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