all times which means more effective customer service and relationship building.
You can provide a convenient platform for customers to purchase your products or services directly, without having to visit your premises in person.
You can interact with a visitor whether they come to your website in the dead of the night or during the day, so you can say goodbye to that “closed” sign.
You can reduce phone calls about basic business information like location and hours.
You can help customers find useful information right when they want without needing to call, which ultimately provides an all-around better user experience.
You can allow customers to receive a reply instantly and save their time, which helps to encourage positive customer relations in the long run.
You can reduce or eliminate customer unhappiness and frustration from missing a call they make to ask about hours or location because that information is right there on your website.
You can allow your staff to focus on incoming producing tasks since they will spend much less time answering the phone to field basic info calls.
You can include a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section (or menu page, product page, or services page), which will reduce customer service costs and save you time and money, as well as provide much more information than could be relayed over the phone.
You can use your website to offer live chat if you are that industrious.
You can completely redesign your website at any time whenever you are ready to rebrand.
You can easily edit and update your pages, portfolios, products, blogs, videos, images, samples, testimonials, reviews, and whatever else you have.
You can work on building your website whenever you have time, versus having to be stuck in a set schedule.
You can set up your website once and let it run indefinitely.
You can use do-it-yourself website builders with visual editors that allow you to drag and drop content without requiring you to know one ounce of HTML or JavaScript.
You can use templates or themes that look professional right out of the box.
You can opt for “all-in-one,” services that provide design tools, hosting, support, and even the ability to build a web store, all in that single account.
You can tap into large communities of developers and designers that actively answer questions and help others.
You can take advantage of the special guides and other offerings for small businesses that many hosting and web services providers now have.
You can offer visitors insights into who you are, why you are different, and what you provide or sell.
You can include pages on your website that describe and give details about the products and services you offer.
You can include pages that explain how to solve the problems that you commonly solve.
You can include images and videos of your location so visitors can get to know you and feel comfortable before ever setting foot inside.
You can provide short video tutorials to establish your authority and expertise.
You can include fun behind-the-scenes videos that build a connection with your visitors.
You can create promotional videos that effectively engage your customers and sell your business in an effective and cost-efficient way.
You can include answers to basic questions like what you do, your products/solutions, your location, contact details, etc.
You can create an effective FAQ that answers detailed questions so that potential clients can get the specific information they need before they contact you.
You can post articles, white papers, and other documents that can be accessed by anyone.
You can save yourself time and make visitors happy by posting ALL the information they need to make an informed decision and help make it as easy as possible for people to buy from or work with you.
You can add to your growing FAQ to provide even better information for your website visitors whenever you get a question through social media or email.
You can provide downloadable and informative PDF documents to hesitant customers to help bridge the gap.
You can include all the amazing videos you’ve developed on your YouTube channel.
You can include pages with built-in popup forms and web push notifications that encourage your website visitors to stay in touch and come back.
You can integrate calls-to-action, lead magnets, subscriber form fields, web push notifications, and built-in popup forms which can help you build an email list so you can communicate with your audience through email marketing and generate repeat business.
You can create a branded email address using your domain which adds a level of professionalism to all of your correspondence.
You can avoid sending an email from a personal email, as potential customers may not take your business as seriously.
You can better take advantage of email marketing tools since some providers no longer allow the use of personal email addresses.
You can tailor each page of your website to elicit a particular emotional response from the visitor, in support of the desired action to take on that particular page.
You can announce any streaming or live events you plan to attend including seminars, fairs, festivals, networking events, happy hours, conferences, expositions, symposiums, forums, panels, roundtables, presentations, ceremonies, and webinars.
You can stand out from other businesses because is not enough to only have a Facebook page since every other business has one.
You can combat the fact that business organic reach is decreasing every year on social media as feeds get more and more crowded and social media platforms continue to monetize.
You can maintain your own much more reliable platform – because while social media platforms come and go, your website will always be there as long as you keep it up.
You can make a great first impression, and sometimes it is the very first impression made on a customer.
You can distinguish yourself, put your best foot forward, and show potential customers who you are, what you do, and why they should do business with you.
You can create a place where potential customers interact with you and learn about your business.
You can custom-build the digital gateway, door, and welcome mat of your business.
You can offer coupons on your website that visitors access from links on videos, posts, images, tweets, or TikTok videos.
You can run and manage campaigns far more easily since you’ll be able to run everything through your website.
You can have an insurance policy against various digital challenges in the future.
You can build a section of your website to serve as a resource center for your employees & staff which can include self-service videos, instructional materials, internal forms, etc.
You can build a password-protected section of your website serving management that relays important information not meant for the rank-and-file employees.
You can build a section of your website for vendors outlining delivery hours and location, payment procedures, etc.
You can build a section of your website for an affiliate program which can include the affiliate details, swipe files, best practices, etc.
You can create a special password-protected page and a great place for potential investors to be sent to see what you stand for.
You can drastically increase your customer base.
You can generate a lot of leads, sales, and new customers with the right marketing strategies and conversion elements in place.
You can set up and automate an effective and efficient customer journey, taking visitors from not knowing you at all to raving advocates of your business.
You can deliver cohesive and strong marketing messages throughout your website.
You can highlight all the features that can help or solve your visitors’ pain points.
You can create tools that help your brand spread the business message, vision, and mission.
You can get your message, mission, and personality in front of your target audience faster than print ads or snail mail brochures.
You can have one of the best and most economical means of advertising at your disposal.
You can react and communicate timely and effectively to past, current, and prospective clients.
You can post updates on your website for your visitors and customers.
You can put time-sensitive announcements in a bar at the top of your site with a link to a page or your site that provides more info.
You can keep customers and visitors up to date on everything that you’re doing.
