Do you ever just surf the net? And look at different websites? Preferably from your competition? What stands out in your mind? What’s something that everyone has? Who’s different? Which sites did you like, and why?
Put yourself in the mind of one of your potential clients. Let’s say you sell Widgets in Denver. Your clients might go online and type in “Widgets, Denver”. Results 1-10 out of 4,560,328 pop up. Why would this Buyer choose your site?
Do you have the largest fonts? The flashiest flash? Do you pay per click? Are you paying a Search Engine Placement Company to be among those 1-10 results offered first?
So, for arguments sake, let’s say this Buyer DOES click on your website. And after only a couple of seconds, it’s fully loaded….and…well….and? What will this Buyer see? Will this be an easy to navigate site, with lots of content? Interesting, updated frequently, well organized and not only consisting of endless flash presentations? If you were looking for Widgets – would you really care about anything else? By checking your site – is there a way to find those widgets quickly?
If your site is not organized well, doesn’t offer content (Updated content at that – cause otherwise our Buyer won’t have a reason to come back) and is not engaging (providing that little extra that “Surfers” never knew they were looking for)….well, then why bother? Surely you don’t just want a site to have it “sitting on the web”?
The goal should be to attract potential clients, inform them, engage them and educate them. Your website is not just your advertising, it’s a way for potential Buyers to start forming an opinion about your place of business. Let’s make sure it’s favorable!
Some more thoughts on this topic…
Website Planning 101- by ThinkDave.com
What does Google Page Rank do? – by Marketing Recipes
Consumer Buying Behavior on the Internet - from The Wharton School
Filed under: Advertising, Business Tips, Internet Presence, Marketing, Small Business Owner | Tagged: Internet Presence, Website
Thanks for noticing my article. I think you’ve hit the nail on the head with the goals you’ve outlined.
The fact is, web has come a long way since 1994. There’s a lot of information available to buyers, and you need to be able to show them (in a very short space of time) exactly how your product can solve their problem.
Taking the time to plan an easy to use, informative website will not only help more people make the decision to buy from you, it’ll also establish you as an informative resource for your industry. And that’s something no amount of advertising spend can buy you.
Dave,
Appreciate the comment. I still think that too many sites are too formal and static. But – times are changing….so maybe that will change too.
Sabine
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