Calling All Members! How to Get People to Your Website (Hint: It’s about more than looks!)

Beauty, while definitely in the eye of the beholder, only touches the surface of the qualities your website should possess. By “beauty” we mean a creative design, a well thought out site architecture and a flow that makes navigating your site a breeze. 

But—just as there’s more to your credit union than shares, drafts, and loans—there’s more to your site than beautiful functionality. There are the functions at work below the surface of the site—the search engine optimization (SEO) tools that help draw members to your site and help increase your site’s effectiveness in attracting and retaining members. Think of all the potential members who are searching Google to find a financial institution. You want them to find you first among the hundreds of available options. Here’s how to help make that happen.

Begin with Keywords and Metadata
Start with the basics. When writing your content, be sure to include keywords on every page. Keywords are best placed in the first 50-100 words of the page’s content, but adding them sooner is even better. Next, be sure to add metadata (data about content) and search terms to each page of your site, and then add alt/title tags to all photos. It’s a really good start, but you need to take it even further.

Incorporate Google AdWords
By incorporating the most searched words from Google AdWords into your website (not to mention your social media and online marketing content) you can improve your searchability and help increase your chances of being at the top of Google’s search list. For example, “online banking” is a popular phrase for searchers. In your website content, use the phrase multiple times without sounding redundant, usually three to four times per page.

Top Google AdWords and phrases can be purchased from Google, enhancing your site’s searchability. AdWords allows you to set your daily budget and will even estimate your daily clicks, based on what you’re able to spend.

Review the Stats
Along with keywords and AdWords, you have to take a look at the stats. Google Analytics presents a variety of statistics (which we can always help you analyze). At first glance, the information might appear overwhelming, but take some time to delve in and really learn what the numbers are telling you.

A recent Ragan.com blog suggested four steps to help users get more out of Google Analytics: “make goals; it’s more than just page views and clicks; set up weekly or monthly custom reports; and use the advanced segments feature.” Let’s look at each of these:

1. Set goals – Without goals, you won’t know exactly what you are measuring—or if there’s been any improvement. After you write your goals, use the goals feature on Google Analytics to track your progress.
    
2. Look beyond page views and clicks – Instead of reviewing only page views (which simply reflect how many times viewers opened a Web page), review other statistics, such as the number of unique visitors, the amount of time spent on the page and where visitors are coming from.
    
3. Set up weekly or monthly custom reports – Standard reports are helpful, but custom reports give you the data you choose. In Google Analytics, you have the ability to create and automate custom reports with your key measurables and objectives.
    
4. Use the advanced segments feature – If you want to track the traffic to your site that comes from a certain source (such as your Facebook page), use the advanced segments tool. In his tutorial, How to Use Advanced Segments in Google Analytics to Isolate SEO Problems, Glenn Gabe states, “Advanced Segments are relatively easy to set up, they are retroactive (letting you run reporting on past traffic), and can help you isolate any type of visitor you are trying to analyze.”

Remember your goal is getting members and potential members to visit your site and use your products and services. And that’s the most beautiful result of all!
 

Related Services: Website Design and Development, Online Services