There’s a great reason why car salesmen of old get a bad rap – people hate to be shoved in the direction of buying something by a pushy salesperson. So why is it then that companies often try to do the same thing with their website? Conversions are very important of course (they pay the bills), but they should not be the only goal of your website.
In virtually all cases, the primary goals of your website should be to:
- Establish your position as a trusted expert and resource.
Unless you’ve made your brand by selling the lowest end junk that you can find, you need to prove your knowledge and expertise through your website. It doesn’t matter if you’re a plumber, an attorney, a charitable organization, or someone who sells car parts. No one will (should) buy from someone that they don’t trust. - Provide what your customers need to make an informed decision.
If all your website says is how great and how trustworthy you are, then it’s all but useless. Your site needs to be about the customer, their needs and wants, and how your product or service helps to solve those for them. Information about how satisfied your customers are is great and very important, but it’s not a substitute for providing knowledge about your product or service. - Make it easy for customers to contact you or buy when they are ready.
If your contact information is hard to find or non-existent, then you might as well not have a website. There are far too many alternatives just a Google search away for people to waste their time trying to get in touch with you. Make it very easy, but don’t shove it in their face. Phone number to the top right, Contact Us form and a well-formed Live Chat if desired. - Make it very easy for customers to continue doing business with you.
You’ve proven the value of your product or service, you’ve gotten the order/e-mail/call and you have a new customer. Fantastic! Now what are you doing to keep them happy, keep them coming back and make it easy for them to continue doing business with you? Consider e-mail newsletters that talk about new benefits for your customers, new products or services, and include articles that would be valuable to them. If your e-mail blast just talks about your products and how great you are, don’t bother sending them out.
For help with your online marketing, website design or search engine and social media efforts, give us a call at 800.203.8139, or e-mail us.