Archive for: June 2009

I recently read a blog post that told the story of a new web site that was beautifully designed, well-written, and full of very appealing and well-crafted marketing content, but promoted a product that actually turned out to be of very poor-quality. I must say that in working with small businesses for the past 10 years, that’s not the situation that we see. What we typically see are small businesses that have a really great product or service, but a web site that is amateurish, outdated, or built in such a way that it conveys the exact opposite message about the company!

Regardless of the size of your business, you simply cannot afford to have a sub-standard web site that doesn’t meet the needs of your customers and potential customers. Today, your customers are on the web performing searches in Google, sharing with their friends on Facebook or Twitter, and visiting web sites that provide them with something of real value. Your customers care about the experience you provide them on your web site, and their standards are getting higher all the time. So ask yourself – does your web site accurately reflect the quality, expertise, and professionalism of your business? What is the message that your web site really sends to visitors?

Today’s web users are sophisticated, with some basic expectations that must be met before they will stick around on your site (not to mention give you a call or make a purchase). You’ve probably heard this before, but it takes a new web visitor approximately 4 seconds to decide whether your web site is legitimate or interesting enough for them to click on something other than the “back” button. Here are a few examples of what an outdated or unprofessional web site can say about your business:

• Outdated Information: Says that you don’t care about your web site, or that you don’t have the time, money, or staff available to adequately maintain your company’s site.
• Unprofessional Design: Says that your company may not be a professional-caliber business or may not offer the required level of quality customers are looking for.
• Lack of Web 2.0 Interactivity: Says that your business doesn’t keep up with the times, or that your business is not current or progressive in its thinking.
• Poorly Written Text and/or Spelling Errors: Reflects poorly on your knowledge, degree of expertise, level of experience, and attention to detail.
• Unfinished Pages (e.g., “Under Construction”): Says that you ran out of time, money, interest in the project, or page content before you could complete the site.
• Template-Based Design: Says that you don’t have any established branding of your own, or that you needed to take a “short cut” and opted for a do-it-yourself web site.

While these examples clearly send negative messages, some of them may actually be true about your business (like not having enough staff available to regularly update your site).

But even if it is true, it’s probably not something that you want to advertise about your business! And if any of the examples above accurately describe the current condition of your web site, chances are that the message being sent does not accurately match the quality and professionalism your company provides to customers every day.

A professional, up-to-date web site can send a very powerful message to visitors, and can be the difference between a potential customer giving you a chance, or taking their business to a competitor. So what can you do to make sure the message your web site sends is an accurate reflection of your business?

1. Update your site EVERY month. Don’t let your site just sit there; add a new page, change out some content, highlight a different product or service, write an article, do something! If you simply don’t have the time (or skill) to do this, hire a company to do it for you.
2. Consider a Re-Design. Re-designing your site can solve several issues all at once; from correcting an unprofessional design or template-based site to fixing the lack of interactive features on the site.
3. Re-Write the Text. It’s never too late to review the text on your site and do what’s necessary to make it powerful, convincing, and accurate. Commit to re-writing at least one page each month, and have someone else review it for you to check for errors. Bonus – not only will you be improving your web site, but you’ll also be providing visitors (and search engines) with updated content at the same time!

Don’t let your web site send unintentional, negative messages about your business. It’s tempting to think that once your web site is finished and live on the web you can cross it off your “to-do” list. But remember that your web site is one of the most powerful marketing tools that you have. It can persuade, advertise, educate, sell, influence, and win over customers and potential customers – so make sure it says all the right things about your business.

Let’s face it – if your small business web site is outdated, looks unprofessional, or doesn’t meet today’s user needs, you are probably losing money and driving away new customers every single day. If you’re like most small businesses, you’ve already invested a considerable amount of time and/or money into your web site, so you need your site to work FOR your business, instead of working against it. If it’s time for you to take an honest look at your web site, here are eight signs to help you determine if your site needs an extreme makeover:

1. The site is image-based, Flash-based, or contains too many graphics. The biggest issue with these types of sites is that they are invisible to the search engines and cannot be effectively read or indexed by the search “bots” that visit the site. Another issue with these sites is that they are nearly impossible to update in-house, and even the smallest change requires your graphic designer to re-create the image for the page. Instead, use standards-based content and go easy on the images. That way, the site is much easier to maintain going forward, the search engines can actually see your content, and the page will download faster for your visitors as well.
2. The site has the same information as it did a year ago, six months ago, or even a month ago, and nothing ever changes. What is the incentive for your visitors to come back to your web site if they have already seen what is there? Why would users want to come re-read the same info that was there the last time they visited? If your site is just sitting there with nothing new, it’s definitely time for a change. Create new content for your site, or re-use your other marketing materials as content on your site. Update it regularly with interesting, useful content and you will give your visitors and the search engines a reason to return to your site and take notice of what you have to offer.
3. It’s all about you, and nothing about them. Visitors don’t really care all that much about your company, but they care very much about your ability to solve their problems. If your site is filled with content that talks about your company, its history, how the owner got his or her start, how your products are developed, how great your service is, etc., you’re missing the point. People come to your web site to see if your company can help them solve their problems, so you need to focus on how your products and services meet their needs, solve their problems, and provide BENEFIT to them.
4. The site looks unprofessional or has an amateurish design. You might be able to save a few bucks by having your neighbor’s cousin design your web site, but it’s just not worth the negative effect it has on web visitors and potential customers. It takes visitors less than four seconds to form an impression of your site and decide if they should stick around and explore what you have to offer, or if they should click on the “back” button and visit your competition. Don’t represent your company with a web site that looks amateurish or contains unprofessional web elements like hit counters, time/date stamps, or template based designs – these can send your potential customers straight to the competition and cost you considerably more in the long run.
5. The site is hard to use, or has inconsistent navigation. Web site usability is critical in turning visitors into customers, and if your site is confusing to use, your visitors will simply give up and go somewhere else. Be sure that your navigation system is consistent across all pages on your site, and that the pages are well organized, making it easy to find information. Users should always be able to find their way back to the home page or other key pages, and nothing should be more than 2 or 3 clicks away from the home page.
6. The site is a “static” web site, with no interactivity or updated features. In the age of social networking, web widgets, mobile messaging, and web video, users today expect to have at least some level of interactivity on the sites they visit. At the very least, try to include a blog on your site, or an interactive online calendar or photo gallery. Use the web 2.0 features that make sense for your target market (e.g., insurance sites that offer instant quotes, customer service pages with how-to videos, etc.), but offer your visitors something more than just static, brochure-like web pages.
7. The site is not integrated with anything else useful. (Also related to “static” sites, above.) The most useful sites today are the ones that offer users additional value beyond the web site itself. Integrate your web site with your blog, and with your social networking profiles on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. Use e-mail campaigns and e-newsletters that direct recipients to specific landing pages on your site with information on special offers or coupons. Use online response forms and surveys that provide users with an easy way to give you feedback.
8. The site cannot be found in the search engines. If your web site cannot be found in the search engines today, that is definitely a red flag. There are many reasons the site may not be listed; such as an image or Flash-based architecture, improper coding and non-standards-based practices, not enough inbound links, or incorrect keyword densities, just to name a few. But search engine visibility is critical to the success of most businesses, so if your site cannot be found in the search engines, it may definitely be time to consider an extreme makeover!