Generating More Business with Widgets

Some people don’t realise that they interact with widgets every day. One of the most common places widgets appear is right on our smart phones and they are incredibly useful. So if they’re useful on a phone, could they be useful on a website for business?

Firstly, what is a Widget?

Well it’s definitely not just a funny word… A widget is a small piece of an application that has a specific task and is usually a shortcut to the complete application itself. It can also be a display of a small section of an outside website used to highlight an important area.

Type of Widget + How to Utilise it + Where to Display it

Social media widgets – Viewers are able to see snippets from your Instagram/Facebook/Twitter. Use them on your website to connect all of your platforms to one area. It gives potential clients a lifestyle view of your products/services and allows them to picture it in their own lives. It also links your website viewers to your social media accounts and creates new followers on those platforms. These widgets are best displayed in a side panel or in the footer area of your website.

Time widgets – There are a few different types of time keeping widgets, the most popular being a countdown. Countdowns are used for exciting events such as festivals, boxing day/financial year sales, tours, etc. Calendar widgets are also a great way to show what events are coming up with your business and keep your customers in the loop. Virtually any business with events can utilise both the countdown and calendar widgets with them clearly displayed in either the left or right side panels. The last of the time keeping widgets is the clock which is perfect for businesses in the tourism industry located in a few different time zones. You are able to showcase each time zone clearly via the clock widget and they’re best located in the header of your website.

News widgets – These types of widgets are perfect for any businesses in the journalism and world photography industry. The major news stations provide widgets that show the snippets of the latest world news and are constantly updated with new content so to always stay up to date with what is happening around the world. Showcasing this widget in either the left or right side panel will allow your consumers to easily access it. Or even have it on its own dedicated news page.

Real Estate widgets – Businesses within the property management industry that showcase their listings on other platforms outside of their own website are able to connect their website viewers to their listings via this type of widget, for example www.realestate.com.au. Displaying the widget on your own listings page will allow them to easily access your listings via the widget in the same place.

Music widgets – SoundCloud among other major music widgets are great for businesses in the music industry such as bands, festivals and music product stores to showcase snippets of their products. Having a music widget on your website, best located on the right side panel, allows your customers to have a taste of the product before they buy it.

I hope these tools help you as much as they have helped me in generating consistent business on my website. If you have any questions at all about this topic, please contact us and the Inology team will be happy to help answer your question in any way that we can.