Every business owner wants their website to stand out from the rest. Like a glossy magazine ad, we want our message to jump off the page. For visitors to come to our site and say, "Wow! That's the one I want!" But what about having enough faith in your product, service and tagline to allow these things to provide the wow factor for us? Instead, misguided business owners often engage in the use of Flash, overdone graphics, and needless software gadgets to give their site the "latest and greatest" look and feel that they believe is necessary to increase stickiness.
Times have changed. When the World Wide Web began to evolve as a marketing tool, everyone wanted to jump on the bandwagon with the most outrageous, up-to-date presence that they could afford to create. And it was fun. Emails would fly when someone discovered a website with that wow factor. We would tell our friends which sites to check out for the most amazing animation, technology, and originality. Who cared if it took 90 seconds or longer for the page to load? It was worth the wait!
No longer is the Internet a venue for delivering the wow through movement and needless technology. It is now meeting its goal as a pure and simple information technology tool. It's become a way of life, and convenience and speed are critical to a website's success. Here are a few review questions to apply to your website. If it's not up to speed it's probably time for some updates.
1. Do you have an "intro" page? Most people consider these nothing more than an annoyance. And even worse, it is most likely hurting your search engine ranking. Get to the meat. If you insist on glitz, have your designer create a banner for your homepage that satisfies your desire for movement. Make sure it's a narrow banner so that your important information is visible "above the fold" where the visitor can get right down to business.
2. If you have an e-commerce site place the shopping gateway right on the homepage. Don't waste your visitor's time with a long explanation about your product quality, customer service, blah, blah, blah. Sure, you want descriptive text but placement and brevity are key. Shoppers want to see quality images of what they get to buy on your site — immediately. They don't want to click, hunt, or search to buy. Think about this. When you walk into a department store, what do you see? What gets your heart pumping? The merchandise. You don't want to stop and hear lengthy explanations from a sales clerk about how great their products are. You want to shop! Websites are no exception. Let them shop!
3. Make sure your copy speaks to the customer. Identify with their needs and problems. Let them know how your product or service will answer their needs and desires in some way. If, for instance, a visitor is looking for a dentist, they are looking for a doctor that will meet specific needs. What unique offerings do you, as a dentist, have to offer? Think about what need or desire your new patients typically express. If it's "painless dentistry" for instance, make those words dance off your homepage and into your prospects heart so that they KNOW they've found what they're looking for.
4. Give your visitor a reason to come back. If you don't engage them the first time they visit, odds are they won't return. In fact odds are they won't return unless you reach out to them and entice them to return. Ask for your visitors contact information (name and email address) and give them a compelling reason to give it to you. Coupons, information, and giveaways are a good way to do this. Then, reach out to them from the email list that you will build. Send brief, informative newsletters, more giveaways, fun stuff that will compel them to utilize your services or purchase your products.
5. Make sure that your visitor feels safe on your site. If you are an e-commerce business place secure server notices on your homepage, along with graphic images of the charge cards that you accept. If you ask for contact information, place a brief comment about your policy to never sell or distribute your lists to other parties.
There's so much more, this is only the beginning. But these changes will make a difference for you. I know that it's difficult to give up things that you are emotionally tied to, like beautiful images fading to and from the page, but let's face it — we're on line to make money. Let's get to the point and allow our prospects to engage.
Marla Tabaka is a small-business advisor who helps entrepreneurs around the globe grow their businesses well into the millions. She has over 25 years of experience in corporate and start-up ventures and speaks widely on combining strategic and creative thinking for optimum success and happiness.
