Features & Functionality: Options for your website

by GRD Creative | Feb 5, 2021 | Business, Gleneden Ridge Design, Website design & development

So you have a website that outlines your company and talks about your products and services. That’s great, but what’s next?

There are so many options of so many features – both off-the-shelf and bespoke – that you can add to a website. Extensions like these typically come in the form of a plugin or module that is installed and configured on your site’s back-end, but they can also be separate services that are integrated with a short-code, JavaScript, or other API. Sometimes it’s difficult to know where to start, so below, we’ve outlined a few features and options that are commonplace, simple to add, and have a measurable return on investment.

Forms

Forms seem to be an obvious feature; actually a necessity, but there are more types of form than just a contact form. Here are just a few suggestions:

• Quote forms
• Application forms
• ROI Calculator or other website tools
• Newsletter Subscription forms
• Support requests
• Service sign-off forms
• Schedules & feedback forms
• Booking requests
• Request a sales calls
• Payment forms

And that’s just a few suggestions.

Zoom

Particularly relevant in today’s COVID-19-stricken world, online video meetings have become more commonplace than face-to-face meetings. many video conferencing systems are WordPress-ready, but Zoom is our favorite.

Video

You can use videos in multiple places on your website to capture attention, educate, and show ideas or products. Some of the obvious uses are to show properties on realtor’s website, to highlight destinations on tourism sites, and to of course to demonstrate products. But you can also use subtle videos as backgrounds for sections of your site, for tutorials, and to highlight services, or introduce staff. The uses are endless!

Galleries

Picture or video galleries are useful in many ways; with a well-designed gallery, you can display your products or services, showcase your work, arrange your client testimonials in an organized manor, and present resources to your users.

Downloads

Adding a download to your landing pages can make it more worthwhile for users to visit your site. Give them something they can use, that they get value from. And you could also ask for the details before they download it so that you can send them offers, updates, and info by email.

Booking Systems

Very useful for a variety of businesses and websites, booking and appointment systems help to automate your calendaring and are great for those in the travel & hospitality industries, as well as equipment rental services, health clinics, vehicle hire companies, domestic and utility services, and leisure services, to name but a few.

Online Stores & Purchases

This one’s a needs no explanation; if you’ve a product or service that you can sell online, then do so!

Chat Solutions

Chat solutions built directly into your website allow customers to talk directly to one of your staff, right at the time that they’re at your products. Engaging with prospects at this early period can dramatically improve the conversion rates of your website.

Blogs & Social Media

Blogs can be built individually or into your website, and social media platforms can be integrated directly with your website and blog, so whatever you post in your blog, also gets posted to your social media channels.

This is only a few ways that you can increase the functionality of your website; you can do much more. And not just on the public-facing side of your website. You can also use your site as a valuable business platform by building in Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Business Intelligence, and Marketing tools, so you can manage customers, business and marketing from the back-end of your website.

Contact Gleneden Ridge Design for more information on any of these options.