9 Things You Didn’t Know Your Website Could Do

Maybe you’ve got a website, but it could use an overhaul. Or maybe your business is brand new and you would like to get a proper website designed for it. Either way, when you’re talking about creating a website for your business, there are a ton of factors to consider, but the most important question is, “What can my website do for me?”

A lot of business owners are quite surprised about the number of options available for their website – countless templates, widgets, integrations, and metrics to track. With the constant evolution of technology and the ever-changing Google algorithm, it’s hard to stay on top of everything while also running your day-to-day business. We understand how confusing it can be to pick and choose what’s important for your website, so we’re here to break some of our favorite secrets with you.

Here’s our list of the top 9 things you didn’t know your website could do.

1. Grab RSS Feeds

RSS stands for Rich Site Summary (or some might say Really Simple Syndication)- and it is a simplified list of anything you wish to subscribe to. An RSS subscription will aggregate the information and update the feed in real-time when new things are posted.

By putting an RSS feed on your website, your visitors can get updates whenever you publish a new post, picture, or upload a new video.

Here are some other ways you can use your website’s RSS feed:

• Watch the stock market.
• Get weather updates.
• Keep an eye on your data.
• Get your content out there.
• Increase traffic to your website through social media.

2. Play Music and Videos

HTML5 is fantastic for so many reasons, but one of the best is the ability to put videos on your website in MP4 format (and others) without the need for Flash. Flash has been the go-to standard for years in website design, and quite frankly – we’re over it (as is the rest of the world – Flash has officially been retired as of 2021).

So, fewer websites are using Flash means those websites are getting more views on mobile devices as Flash doesn’t play well with mobile responsiveness (and it is blocked by default in most versions of Windows starting on January 12th, 2021) You can expect Google search rankings to continue to prefer sites that do not use Flash in the coming months and years, and to push Flash-dependent websites further down in the results as time goes on.

3. Run Web Apps When There’s No Web

These days Internet browsers are programmed to cache just about everything from the websites you visit. That means your visitor’s browser is caching your site, too. Browsers are trained to cache web apps in their entirety.

You can have a website that can be viewed even when the computer isn’t online because it’s pulling it all from the cache.

4. Video Conferencing

Yes, it’s true your website can’t be set up to use a visitor’s webcam without their permission. Suppose you get their consent legally and do not try to get around the laws and use the new WebRTC API. In that case, your website can host video conferencing between your website and your visitor’s browsers without any fancy plugins.

5. Run Code In-Browser

With Google’s Native Client, a web page can run code in C++ and other languages. Google Chrome comes with Native Client, and other browsers can easily install it. Native Client is running in a sandbox for apparent reasons, but it runs near-native speeds allowing for awesome in-browser games and other heavy graphic applications.

6. Generate Pop-Up Notifications

Do you remember the days of having to use a separate calendar to keep track of important dates and times? These days you can program a web page to pop up and give you a notification on a given schedule or in response to an event. Users can agree to notifications from your site to stay apprised of updates, releases, or campaigns.

7. Lead Generation

It’s possible you were thinking about this, but maybe had your doubts as to how to draw visitors in, or moreover, how to convince them to give you their business. After all, isn’t that why most businesses create websites – to capture visitors and turn them into leads with the hopes those leads convert into profits?

Having a well-designed website is the key to encouraging users to take desired actions. This beneficial action can range from scheduling an appointment, to requesting more information about your services or products, or outright making a purchase.

Your website has the power to connect with your visitors and drive interest to a point where you can then benefit from this traffic. Use specific calls to action for specific behaviors and be sure to follow up on leads and sales so you can focus on retargeting and reputation building with your clientele.

8. Give You Analytics 

Website analytics is essential because they tell you who visits your site and what they do while they’re there. There is so much valuable information in knowing what your potential customer base consists of and how they behave.

Google Analytics is a free tool available to anyone who owns a website. It will provide you with insight into your visitors – where they are from, how they land on your website, how they’re finding you, and much more. Use these analytics to your advantage and make business decisions with the full harnessed power of data.

9. Put You on the Map

Having a website can put you on the map, literally and virtually. If you have a physical location and people are not visiting, it could be because they are not finding your website – or your business – online.

If your website isn’t putting you on the map, then 1 of 2 things is happening:

1. Your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) isn’t being done correctly.
2. You don’t have enough website content to rank in Internet rankings or show up in search results.