Have you ever tried your hands at building a website from scratch? Well, then you’d already know it’s easier said than done. From designing an eye-catching layout to adding various useful functionalities – web development involves a series of complex steps.
If you’re new to the world of web design, you’ll likely focus on the following aspects while building a website:
- Layout and design
- Navigation and architecture
- Responsiveness and speed
- Color palette and typography
- Content
However, the ultimate goal of every web developer is to create an outstanding user experience. Considering that there are over 1.8 billion websites on the internet, this has become all the more important. If your website just offers basic features and functionalities, it’ll likely get drowned in the sea of lookalike websites.
So, how can you ensure that your website delivers a great user experience and stands out from the crowd? One of the simplest and most effective ways is to integrate weather data on your website.
But isn’t weather data only useful for specific industries, such as aviation, transportations, etc.? As it turns out, reliable and accurate weather information can be useful for any consumer demographic. You just have to know how to utilize and present it on your website.
In this blog, we’ll outline the key benefits of adding weather data to your website. We’ll also outline simple tips to integrate weather information on your website. Let’s get started.
Weather Websites: A Closer Look
It’s 2021 and unless you’re living under a rock, you’ve likely used standalone weather sites at some point or the other. These websites provide you with a wealth of useful information, such as:
- Temperature
- Air quality index
- Visibility index
- Precipitation levels
- Cloud cover
Many weather sites, such as ClimaCell, provide you with hourly weather breakdown and weekly forecasts. If you visit ClimaCell’s weather site in this URL, you’ll also find insights on pollen index and wind speed.
So, if weather websites are already providing all this information, why do you need to integrate it on your website? Let’s find out.
Why Should You Integrate Weather Data on Your Website?
There’s no dearth of free weather websites and apps on the internet. It’s only natural to wonder if you should even make the effort to include weather information on your website. Turn out, there are plenty of benefits to going the extra mile. Let’s take a look.
1. Enhanced User Experience
Let’s say you’re developing a travel booking platform. Your users will likely want to know what the weather’s going to be like in a particular destination before planning a trip. Providing accurate location-specific weather forecasts on your website ensures that they don’t have to scour for this information anywhere else.
This, in turn, results in an improved user experience and ultimately, converts first-time visitors into loyal customers. Likewise, if you’re running a travel blog or a location-specific website, current weather data and weekly forecasts will help you provide more valuable information to your visitors.
Also, it’s worth mentioning here that the use of weather information is no longer restricted to any specific demographic. Whether you’re running an event management firm or an online retail store, your target audience will likely want an insight into the weather before making any major purchase decisions.
Also Read: Enhance User Experience With Your Website Design
2. Increased Audience Engagement
If your target audience has to exit your website and look for relevant weather data somewhere else, they’re less likely to return. On the other hand, if you provide them with accurate temperature and other data, it’ll encourage them to spend more time on your website.
The more time they spend on your website, the higher the chances that they’ll visit other web pages. This, in turn, will improve your website’s bounce rate, time-on-site, and other engagement metrics. Using strategically placed internal links, you can even drive these visitors to relevant product/service pages and convert them into customers.
3. Improved Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Yes. Adding weather data to your website can bolster your SEO strategy. This is because when visitors spend more time on your website, it tells search engines that you’re providing them with valuable and meaningful information.
Also, weather APIs and widgets go a long way to continuously add new and fresh content to your website. Ultimately, both these factors positively impact your website’s search engine ranking. It ensures that your website grabs a top spot in relevant search results.
4. Personalized CTAs
You can use weather data on your website to create personalized calls-to-action (CTAs) and compel users to click on them. Let’s say you’re running an online retail store. If your potential customer is shopping for an upcoming trip, they’ll want to find out what the weather’s going to be like in their holiday destination.
Wouldn’t it be great if your website offered this information already? You can take it up a notch by providing them with personalized product recommendations based on their location and weather. And you can even tailor your CTAs according to the weather to grab their attention.
How to Integrate Weather Data on Your Website?
Now that you know the incredible benefits of integrating weather data on your website, you can’t wait to get started. The good news is that you can easily implement this feature on your website using a weather API. Such APIs are readily available on the internet.
All you have to do is copy the API key and paste it into your website’s source code. Make sure you select a trusted, secure, and accurate weather API. That goes a long way to ensure the weather data is displayed in an effective way without compromising security. Alternatively, you can install a weather widget or plugin on your website.
Have you ever tried adding weather data to your business website? What hurdles did you face and what solution worked out best for you? Share your experience in the comments section below.
