Fall 2009 Edition
Are You Web Friendly?
Tips for Using Your Web Site to Improve Business
Like any other part of your business, your Web site can work for or against you. Fortunately, there are some tips to make it more effective—and set your company apart from the competition! Remember, what you put online can mean the difference between a potential customer calling you or clicking the back button to visit your competitor’s site!
1. Be accessible
Your customers need to find you to buy from you! That means your company’s Web site needs to show up in search engines like Google, Yahoo, or the new Microsoft site, Bing—and it ideally should show up at or near the top of the list. While each of these search engines has special formulas for determining whose site gets the top positions, there are some things you can do to help (a process called SEO, or Search Engine Optimization).
Consider adding new content, in the form of a press release, recent news, or other information to your home page or pressroom each month. Also, consistently use keywords in the information you post on your site and in your actual Web site copy. If you sell ‘small, round widgets,’ then make sure that you consistently use that terminology on your Web site—when folks go to Google to search for that product, your site will have a better chance of turning up in the results. Having other Web sites link to yours can also help with rankings. Consider setting up reciprocal links with an industry alliance to benefit the both of your organizations.
2. Make an impression
According to various research, most customers decide within five to 20 seconds of reaching your Web site’s home page whether they are going to stay on the site or leave. That’s not a very long time to make an impression, so it’s essential that you give potential visitors what they want, need and expect right away. So what should be on your home page to make a visitor stay?
First of all, make who you are and what you do immediately clear. Again, if you sell ‘small, round widgets’ and other such products, say so right on your home page. Consider offering your visitors options for searching your products as well—remember, people like choices—and provide an option for them to learn more about your company and your successes upfront. Perhaps you have a customer testimonial that you can share. These options can take the form of a tab at the top of the home page or a similar, easy-to-find link on a side bar.
Adding recent product or company news on your home page also helps visitors see that your company is up-to-date and active. And don’t forget to make it easy to contact you by putting your phone number in a visible location!
3. Navigate your way to success
If you have an inviting, effective home page and potential customers verify that your Web site is where they want to be, then what’s next? Simply put, your Web site should be easy to use. Visitors should be able to navigate through it in a way that is not only intuitive, but also in a manner that helps them easily get the information they are expecting.
Be sure to offer clear, concise information on your product and/or service pages so that visitors can better evaluate whether these will meet their needs. Also, make sure that these product pages provide visitors with the opportunity to navigate to the next step of their decision-making process—contacting you! Place a RFQ section, phone number and/or email on each product page so that visitors don’t have to search further in your Web site to buy from you.
Remember, if it’s too hard to determine the next step to reaching you, your potential customer may just give up and go elsewhere.
4. Prevent overload
Add to the user-friendliness of your Web site by keeping its look and functionality as simple as possible. Avoid heavy graphics, loud colors and any other excessively flashy elements that could intimidate (or frustrate!) a potential customer. Also, remember, not everyone has lightening-fast Internet connections or the latest computer model. If it takes too long for a visitor’s computer to load your home page, or any page of your Web site, they’ll likely search elsewhere.
Sites with flash player graphics can also be cumbersome, as can sites that require potential customers to download PDFs to get the information they want. Keep such elements to a minimum or avoid them all together!
Also, avoid registration requirements. In the age of spam, potential customers do not like to provide their email address, let alone their name, in order to get information on your products. Again, keep things easy for your visitors so they aren’t overloaded with extra work just to buy from you!
5. Keep track!
The goal of your Web site is to help improve awareness of your company’s products and services and to generate more business. If you don’t track its effectiveness in reaching that goal, you’ll never know whether your efforts spent on it are worthwhile. You and your employees undergo reviews with superiors periodically, so why shouldn’t your Web site, too?
Track the RFQs that you receive from the Web site, as well as the phone calls. Some experts even suggest dedicating a phone number to the site so that any customer calls received on that line can be directly attributed to it. If this isn’t possible, consider implementing a ‘how did you hear about us?’ question into your customer service representatives’ repertoire. Track what customers have reached you based on the information your Web site provided…and even better, what sales you have made because of it.
Remember, your Web site holds the potential to be an integral part of your company’s overall success—just like you and your sales team. Taking care that it is in tip-top shape and offers the information visitors want and need is critical. It can also mean the difference between buying from you or your competitors!