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Re-design Your
Website and Save Your Business
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They say you never get a second chance to make a good
first impression. I have to agree. That is why your
business card has long been heralded as your most
effective advertising literature. And, it has been
recommended that expense should not be spared in it's
design, layout and printing. If no one has ever 'ooooed
and ahhhhed' over your business card, then yours
probably needs a makeover. If you receive business cards
frequently, you know the type that stand out and say
"Save me for future reference!" If you are honest with
yourself about your own and find it lacking, it is
definitely time to get to work.
The same goes for your website. In many cases, this
is the first contact a customer makes with your
business. They need a service, an item or information,
and you can provide it to them. They are at your
website, realizing that you have what they need, but
realize also that your business name came up with
several others on the search engine. Your product or
service may be the best in town. You may hold degrees
from 3 different prestigious universities. You could
have a policy that would entice a visitor to become a
customer, such as "money back guarantee" or "90 days
same as cash". But if you don't tell them, they won't
know.
More important than any of these things is the
question, what does your website say about your
business? In the eyes of the consumer quality business
card = quality business. Quality website = quality
business. Your site should include necessary elements to
establish trust, value, pride, and customer care. If you
care about your customer you will provide them with an
aesthetically pleasing website that is easy to navigate
and focuses on how you can meet their needs.
Points to Remember
1. The website must navigate easily and quickly.
Most websites either display their navigation links on
the left or at the top. Most people
are used to this type of navigation, so it is best to
use this type. It also helps to include your navigation
links at the bottom of
each page to save your visitors from having to scroll
back to the top, and to keep them from getting lost. A
site map is essential for those who are web savvy and
wish to get right to the point.
2. The website must provide accurate and detailed
contact information. Place contact details in as
many places as possible. Make it easy for your customers
to contact you. Create a special "Contact Us" page, with
your physical address as well as where you receive mail.
Tell visitors how to reach you by phone, fax and email.
If you don't want to include a map, at least mention
landmarks and include brief driving directions. Free
links to Yahoo maps, Google maps, etc. are a nice bonus
on your page, where potential customers can click to get
a map and directions right to your doorstep. An exterior
photo of your building, will help new customers
recognize your storefront. Don't forget to include your
business hours.
3. The website must prove your credibility.
Include testimonials from your current customers to show
your potential clients that you are trustworthy,
reliable and that you offer great service and/or
products. Make sure the testimonials are real and if
possible provide contact details of the person who
supplied you with the testimonial. If you don't have any
right now, get them! Simply email your customers and ask
for their feedback on your business and service. Tell
them that the information will be posted on your
website. Most happy customers will gladly provide this.
You can also include before and after photos if you
provide a service. Show the problem picture and beside
it show the picture of resolution, with an explanation
of your product's benefits.
4. The website must focus on your customer's
needs. Communicate effectively.
Communication is more than
sending a message. It requires two parties to be
effective. Even if a broadcast tower sends a signal 24
hours a day, 7 days a week, if there is no radio turned
on, communication has not taken place. To know that your
potential customer is listening, looking and
comprehending your advertising, you must not only
determine who they are; you must determine what they
need. Rather than trying to "sell your business",
let your prospects know how your product/service is
going to benefit them. Emphasize the benefits and solve
problems. Make this the focus of everything you write on
every page of your site. Don't try to sell visitors your
products or service, help them.
5. The website must have no spelling mistakes.
Ensure there are no spelling or grammatical errors.
Don't make the mistake of listing items over and over
again, hoping to entice search engine robots to rank you
higher. Instead, concentrate on what is important:
Meeting the needs of your customer. Check that all links
are working and direct to the current location for
outside URLs. Look over all graphics and see that they
display correctly and in a timely fashion.
6. The website must create assurance. Whether you
offer a money back guarantee or no payments for 30 days,
you must make a attempt to try to take the risk out of
doing business with you. The longer the guarantee, of
course, the more effective it will be. It could be 30
days, 60 days, 1 year or lifetime.
7. The website must provide information that
people are looking for. If you don't provide it,
someone else will. Content is still the king when it
comes to search engine ranking. It should be relevant,
helpful, and informative. You should include as much
information as possible – not only detailed descriptions
and prices of your products and services, but also free
resources, articles, reports, ebooks relating to your
industry, service and products. You can easily source
free information on the internet. This will ensure that
customers will keep coming back to your website, even if
it is just to get information. The more they visit, the
more you will stick in their mind as an expert and the
next time they are ready to order your
products/services, you will be their first choice.
8. The website must never harass your visitor.
Don't create ill will before your potential customer has
even set foot in your door. If your website features any
of the following, your website definitely needs a
re-design. Don't waste your potential customers time
with things that make them stop their search for your
product or service. Flash intros, revolving globes,
animated mail boxes, busy backgrounds and autoplay music
are annoying at best. Pop ups are often blocked and of
no value. Design your site so that it does not require
or use any of these. Hit counters scream: I am an
amateur designer, so your best foot has not been put
forward. If the customer has to go to another site to
download software to continue to visit your site or
access features or information, you might as well have
sent them to the mall.
Be sure to design your site with content aimed at
helping your customer, but with an awareness of search
engine optimization as well. If these things seem
overwhelming, invest in your business and hire a
professional web designer. While you're at it, ask if
they design business cards.
Deborah Finnell
Click Find Buyers Guide
deborah@clickfindbuyersguide.com
www.clickfindbuyersguide.com
Deborah Finnell has been creating websites since
1995.
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