I have ran a successful web development company for the past 10 years, and in that time, I’ve overseen the creation of thousands of websites. Over the years, I’ve learned that there are rules that your website HAS to follow in order to not only represent your business but to prompt your visitors to engage with you. So these rules apply to every website? Well, no; if you have a separate landing page or a specific sales page, some things may not be necessary, or in fact even hurt that page. What we are discussing here is your MAIN website. Your “corporate headquarters” on the web.
RULE 1 - Hot or Not? I know we are not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but everybody does it, and for good reason! Let’s say you walk into a store, and it’s filthy and there is clutter everywhere and some strange odor. Chances are, you are not going to be staying there for
Honestly, today there are so many virtually “free” options to create a great website with a variety of customizable templates, you have ZERO excuse to have an ugly website.
very long; after all, if that is how they present their store, how good will their service be? People are making those same quick judgements about you and your company based on your website. Is your website aesthetically pleasing? Does it look professional? Is it up-to-date, not only in information but in style? Honestly, today there are so many virtually “free” options to create a great website with a variety of customizable templates, you have ZERO excuse to have an ugly website.
Page 2
RULE 2 - “Authorities have called off the search for the missing website visitor…” Nobody likes to be lost, and this is especially true on the web, where people can just click a button and teleport out of the maze that they have found themselves in. Ask yourself, “What are the main areas of my website that people will want to go?” Put links to these areas in your main navigation with some very nice drop-down menus for any relevant sub-areas. This may seem like a no-brainer, but so many times people are too close to their website to be able to view it from an outside perspective. For example, yesterday I was looking at landscaper’s websites to see if they could come and power rake my lawn. There was one site in particular that I was searching and searching to find a list of services, only to finally discover the link tucked away in the footer!
RULE 3 - There has got to be some meat in this sandwich! Content is the most vital thing for your website. Not only does it help with search-engine optimization, but it can totally win over a prospective customer, setting you apart from the competition. I know it seems like a lot of work, but
Page 3
you NEED to take some time and write out some content. What would your perfect customer/client/patient LIKE to read about, what would show them that you’re trustworthy and professional? Get your readers interested, make them want your product or service and get them to take action. Selling is more of a science then an art, and there is a formula that has been shown to get people to make buying decisions. Use this formula in the content of your website.
Problem: What are your buyer’s biggest fears, frustrations or needs?
Aggravate: What will their problem look like if they don’t find a solution now?
Solve: How are you the super hero that will rescue them from this horrible problem?
Prove: Substantiate your superhero-ness with testimonials of folks you’ve rescued, organizations that have given you super hero credibility
Call to Action: See Rule 5.
RULE 4 - A picture is worth 1000 words, videos have 60 frames per second. Do the math! Video… it’s the number one thing I want my trafficandleads.com customers to do, and something only a very small percentage will actually complete. I do videos all the time, and believe me I know it can be a HUGE pain to
Page 4
get prepare what you’re going to take about and get gussied up and smile for the camera. But DO IT, there is nothing you are going to do content wise that is going to engage your audience more the video. The people who are looking for the product/service you offer do not want to do business with a company, they want to do business with a person. Preferably a person that they feel like they know and can trust. This is your chance to give them that feeling.
RULE 5 - Just tell me what to do What is a Call to Action? Quite simply it’s what you want the person viewing your website to do. You might be thinking that this only applies to e-commerce sites, but if you have a website you obviously want the visitors to the site to do something! Do you want them to give you their e-mail address? Sign-up for your mailing list? Call you? Book an appointment? Whatever you want your ideal customer/client/patient to do, make it obvious and easy for them as soon as they come to
“Make sure your contact info is
your website. I’ve gone to
EVERYWHERE”
websites just looking for information and saw an obvious way to schedule an appointment and thought, “Ah, that’s easy, I should go ahead and do that!” Making things clear and easy and obvious will not only guide your users to do what you want them to do, it’ll let your users know what a painless experience doing business with you will be!
RULE 6 - Hey, can we talk? Now, this could be covered in our previous rule, depending on what your desired call to action is, but either way, just please make sure your contact info
Page 5
is EVERYWHERE. Put it in the header, in the footer and on your “contact us” page. This includes your address (if you are a local business), your phone number and your e-mail address. There is nothing worse than trying to find a business in Portland Oregon only to find out I’m looking at a company that is located in Portland Maine. (Ok, there are probably a lot of things worse than that, but it’s still irritating!) Or liking what I’m reading on a website, thinking, “I’m going to give these guys a call!” only to have NO idea where to find their phone number. If I can’t find it within a few seconds, I’m done, I’ll check the next business listed in Google! Once again, show me how easy it is going to be for me to do business with you.
RULE 7 - Your website is nice, but can I take it with me? So, in case you are like my Mom and still rockin’ a flip-phone, let me let you in on a little secret. Phones are “smart” now, and it’s changed everything. So many people are looking at the web on their mobile devices, that Google has changed their rules so that they consider mobilefriendliness as a factor in determining who ranks the highest in their results. Still not convinces? Well, you are being a bit difficult, but fine, go check your analytics. You will be shocked at the number of visitors coming to
Page 6
your site from a mobile device. Make sure your website has a responsive design and looks great on a desktop, tablet, smart-phone. Basically anything that people can view your webpage on. So, now that we’ve gone over all of the steps, do you have a killer website? If not, start today and make sure all of these rules are followed. Your customers will reward you!
Page 7