Understanding your website, How good is your website?
There are millions of websites going live every month, there is so much noise it is hard to be heard sometimes. So how do you stand out from the crowd? or is it a crowd that you need? Maybe you are making enough noise and have enough of a crowd coming to you but there is something else that is missing and you are just not sure what it is.
The purpose of every website is to ultimately offer one of two things if possible and to do both of them great, which are:
- Your website is a 24/7/365 non-stop salesperson
- Your website is a service machine that works nonstop
It’s important to know what your website is meant to be. If you can have a website that accommodates both objectives well then that’s great. However, you must understand that each one of these would need it’s own tools, flows, process and systems in place to work effectively.
If your salesperson does not have the right product knowledge, training, accurate pricing and ability to sell effectively then you will remove him or her. So why accept that from your website?
Here are some questions you should ask yourself to help you evaluate your website, and see if you are on the right track. Because the problem may not be the level of noise or the crowd.
- Would you yourself buy from your own website? Tough question, be critical.
- Do I have the right trust indicators that make a website look and feel more trustworthy?
- Is my website looking professional, clean, secure and well known?
- Is my website a new site that is highly recommended by people of influencers in the industry?
- How easy is it to use my website?
- What are the major products or services that the business offers and does it get communicated instantly once landing on a page?
- Does the website allow for easy transaction i.e contact forms, buy, support or recommend?
- Can I get the support from this website when needed?
- Is this the core business or just a side product or hobby?
When you answer these question you are able to establish a level of credibility and trust. It is then that the user is one step closer to the buying from you.
It’s important in everything you do that you consider the perception you create out there about your work or business.
I often hear business owners saying, “yes our website is bad please don’t look at it”. Or “Yes, I am aware of the problems just haven’t been able to fix this”.
It’s at that point that my jaw drops to the floor.
I then ask, “so you are ok with one of your staff to speak and behave inappropriately on the job, and you will tell people it’s ok to ignore him as he is just a clown?”
I get a strong “NO…”
Well, then why let your website be a clown that damages your brand and business? Get it fixed! The cost to you business and brand is far greater than the cost of paying a Developer or Designer.