You can create a permanent record of the thoughts and ideas you want to share with the world.
You can set up an online store.
You can pack your website with information about your products and services and showcase and promote them, with a clear call to action as well.
You can include a product FAQ with pertinent info and prices directly on the product page so visitors don’t need to click away in search of more details before hitting the add to cart button.
You can include all the benefits, features, and pain points addressed for each of your products and services.
You can include high-quality, visually appealing, beautiful images of each of your products.
You can include videos of each product in use or being described or explained.
You can use your website as a platform to sell your products or services and process the payments for sales.
You can use your website to encourage website visitors to make a purchase.
You can allow people to order online without taking up any of your time.
You can instantly update any product or service information to take advantage of current events
You can set up an online eCommerce store that can help you expand your reach beyond your physical storefront.
You can allow the visitor to only view what they want without bombarding them with unnecessary or extraneous information.
You can sell your products and services even when you’re asleep.
You can make sales to people all over the world, expanding your business out of your city.
You can use your website to sell goods & services directly to consumers, in some cases reducing or eliminating the need for “brick-and-mortar” storefronts.
You can monetize your video content.
You can sell digital memberships.
You can connect to your scheduling app with Stripe, PayPal, or Square so you can accept online credit card payments for appointments and group classes.
You can use your product pages as landing pages because they were redirected from an email, a Facebook ad or post, or an Instagram post.
You can create a substantial positive ROI, dwarfing the initial and monthly costs.
You can promote your products and services.
You can direct traffic straight to your website when running paid ads through Google, Facebook, or anywhere else.
You can create a sophisticated and centralized paid marketing campaign funnel
You can provide a place for customers to visit since a majority of us visit a business’s website before making a purchase.
You can effectively reach your client base.
You can broaden your reach to a wider audience.
You can allow anyone, from any country, to be able to find your company.
You can level the playing field and begin scaling your business and products across different countries to get even more sales and customers.
You can use your website to connect with customers on a personal level by writing about yourself, your business, and the story behind building it, thereby building a relationship with your audience and customers.
You can have an asset under your direct control that will most likely be there more reliably than most of your social media pages.
You can very effectively replace your printed brochure with an online version.
You can own one of the most cost-effective marketing tools available for small businesses.
You can have a very cost-effective way to market your products and services.
You can reduce your overhead which allows you to lower your prices, giving your business a real competitive edge.
You can creatively display your portfolio or samples.
You can show potential customers what they’ll get when they work with you by displaying high-quality photography on your website.
You can help your current customers find you in search and get the information they need.
You can go from an invisible business to a business that shows up (maybe first) whenever a potential new customer searches for your products or services.
You can start showing up in Google search results when people are searching for your service or product, and people can click through and find you.
You can show up in search results for people who didn’t even know they were looking for you.
You can include a blog on your website, which if done right, will boost your business in search results and get more traffic to your site.
You can create content that will continue to rank on Google search results and generate leads and sales for your business long after it has been written!
You can more effectively reach new audiences.
You can use their website to attract current and new customers and build relationships that will lead to more business.
You can increase your chances of being found, as there’s a much greater chance of someone stumbling upon your website when researching on the web than stumbling onto your social media asset when scrolling through their feed.
You can help consumers to “shop local” and support small businesses.
While social media platforms are great for building relationships and engaging with customers, they are still supplemental to your website.
You can have an online presence if and when your various social platforms experience outages or shut down.
You can completely control your content and messaging, because, with social media, you are at the mercy of algorithms and platforms that end up blocking posts, warning about posts, and open-sourcing whatever you post.
You can avoid having to keep up with the ever-changing rules of all the different social platforms.
You can completely customize your website brand because on social media all your assets have to be in the same format as everybody else’s.
You can link to your social media accounts by adding a social block to your website header or footer or embedding your profile.
You can allow visitors to engage with your website without having to create a social media account.
You can pack your website with reviews and testimonials as a great way to establish social proof and impress potential customers or clients.
You can proudly display articles and blogs on your website that have featured your business.
You can include more in-depth case studies on your website that clearly explain your process and exactly how you helped others achieve their desired results.
You can rely less on Google, Yelp, and other review sites to host reviews for your brand.
You can ask happy customers to submit a review or testimonial that you can use forever.
You can include video testimonials, upload them to YouTube or Vimeo, and share them on your website.
You can create a dedicated page for all those written and video testimonials and reviews on your website, in addition to sprinkling them all around your website.
You can easily include photos of the people leaving reviews and testimonials to make them even stronger and more believable.
You can import reviews from other sites, like Google, directly onto pages on your website.
You can capture reviews from third-party websites so that if any of those review sites close in the future, you’ll still have a record of those reviews.
You can leverage all that time you’ve spent hustling for reviews on Google, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Amazon, and wherever else.
You can use your website reviews on your social media pages and entice clicks back to your website.
You can run ads on certain platforms that require traffic to be driven to your website.
You can create powerful landing pages that help your paid ad efforts.
You can study historic traffic that has been going to your website and then target the most qualified customers and get the best ROI on your ad spend.
You can register your domain for less than $20 a year.
You can purchase very good hosting for under $30 a month.
You can use core WordPress, which is FREE, and which is all you need to build your website yourself if you want.
You can create an internal use database of customer information.
You can create an internal use set of pages detailing your various business processes.
You can create a special page for vendors to share important information just for them.
You can create a glossary page with various definitions used on your site.
You can create and store an entire library of landing pages and images to use in your A/B testing.
You can create a list of 100 reasons why someone should buy your products or use your services.
You can create a “secret” page only for special customers and clients sharing extra information, behind-the-scenes, or special discounts.
Create personal pages listing business goals or even more personal goals you can refer to at any time.