Your website says so much about you and the business you run, whether you care to admit it or not.
Your website is more than an online calling card. It’s a fundamental part of your marketing material. So what does your website say about you? And is what it’s saying turning potential clients off?
Who are you?
The first thing a visitor to your website wants to know is who you are, and what you do. This should be obvious.
If your elevator pitch is not clear and succinct you’ll lose them – online and in reality.
If your company name alone doesn’t make it obvious what you do, add a tagline. And make sure your “about us” section cuts right to the chase. It’s all too easy to try to be too clever.
Why would anyone choose you?
Undoubtedly you have competitors vying for the same customers or clients. So when these potential clients and customers are researching you online, they need to leave your website with a clear idea of how you are different, why you are better, and what your expertise really is.
It’s not a time to boast, though listing awards and accolades can help. Always put potential buyers first and demonstrate how you help. Better still, show how you do this in a way your competitors can’t or don’t.
Are you living in the past?
Nothing turns people off like an out of date website.
Perhaps it’s the content that’s making you look dusty: old bios for staff who’ve left the company, events listed on your homepage that happened three years ago, wrong contact info, a date stamped copyright in the footer that marks you as ancient history, or a “recent” blog post that was posted over a year ago.
But it’s also the little things… does your website need a redesign – does it look and feel like it’s from 2005? Is it responsive (ie does it scale up and down for mobile devices)? If not, it won’t just look bad and give users a bad experience, it will also be punished when it comes to SEO.
Are you professional?
If you’re trying to attract more customers and clients – and who isn’t – you want to look professional. This doesn’t just mean investing in proper design and copywriting. Professionalism also shows in what you spend valuable website space on. Do you devote prime homepage real estate to talking about your workplace social events?
Staff bios are often a trouble spot. For example, do you have mismatching staff bio pics – some professionally shot, others taken by the receptionist in front of an indoor plant with the flash reflecting off a mirror?
Similarly, lengthy extracurricular staff interests in the bio pages that read like they should really be on Facebook can be unprofessional or just irrelevant.
Are you easy to do business with?
One of the main reasons people visit a website is to contact you.
So how hard is it to contact you or even find your contact info?
While it’s important to take your website visitors on a journey, each time you make someone click their mouse you’re one step closer to losing them if all they want to do is call you. Have your key contact details – phone and email – prominently displayed as well as an obvious “contact us” in any menu.
Contact forms can be a great tool. But make sure the info people submit gets sent to someone appropriate who will answer the enquiry swiftly, and always provide an autoreply to the enquirer so they know when to expect a reply and what to do if they don’t get one.
So… what does your website say about you?
Contact Antelope Media and find out how we can help your business win more work with a quality website full of rich content.
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Related services: Websites and digital marketing, Copywriting
