Do you know how much your website says?
Someone sends a prospective client your way. They’re a warm, maybe even a hot lead. Before contacting you, they do what everyone else does — they visit your website to check you out. Then nothing. They don’t call for an appointment. No email inquiry. Nothing. Just crickets.
Your poorly designed website scared them away. Instead of giving them confidence and establishing trust, your site did just the opposite. It created doubt, uncertainty and a general feeling of uneasiness about you and your company. They click the “back button” on their browser and go somewhere else — probably to one of your competitors with inferior services to yours, but with a better website.
The Dos
- Prominently display your address and phone number + make it easy for people to contact you via email or contact form.
- Have your website professionally-designed. It shouldn’t look like it was built by a 6th grader.
- Provide a good user experience when they visit your site. Make sure your content is organized and easy to navigate. Get rid of superfluous content and other distractions that don’t contribute to your overall message.
- Display testimonials from actual customers, with their pictures if available.
- Keep your site’s content up to date. Visitors also want to see content that is current and relevant
- Profile the people behind your company. People do business with other people. Prospective clients want to know who they’ll be dealing with. Tell your story. Let people get to know you.
- Make sure your content is free of typos and errors. Nothing screams amateur like misspelled words and grammatical errors.
The Do Nots
- 75% of consumers admit that they judge a business’ credibility based on their website design.
- Poor website loading speed can be extremely harmful to businesses. Most consumers expect a web page to load in 2 seconds or less. 79% of shoppers reported that they would not return to purchase from a slow loading website.
- Websites must be mobile-friendly and optimized to adapt to various interfaces. According to comScore, the number of users accessing content online through their mobile devices has surpassed those who use a desktop.
- Website clutter is a a huge deterrent. Ex: Too many Flash animations, ad prompts, auto-play videos, background music, etc.
- Once again, site navigation is a factor that hurts conversion. Confused, frustrated prospects don’t buy.
- A missing or confusing call-to-action. You must let your visitor know what you want them to do next. Don’t assume they’ll know. Be direct and specific. Gently nudge them where you want them to go.
Your Website Speaks To Your Business
You wouldn’t show up to a client meeting or an employee interview in cut-off shorts and a stained tank top, would you? Of course not, because how you present yourself says something about you and your business.
The same goes for your website. Your website is a reflection of your business, and often the first impression someone has of you. So if it’s broken, outdated or hard to use – you’re not looking so hot.
Personally, I’ve avoided ordering food, making purchases or applying to jobs at companies with truly awful websites. I feel like a business’ website gives me some insight into what the company is all about and if I want to align myself with them. And I’m not alone.
A reported 75% of consumers say that they judge a company’s credibility based on web design, and 94% say that businesses with good web designs are more trustworthy. So if that first impression isn’t a great one, it can harm your business’ image.
Even if you think most of your business traffic comes from referrals, don’t forget that 81% of consumers conduct online research before making a purchase. Those potential leads are checking you out, and having your website look great and perform well will help them make a decision about purchasing your services/products.
Looking to better your position online?
