Good for you. At least you have a website. Believe it or not, there are still many businesses that don’t.
Some prospects will find you because they know your name and web site address. Maybe they have been referred by someone or saw a mention of you somewhere online. You have a leg up with these potential customers because they sought you out.
But they, as well as the prospective buyers who find you through a search engine, need a good reason to stick around. Your website is your round-the-clock virtual sales team. If that team isn’t closing deals, you need to find out why. Here are five common culprits.
- Your Website’s Design is Not Welcoming – Your early pages especially should make your visitors feel comfortable. They at least shouldn’t startle them. So stay away from garish graphics that employ odd colors, try to stay away from using sound (or at least make it optional). There’s a lot of web-surfing – and shopping – that goes on in workplaces, and a sudden blast of music is a dead giveaway that someone in a nearby cubicle or office isn’t hard at work.
- Your Navigation Scheme is Confusing – Customers want to drill down and find what they want easily. Many websites make it hard for customers to find what they are looking for (they want a blue, men’s shirt in size S, allow your site the ability to show the customer only those shirts that fit that criteria).
- Your Content is Not Appealing – You get about 15 seconds — once a visitor lands on your website — before they go to some other website. What content is on your landing pages that will keep visitors on your site? Make your website compelling, and visitors will stay.
- Potential Customers Can’t Find You – If your website isn’t using Search Engine Optimization (SEO) effectively so your potential customers may not know you exist. In a highly competitive marketplace, high rankings in search engine results are essential. Test your website using a computer you don’t usually use and search with as many keywords and phrases as you can think of. If you’re not on the first page for those searches, you’re not visible.
- You’re Not Asking People to Buy – ABC – Always be closing. Once visitors know what you are selling, sell it to them. Make it easy to buy, ask them to take action, and give them a reason to buy now — and from you. Use price, convenience, fast delivery, and other strategies to convince visitors to act. Don’t forget to cross sell – does that toy have other accessories (the toy kitchen, show the pots and pans that go with it).
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