Don’t Believe people care about your website.
What’s keeping you in business? Your customers, right? So if that’s the case why do some many companies design websites for their own needs, and not for those of their customers.
It gets worse, visitors to your website aren’t staying long, they’re quickly moving on to one of your competitors’ sites.
When creating your website ask yourself:-
“If the only reason my website exists is to solve my customers’ problems, then what problems is this page solving?”
Remember people care about solving their own problems and the common reasons to visit a website are as follows:
-To find information
-To make a purchase
-To be entertained
-To be part of a community
Understand that you only have 5 Seconds to capture someone’s attention.
After that, they’re gone! To hold the visitor’s attention you need to make clear:
- Who you are.
- What you do.
- The benefits you offer.
- What you want them to do.
Direct visitors to where you want them to go.
Due to the nature of a website, it is impossible to control where visitors are within the site, how long they stay, or what pages they visit. However it is possible to increase the odds of moving visitors to where you want them to be – by making clear pathways within your website. If the only purpose of your website is to get prospects to call you - then put your telephone number on every page and make it big! If you want them to learn more about your products and services - then tailor the site towards that.
Don’t think Flash is the coolest thing ever…
We’re not saying that Flash isn’t a great tool, it is. However it is sadly often abused by Web designers:
- Don’t force people to listen to music
- Don’t force people to watch a video
- Don’t create landing pages
Would you arrive at an important business meeting with your ipod and speakers and proceed to play your favourite songs while trying to demonstrate the key benefits of your business? Isn’t that just a touch distracting?
Equally, if a customer arrived at your offices to place an order, would you make them sit through a mime act about your products and services before providing them with the information that they came for?
Wouldn’t they just walk away?
If you wish to use audio and video on the site, do so with consideration. Allow the user to make the decision as to whether they want to watch or listen to it. If they do decide to watch or listen, don’t keep them waiting for it to up-load.
Understand that a good design is worth its weight in gold.
A poor quality design can mean failure for your website. This might appear to be a little obvious - but how many times do you visit a website and instantly think “Gosh that’s ugly”! This is usually followed by you quickly leaving the site to look elsewhere. A good design increases the chances of visitors staying on your website – and therefore absorbing your message or call to action.
Understand that there is a good reason why some web designers only charge £99 for a website.
We’re certainly not suggesting that you shouldn’t make a considered judgement on where to purchase your website, naturally value for money should be a key part in your decision.
Think about it! Would you expect a web designer to be able to understand your business challenges, offer a wealth of knowledge, create tailored solutions, show commercial acumen and come up with a fantastic design - for less than the price of a return train ticket to London?
We don’t think so!
Have a strategy in place for when the site is live.
Once the website is live that’s the hard work done right? Wrong! Even before the website is live you should be considering the future. It’s time to talk SEO – Search Engine Optimisation. You need to talk to an agency that will work hard to “get you in bed with Google.” To learn more about SEO why not give us a call on 01332 363624 and join us for a cuppa and a chat.
