In an earlier post, I wrote about the growing surge in online trade, and about the fact that more and more customers are using the internet to buy their goods and services.
This is only the beginning. It is expected that, in the next few years, consumers will buy far more over the internet than they will from physical stores and businesses.
So what does this mean for you, as an entrepreneur? Quite simply, this: you need a website.
In order to have a fighting chance of succeeding in today’s business environment, you need a website. You cannot afford not to have a website. Without a website, you are closing yourself off to a huge section of potential clients. It could be the difference between having a wildly successful business, and having a business that just gets by.
But having a website is not enough, on its own. You need a website that does the following three things:
- Finds and attracts potential clients.
- Convinces your visitors to buy from you.
- Makes it easy for your customers to hire you or buy from you.
In this blog post, I will explain these three points, and give you some advice on how to achieve them.
1. A website that can find and attract potential clients.
This is obviously something that should be happening before ever the customer sets foot on your website. Of course, if you have customers who already know your website, they will just type in your address, and hey presto!, there they are.
However, those are not the customers I’m referring to here, although they are also important. I’m referring rather to your potential customers – those who have never heard of you, but would be likely to hire you or buy from you. The question is this: can your website find and attract such prospects?
The answer is yes. If you put the right things in place, your website will be able to attract people who may never before have heard of you.
There are different methods through which you can attract people to your website. Below, I explain two such methods:
(a) Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) techniques. Put quite simply, these are techniques that make it easier for the search engines (predominantly, Google) to become aware of your website, and to direct people to you. If your website is properly optimized, there is a higher chance that people who search for keywords relevant to your business will be directed to your website.
SEO takes two forms: on-page SEO, and off-page SEO.
Briefly, on-page SEO deals with how you structure and code your website, and what sort of content you put on it. This includes, for example, the hierarchy of your website’s pages and sub-pages, and whether and how you use relevant keywords (i.e. keywords that are relevant for your target market).
Off-page SEO generally deals with things that happen outside your website. The most predominant of these relates to links, i.e. whether other websites are linking to your website, and, if so, of what quality are those websites? This is important because it is one of the main criteria Google uses to rank websites.
We will go into more detail on SEO in another blog post.
(b) Social media. Social media platforms are a good way of directing traffic to your website, and I would advise you to make active use of relevant social media platforms. However, as a small business owner, you may well find it too time-consuming to maintain an active presence on all the major social media networks (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest), so I always advise to pick one or two, and then attend to them regularly. Depending on the sort of business you have, there will be some social media platforms that fit your business better than others. For example, if you run an IT consulting business, LinkedIn might be a more appropriate platform than, say, Pinterest.
However, it is not enough simply to attract people to your website. You have to attract the people who are right for your business. If your techniques attract people who, upon getting to your website, find nothing to keep them there, then there will have been no point.
2. A website that convinces your visitors to buy from you.
This is a very important topic, and the success of your online business depends very much on getting this right. Your website must serve your visitor. If it does this right, you can expect great success. If it doesn’t, your visitors will go elsewhere.
At Harcourt Lane Agency, much of our work involves helping clients create website content that attracts customers and creates the vital connection between the business and the customer. This leads to higher sales and a successful business. We have seen, over and over again, that your website is your ultimate marketing tool.
Your website must convince your visitor that you understand his needs, and that you have the solution to his problem.
A visitor who lands on your website will have several questions on his mind. You should be able to answer ‘yes’ to them all. Here are the questions:
(a) Am I in the right place?
Your website should proclaim boldly what it is, and whom it serves. Your visitor should be left in no doubt as to what sort of business you are, and what products and services you are offering. Remember that not everybody enters your website via the home page. Every page of your website should make clear to the visitor where he is, and should show him how he can navigate to what he wants.
Many websites simply list their products and services. It is far better, and much more effective, to approach this from the point of view of your target customer. What problem does he have? How will you solve it for him? That’s what he wants to know when he comes to your website. Hand it to him on a plate.
This is not as easy as it sounds. It is not just a matter of good, plain English. Your words must build a connection between you and your prospects. Your words must convey empathy, authority, and trustworthiness. Through your words, you must build an attractive and compelling case for your business. Your words must attract, convince, and convert.
(b) Can I trust this website?
Many factors influence whether or not a visitor will trust your website. One of the most important is your website content.
Your content should be well written, and presented in simple and clear language. The grammar should be impeccable. Poorly written content is an absolute turn-off, and gives the impression of an unprofessional business. If a business owner cannot be bothered to present himself properly, why should anyone trust his products and services?
It is also advisable to use all standard internet protocols. Don’t reinvent the wheel. Here is an example to illustrate my point. Some time ago, I did some advisory work for a company that was launching a new online sales portal. They had set up a very good website. However, they had disabled the normal ‘Back’ button (located in the browser), and instead made their visitors to use one embedded within the website itself. The website attracted a lot of visitors, but very few of them bought anything. Most visitors left the website within several seconds of arriving there. I advised the company that failure to follow standard protocols was costing them dear. The non-standard Back button was the main reason for the poor performance of the website. It had caused the visitors such unease and inconvenience that they chose to click away from the website. The matter was quickly resolved, and sales flourished.
Your visitors will also want to know how easy it is to buy from your website. For more on that, see Section 3 below.
(c) Is this website easy to read?
Get to the point quickly. Don’t burden your visitors with too much information. Avoid technical jargon. Avoid unnecessary images and videos. If you have multimedia content, such as videos and podcasts, don’t let them get in the way of what your visitor really needs. Provide your visitor with the option of downloading these, to watch or listen to at another time. Basically, make a clear path for your visitor so that he can directly access what he wants.
(d) Can I find my way around this website?
Create a solid website structure, with a clear hierarchy of pages and sub-pages. Make sure your visitor does not get lost in the website. Organize your website so that your visitor always knows where he is at any given time. Make sure all your links work. As an added bonus, a website that does these things will also rank well in the search engines.
It is, of course, possible that a link might no longer work, and that your visitor then ends up on a 404 error page. Make sure your 404 error page contains very helpful information to help your visitor find his way to what he really needs. Your page should not just say ‘Sorry, Page Not Found’. This can be frustrating. Provide some useful information. Consider publishing a site map.
3. A website that makes it easy for your customers to hire you or buy from you.
Your website should make it easy for a customer to hire you or buy from you.
Make sure the ordering process is straightforward and uncomplicated. For example, visitors should not be required to set up an account simply to buy from your website. They should be able to buy without first having to register, or to fulfill other unnecessary requirements. If it is strictly not necessary for visitors to register before buying, don’t make them do it. By imposing cumbersome requirements, you could drive away willing buyers.
Also pay special attention to the shopping cart. Make sure you use an automated system from a reputable provider. A malfunctioning shopping cart is bad for everyone. Your buyer will be left frustrated, and you will lose out on a sale. Even worse, it could create distrust in your website. Make sure you use a shopping cart that is fully supported by its provider.
Also, at every step of the buying process, tell your customers where they are in the process, and how many more steps they need to take in order to complete their order.
And make it easy for customers to get in touch with you. Display your contact form in a prominent place on your website. Also, provide for alternative means for customers to get in touch with you, for example, an email address, and telephone or Skype details.
Conclusion
Your website is your storefront in the online world. It should project the right image of you and your business. Your website should attract visitors, convince them to buy from you, and then make it very easy for them to do so. As a matter of good practice, you should review your website frequently, so that you are sure that it is achieving these objectives. If you would like us to review your website for you, you can contact us here.