Nurturing customer loyalty is an essential priority for any successful business. Unfortunately, many businesses overlook the opportunity of using their website as a tool to build loyalty and retain existing clients. Whether leveraging a website to sell e-commerce products or generate leads, a website can be an effective tool for getting more out of an existing customer base. When designing a new website, business owners should keep in mind how website design could be used to encourage customers to keep coming back for more.

1. Responsive Design

In today’s mobile-focused world, nothing is more frustrating to customers than websites that do not work properly on modern smartphones and tablets. Customers in the modern world are increasingly expecting responsive websites that work flawlessly on everything from an iPhone to a 4K monitor. In addition to potentially scaring off new customers, a website that is not responsive could lead returning customers to reconsider their purchasing decision and even look elsewhere. Businesses should maintain a fully responsive website to prevent existing customers from thinking twice about repurchasing.

2. Encouraging Referrals

The most loyal customer base is earned through networking and client-to-client referrals. When designing a website, business owners should keep in mind that a website’s design can help to facilitate referrals. A well-designed website that looks great can make existing clients feel more comfortable about sending a link to a friend. In contrast, many businesses struggle with network-driven growth in today’s world because their website looks too plain or poorly designed to make satisfied clients feel comfortable enough about sending a referral to others. Make sure that contact and home pages express all of a business’ strengths to earn maximum revenue through networking.

3. Incorporating Social Media Buttons

Satisfied customers are much more likely than others to share content created by a company with which they had a positive experience. Businesses seeking success on social media, therefore, should aim to drive engagement with existing customers by encouraging them to follow the company’s social media pages. A website design that makes social media buttons more prominent will significantly increase the number of existing clients who choose to share a business’ content with their network. Incorporate social media buttons into every page to enjoy enhanced social performance.

4. Offer Meaningful Value

Businesses can encourage customer loyalty by designing a website that offers tangible value and gives customers a reason to return. Examples of tangible value on a website could include a client dashboard, video tutorials, or routine promotions. Former customers who would benefit from content incorporated into a website could return several times to utilize these resources. Each time a customer returns, there is a good chance that they may choose to make a purchase.

5. Encourage Direct Engagement

Online transactions are often very impersonal in nature. While direct engagement may cost time and money, businesses almost always realize a return in the long run as customers feel a more compelling reason to return for another purchase. The prominent placement of contact forms, phone numbers, and email addresses are all proven ways to encourage engagement and increase long-term revenue.