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Stepping_Into_Your_Clients_Shoes
| Stepping Into Your Clients Shoes
Have you ever sat down and really spent some time surfing
through your own company website? Are there any broken links?
Are you happy with the functionality and the graphical
interface? Is it easy to navigate and find the services that you
are looking for? Well, if you haven’t done this, we strongly
suggest that you do. You could be losing tons of customers
simply because your website is not up to par with today’s
standards and does not properly deliver the valuable sales
information that potential customers are looking for.
It may seem difficult at first, but try to put yourself in your
customer’s shoes and take a long look at the message that your
website delivers to the public. Pretend that you are a potential
customer and it’s your first time ever visiting your company
website. Let’s start by visiting the home page. Does it contain
“sticky” content that is visually and mentally appealing? That
is, does it have what it takes to keep today’s savvy consumer
clicking through your site. Customers are getting more and more
knowledgeable about the Web as time passes by, and their time is
extremely valuable. They are accustomed to getting what they
want and when they want it. If they aren’t impressed right from
the get-go, they will simply move on to the next company, in
search of the product or service that your website could not
provide. Your home page is a VERY important, if not the most
important, part of your overall website. Take the time to figure
out exactly what your customers are looking for and make it
readily available on your home page, or at least have a
prominent link to the product or service in plain sight. Try to
create headlines that grab the viewer’s attention and make them
ask for more.
Next, make sure that your website navigation is clean and
user-friendly. If you have buttons that lead the user into a
deadend corner of your site with no way out, then you have major
problems to correct. The website user should never have to use
the “Back” button in their browser to navigate. If they get
lost, they will leave your site.
Your product or service pages should be informative and lead the
customer to a course of action. Those pages should steer the
customer into purchasing online, calling you directly or
requesting more information or a custom quote. Make sure that
your phone number, preferably a 1-800 number, is visible on
every page of the website, thus lowering the path of resistance
to making a sale. Also, be sure that the rest of your contact
information is easily accessible. That includes your phone
number, address and/or a contact form or email address to reach
you. We have seen many websites that do not post an address or
phone number, leaving the potential client feeling weary about
the company’s credibility.
Lastly, if your webmaster or web design firm lacks the skills to
produce a visually appealing site with strategically planned
content and functionality, then hire someone that is able to do
that. It will pay off in the end!
If you have any questions or concerns about how to maximize your
company’s Internet presence, feel free to contact EarthQuake
Studios for a free web & marketing consultation.
About the author:
EarthQuake Studios thrives on the leading edge of innovation,
continually developing services that enable our clients to
improve their business models. Our service offerings include web
design & development, website hosting, domain name
registrations, marketing communications, full-color print
advertising & collateral, intranet / portal development,
e-commerce, email solutions, search engine optimization, SSL
certificates and digital photography.
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