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we typically see are small businesses that have a really great product or service, but a web site that is amateurish, outdated, or built in such a way that it conveys the exact opposite message about the company!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 Here are a few examples of what an outdated or unprofessional web site can say about your business:
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Outdated Information: Says that you don’t care about your web site, or that you don’t have the time, money, or staff available to adequately maintain your company’s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.
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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.
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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.
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Poorly Written Text and/or Spelling Errors: Reflects poorly on your knowledge, degree of expertise, level of experience, and attention to detail.
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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.
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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?
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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.
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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.
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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.
