Your Online Resource Centre
Web Site Strategies Why Doesnt My Web Site Work
By: Wayne Scherr
Every client has the same complaint: Why doesn?t my web site work?
You?ve invested a large part of your business budget to build your online identity and the results aren?t happening.
You hired a design company who specialized in bells and whistles with flashy technology. The web site is so spectacular the web builders won an award. When your web site went live, you expected the world to race the superhighway to buy your product or service. But business didn?t come.
What?s the problem?
The answer is multifaceted. First, look at your business. How does the Internet fit with your marketing goals?
Maybe it doesn?t. Not everyone needs a web site. Shocking, but true. But if your business can benefit from a web site, then you have to ask yourself what you want the web site to accomplish and examine how it fits into your overall marketing plan.
Okay, you decide it fits perfectly, and you need a web site. Now take a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle. On the left, list the features of your business. In a car washing business, this might be 24-hour service. Now on the right, translate that into how it benefits the customer. For example, 24-hour service means you can wash your car when it?s convenient for you.
Benefits sell your business. That?s what you want your site to promote. Keep the usability factor in mind. Web sites need to be designed for the customer, not the product. How do people find specific information on your site? Who are your customers? What is their age group? What are their buying characteristics? Do they wear bifocals? Are they high tech savvy?
Make it easy to navigate your site and offer useful, credible information. High pressure ?teasers? and excessive hype that promises and doesn?t deliver turn off today?s web surfer. If your information has value, perceived and real, you gain credibility. Demonstrate your expertise by using, FAQ's, newsletters, email and personal phone conversations.
Graphics and photos should be optimized so your visitors don?t wait forever to download and finally click off in disgust.
Include a call to action, to inspire your visitors to contact you or purchase your product or service. Follow through with shopping procedures that are secure and easy to use.
Once your site is done, the next challenge is to figure out how your customers will find this wonderful new creation. A web site is like a business card. No one will read it unless you get it out there in front of your potential clients. Having one in your pocket means nothing.
How do you get ranked in the top search engines? Have you made good use of meta tags, meta page descriptions and key words? Do you need affiliates, banner ads, and ongoing search engine submissions?
Once they find you, what brings them back? The unique advantage of a web site is it provides fresh and current information. Be prepared to update regularly and keep all links active.
The easiest way to accomplish all this is to find a web designer who understands Internet marketing and how it differs from print, radio, TV or direct mail. This should be someone who asks plenty of questions about your business, your goals and your existing marketing plan. Someone, who listens, then figures out how to design your web site to maximize results for you, not to garner another esoteric award for him or her.
Following the guidelines outlined here, you will improve the effectiveness of your web site tremendously. You?ll discover the Internet can work for you, and it will become a valuable part of your overall marketing strategies.
Author: Wayne Scherr If you are ready for a web site that works, contact Winning Media Publishers, Inc. at 406-586-4811 or wayne@winningmediapublishers.com TODAY. |
