We all know that we need a website, but many of us think that simply having one is enough. In fact, there is research indicating that many businesses with an online presence haven't touched their websites in years. No investment has been made to improve functionality and appearance or keep content up to date. (You know who you are!)
A website is an essential business asset providing it’s done correctly, but if your site is outdated and visually lacking it becomes a liability that can hurt your business more than it will help.
Conversely, a well-designed site can make all the difference.
It's the first place users go to research your products and services, serves as a lead generator, a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tool and often provides an online e-commerce facility.
We've all heard the adage about first impressions, and it's no secret that they're the most important factor in the way people remember their first encounter with you or with your website. On one hand, a well-designed, user-friendly website will showcase your business and your brand, impressing clients. On the other hand, an outdated and otherwise bad website can hurt you far more than it can help you. Potential customers will eliminate you as a possible vendor after interacting with your brand and substandard website for only a few minutes.
We all try not to "judge a book by its cover," but in an online environment, a business website is effectively “the cover”, and often all the prospective customer has to judge your business by.
Are you wondering if your website is an asset or a liability? If so, simply answer the following questions to find out. We know we have clients whose websites are long overdue for a total revamp, others may just require some simple changes and many don’t need any work at all. Just take a minute to work out where your website “stands”.
Index/Home Page
Is it immediately clear to visitors to your website who you are and what you offer?
Can visiting users tell immediately who you are and what you
offer?
Is your index page an information destination or just a disorganised landing page?
Does your index page give a good first impression that entices users to click through your links?
Content Is King
Is your content written clearly and persuasively?
Does it
speak to your target market?
Have you included useful and relevant resources like case studies, white papers, articles, or links?
Does your content effectively describe your products, services, and benefits?
Is your content keyword focused to cater to users and search engines alike?
Critical Pages
Is there a top-level page that describes your products and
services?
Do you have an "About Us" page to describe your company?
Is the "Contact Us" page clear, informative, and thorough?
Do you have a page where users can ask questions or answer their own?
Do you have a Testimonials section?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Is your site search engine friendly?
Is your site optimised for specific and relevant keywords?
Have you acquired a network of high-quality, relevant back links?
Now that you've answered all of these questions, you need to decide what to do next. Start with some analysis to see what your competitors are doing and this will give you an idea of what you need to do to "stand out from the crowd".
Then talk to us about facilitating as many changes as you can to improve your website, turning it back into a business asset instead of a liability and watch as your web presence creates leads and ultimately sales that impact your bottom line.
