Don't Ignore Your Website

There is so much talk about Search Engine Ranking, and being found in Google, that it is far too easy to forget about your website and what happens when it is found by potential clients in the Search Engines.

Imagine that your eye is caught by a particularly enticing product in a store window; so enticing, in fact, that you are tempted off the street and into the store.

Firstly, you enter into the perfume department, but your product is in Electrical Goods; where is that? Oh, where are the signs in this place? And a member of staff wouldn't go amiss...

You spend the first couple of minutes wandering the ground floor, finally find a member of staff and are told that Electrical Goods can be found on the Lower Ground Floor. Now, where are the escalators?

Once in the right department, you scan the displays of white goods for the product of your choice. It is not immediately evident. Ah-ha! Another member of staff. Excuse me! Now, where's he gone? Can you tell me where I can find the machine that is on display in the window, please. Oh sorry, you are with another customer...

You stand aimlessly, waiting for help.

Finally, you get to talk to someone and you ask them where you can find the said machine and how much it is.

Sorry, it is out of stock.

Good experience?

This is what happens when the vast majority of internet customers visit websites.

They search for something specific, find a website and are invariably taken to the website homepage.

They then have to look for signs to follow to get to the right "department" in order to find the specific product or service that they originally searched for. Is there any easier way to find information? No, so it looks like they will have to follow links. Is there a form or phone number they can use to make life easier? No, but there is a "Contact Us" link tucked away in the small print somewhere at the bottom of the page.

Each link takes the visitor to another page, and then another, with each page featuring lists of products that do not include the one they are after.

What happens to that potential customer if they finally find your product and either it is marked as being out of stock, or is found to be too expensive? Off they click and move on to the next website. To be honest, the majority of those potential customers probably didn't bother to move beyond the homepage if the particular product was not immediately visible.

You don't even know they have been on your site, yet they probably had money to spend or business to pass your way!

On average, a staggering 99% of your website visitors will leave without bothering to contact you.

So, what can you do to make sure that your website works for you once a customer finds it.

• If you do appear well in the Search Engines, then think about what the visitor will want to see when they click on the Search Engine link. If your Search Engine link features a specific product, make sure the landing page (ie, the page that the customer will be taken to) features that product.
  
  
• If your links all go through to the homepage, make sure you feature any promotions or special offers or new products on that homepage, in order to grab the visitor's attention.
  
  
• Don't worry if you haven't got a full e-commerce site, or if you don't actually sell products. The same principle applies to businesses offering services. What is your key service? For example, if you are an employment law firm, and all your seacrh engine marketing is geared towards attracting clients who need employment law advice, make sure your landing page immediately tells the visitor that you specialise in EMPLOYMENT LAW.
  
  
• Whatever your business, make sure there is a CALL TO ACTION on every page. Don't expect the website visitor to hunt for the elusive "member of staff"; make it easy for them to get in touch by any means.
  
  
• If you have a database of customers, past and prospective, think about running targeted email campaigns with links to specific pages of your website, so that the email takes the recipient to the right page. Even more effective is the use of a micro-site - a separate mini website that backs up the content of your email ensuring that every item of content is relevant.
  
  
• Above all, make sure your website keeps pace. It MUST change frequently to keep it fresh and relevant to your clients. Don't feature content that is "out of stock", past its sell-buy date or no longer of interest. Think about your customers would want to see when they visit your website; more importantly, what they would EXPECT to see.

If you would like a free website consultation, please contact Ian Rutter at ian@argentrammedia.com. www.argentrammedia.com