If updating your website is something you've been putting off for a while, then here are some ideas on what you can do to update your website to get more traffic, better serve your customers, and better serve your employees.
Wait, what's that?
Better serve your employees?
Yes! That's one aspect of website design that a lot of companies overlook. They don't always see that as a benefit, but you can certainly save a lot of money on payroll by updating your website. We'll get into that.
When deciding to update your website, the very first thing to do is make sure the content on the pages you have is correct and up to date:
Go through every page if you can and make the necessary edits.
Having correct information on your website is important so your customers know what you offer and so search engines can correctly reference your website in search results.
Most websites need a redesign if they are 4-5 years old or more. However, if your website still isn't working well on a mobile device, you better do a redesign right now because that's a bad user experience for a huge chunk of your traffic. Also, Google ranks websites based on the mobile experience (so it better be, you know... good - check it here).
The reason websites need a redesign is because the website design industry moves very fast. Web technology is changing rapidly. There are always better ways to do things, which get you a website that loads faster, works better for your target audience, and one that is easier to maintain.
A "bounce" is when people go to your website and leave without taking any action. This means your website wasn't what they were looking for, so they left... never to be seen again, in most cases.
There are a few reasons for this:
There's a science to building a page the right way. You have to deliver what people want up front, or at least give them a sign they are in the right place. That can be with text, images, or even the design itself.
A good trick/strategy here is to use a headline with an open loop. That means they feel compelled to stay on your page. Their brain wants to close the loop you've opened. They don't want to miss out on the answer. A page built with a headline that has an open loop, and paired with a design that loads fast and tells them they are in the right place (without any confusion, of course) is a winner.
People are impatient. They want answers NOW. If a website loads too slowly, not only is that a bad, first impression of your business, people simply might not wait and move on.
Or, think about this... you're at a restaurant and getting the food is taking forever. You tell yourself, "OK, that's fine, but it better be good." Then the food finally comes and it's great, so you've all but forgotten about the wait - that's one problem and it's gone. But, if the food isn't good, you now are thinking about the long wait and how the food is bad, which is two problems.
What I'm trying to say is, if you're making people wait to see your website (wait for them to find what they're looking for), the expectations go up. They'll wait for the page to load, but it better be worth it. If the content is worth it and you help them, they've forgotten about the wait. If the content isn't good and they also had to wait, then forget it - they will never be back.
Which brings us to...
Did you ever notice how you'll scroll through the ugliest forum page to get to a good answer? That's not to say design doesn't matter, but it shows how important content is / needs to be.
If the content on your website is helpful, insightful, and really helps people, then you've already sold them right there. Your audience is saying "yes" even before you pitch them, in that case. Isn't that better than having to pitch them hard? Pre-sell them with your awesome content. Don't be afraid to give too much away. By doing that, you're instilling trust, and that's worth WAY more.
Think about product reviews... you read those, right? THAT is good content. It helps you. Amazon is great at that and they make it easy to buy. If you read a particular review that covers the question you have in your mind, and if it successfully satisfies you, then you're heading right up to that buy button and you're checking out.
Yes, THAT is how powerful content is.
Does your website measure up? Does content need to be drastically improved to get to that level - the level people are expecting?
Here's what we have so far:
That's a pretty good list so far. Let's keep going...
Just having a brochure website won't cut it for most businesses now. People are used to websites doing things and are used to using apps on their phones. People need to order online, use an estimator tool, or just have some kind of functionality. And this is where your website saves your employees time.
Take a look at what your employees do...
Are they:
Seriously, take some time and ask them. Watch them. Find out what their day is like. Find out what tasks they hate doing.
Then, let's see what can be integrated and automated. Maybe we can get a bunch of those problems off your list when your website:
When your website takes care of those things:
WARNING: Once you go down this road, you'll probably be kicking yourself (how does one do that anyway?) for not doing it sooner!
Knowing where your traffic is coming from is huge, but what's even bigger is knowing where your conversions come from.
If you're spending money on ads or even just posting on social media, don't you want to know what's working and what's turning into positive action or sales on your website?
Of course!
When you get that information, you'll better know where to spend more ad dollars or know which social media platforms are doing the best for you. Once you know that, you have a sales machine, my friend!
I'm just amazed at how many companies aren't doing this yet. It's so powerful and it's not too difficult to set up if you know what you're doing. And, whatever it costs, it's totally worth it.
Let's take a moment and picture your new website and what it'll do you.
Wow, if that's not enough ideas to go forward with a website redesign, then I don't know what is.
A new website shouldn't just be slapping on a new design that the owner of the company likes. What does that solve? You feel better.. that's it. A back massage costs lots less - do that instead.
This time, how about investing into your website? Do it right. Study your customers (where they hang out, what they do) and design it for them instead. Make it a machine that improves your business, helps your employees, and makes your customers happy.
Are you ready to at least explore that?
Contact Webstix today and let's talk. We work with clients in our area and around the country - we have lots of clients we've never even met face to face. In today's world, that's not even a factor anymore, but we've been doing that a long time.
And we've been in business since 2001. Not many web design companies can say that. We have an excellent team who are experts in their fields, with knowledge that's off the charts. That's how we've been able to stick around so long.
Make your website project the next Webstix success story.
-Tony
