Release date: November 19. Number of fans: 60, 000. Collection: Difficult to say. Don't surprise, this is not about any Hollywood movie's success saga. These were the statistics of Drupal 8 web development.
In less than six months of its existence (released on November 19, 2015), the number of Drupal 8 sites has crossed the 60,000 mark. Breaking the figure: 10, 000 websites a month, 2, 500 a week, 333 a day, 14 an hour! The jaw-dropping success story of Drupal 8 pumped so much energy that the community couldn't hold themselves from releasing Drupal 8.1.0 (April 20, 2016) with more enhancements. This success does bring a sense of responsibility on every Drupal web development company and Drupal web developer. The responsibility is to stay up to the expectation of clients, their prospects and customers. However, businesses that are looking forward to hire Drupal web development services must also make a prudent decision. Here, are a few do's and don'ts of Drupal web development.
Do's
See Goals Clearly
Increase engagement, generate leads, increase sales, increase upsell or cross-sell, increase conversion rate, improve brand awareness and increase customer satisfaction, you need to inform to your Drupal web development company that what you want to achieve with the Drupal website.
Get SEO Plugins
Ask your Drupal web development company to leverage the SEO components available with the framework. This will give the necessary impetus to your website to stay on the top of SERP (Search engine result page). Even if you don't have an in-house SEO team, you can leverage the built-in components with absolute ease to make your site visible to your target audience.
Apply Mobile-First Strategy
Understanding the growing use of mobile devices make sure to have a responsive website that can connect with users on phones and tablets. Let them have a consistent experience across desktop and mobile platforms transcending the barriers of operating systems.
Learn About Competitors
Before approaching your Drupal web development company, take some time to analyze the website of your competitors and jot down what you liked the best about them. Analyze look and feel, navigation, content placement, image placement and more.
Develop Your Content
Look and feel of a website is complemented well by the content it holds. Hire copywriters or approach some content development company to get it done for you. Communicate explicitly to them as what products/services you offer, and what USPs (Unique Selling Points) do they have. But don't miss to keep your Drupal web development team in the loop as they are responsible for the presentation part.
Keep Calls to Action in Mind
Bringing urgency in readers to view your products or services and take a decisive call is a must. This is the first stage of customer acquisition so you should put it precisely after reading the mind's of your target audience. For example, a banner that says "50% off all products", won't be that effective as one with "50% off on all products, CLICK HERE to view them."
Don'ts
Do it Yourself
A website is the first engagement platform where your prospects and customers come and, hence, let them have the best experience. Even if you know the fundamental of the Drupal website development, then also it's recommended not to take any chance and put your digital engagement model in any jeopardy. The impression should be effective enough to drive them ahead to do business with you, rather than repelling them taking refuge of your competitors. Approach a trusted Drupal web development company.
Let People Wonder
Let your visitors feel at home when they are on your website. Ask your Drupal web developer to keep the navigation simple and fast to let visitors find what they want without any fuss and delay. Content has a key role in conveying your message to the target audience. Make sure your content writing services provider is capable of doing so without any ambiguity. Seek feedbacks of your friends, family and colleagues. Ask them to judge the website from the user's point of view. Are they able to get the message? If they answer "No," then certainly the website needs a remake.
Unnecessary Share Buttons
Knowing that the major chunk of your audience is on social media, adding social share buttons in a haste would just do bad. Unless you have a good social presence, resist from adding social buttons on your website as this might give a bad impression to them. Hence, if you are planning to do so, build a good reputation on social platforms first, particularly, where your target audience or customers are.
Blog Section That Receives No Update
Going to ask your Drupal web development team to have a blog section? Wait. Make sure that you have time or resources to keep it updated on regular basis. Doing it merely for the sake of having it would do no favor. As outdated blogs build a wrong perception in the users? mind.
Try to Please Everyone
Don't let your target audience go out of your vision. Just for the sake of getting website traffic building a website to please every user or user segment would deviate you from achieving the goals. Make sure your website is built explicitly on the needs and preferences of your target audience.
Testimonials That Fake
Using fake or forged testimonials will only erode the trust of your prospects or customers. Use testimonials that sound real and specific to what you do, and in which readers can find themselves as potential customers.
We have covered some important aspects, but that doesn't mean there is nothing beyond its periphery. Remember, WWW is a place where change is the only constant. Keep reading the analytics of your website to know more what your prospects and customers want. Drupal 8 has everything to meet your needs and let you overcome challenges. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn to know more on Drupal 8 web development.
