|
Top_10_Signs_Your_Site_Needs_An_Overhaul
| Top 10 Signs Your Site Needs An Overhaul
These are the top 10 signs your web site needs an overhaul.
# 10 The images used on your site include a revolving globe,
bevelled horizontal line separators, and one of those animated
mail box icons that were popular in free image libraries around
1995. If this is you, listen up. If your site looks dated and
unprofessional you will not make any sales. The key to
generating sales on line is with a professionally designed web
site. People form an impression of your business, and whether or
not they will do business with you, within 30 seconds. Cheesy
graphics used in an amateurish web site will do nothing for
gaining the trust of prospective customers.
# 9 Your hit counter is of the free variety and after one year
reads "You are the 38th visitor to this site." A site that
publicized for all to see that no one has visited is doomed for
sure. Remove the counter, and see point number six below for
help with this one.
# 8 Your site starts with the words "Welcome to our site. Please
bookmark our site. Click on the links to find what you are
looking for"
If your site starts off like this you need a lesson in
marketing and copywriting. When you read a magazine or the
newspaper, notice how headlines and powerful copy are used to
get your attention and motivate you to do something. Your web
site should use the same strategies to get people's attention.
This starts with an easy-to-read layout, and wording that is
interesting, motivating, and most importantly is about the
reader, and not about you.
# 7 There is no easy to find contact information anywhere on
your home page. Contact information on the main page of your
site is convenient for your readers and makes you look credible,
and accessible. To make a sale, you've got to earn people's
trusts, this starts with giving them lots of ways to contact
you. If they have a problem with an order they place, they want
to make sure you will be there if they need you.
# 6 You don't have a way to analyze your web site traffic and
determine where your traffic is coming from. Without this you
are marketing your web site wearing a blindfold and simply
praying for the best. Web site statistics software can reveal
valuable information to help you evaluate your marketing
efforts. Information about search engine traffic, including
which search engine was used to find your site, what key words
did they use to find you, what pages are people looking at when
they get to your site, referring URLS, and much more!
# 5 You don't have a way of tracking leads or prospective
customers when they visit your site. How can you do this? Track
visitor information by providing prospects with a form to
complete to request additional information, or to find out more
about your products and services. The form allows you to request
important details including name, address, phone, email address,
budget, level of interest and so forth. You get more detailed
information for follow up, and your prospective customer gets
faster service because you have all of the relevant information
before you.
# 4 You've not had a lead off your web site for more then 24
hours.
Your web site should complement your traditional methods of
business. Be sure to include your web site address on all of
your print marketing, business cards, letterhead, shipping
inserts and more. The more people who see your web site address
the more likely you are to get business from your site. If you
are not getting leads from your web site, or inquiries by email
it's time to rethink what you are doing.
# 3 You've NEVER sold one thing at your web site either directly
or indirectly. If you've had your web site online for a year and
not made one shiny nickle then you need to reassess what you are
doing. You aren't doing something right. It could be your web
site, perhaps it is not professionally designed. Or it could be
your traffic, no traffic = no sales. Either of these factors can
effect your sales.
# 2 Your web site address is of the free variety and is so long
that you have no hope of ever fitting it on your business cards.
If this is you, get a domain address, they are cheap, easy to
set up and give you instant credibility for your business. Free
web site addresses make your business look fly by night, a
domain address says "I'm a legitimate business because I've paid
for an actual address for my business site."
and the number one reason your site needs an overhaul....
#1 Your "last updated" time stamp reads March 19, 1996!
About the author:
Sandi Hunter is the Director of Web Site Development for
Worldprofit.com She, and her team of expert web site design
marketers have developed thousands of sites for business
worldwide. Sandi can be reached at mailto:sandi@worldprofit.com
|
|
| |
| |
