Consumers now conduct more research during their purchase cycle than ever before. Your company website is often times one of the first interactions a consumer will experience with your business. It makes sense that your website should be an engaging and up to date representation of who you are and the reasons that consumers should do business with you.
Upon arriving at a website that has not been updated in weeks, let alone months or years, a consumer can contemplate multiple concerns. Is this company still open? Do they even have the product that I need anymore? Is this contact information valid or outdated? People can easily dismiss your business as an option during their purchasing decision if they do not feel comfortable from the very beginning.
Let’s explore a couple reasons to update your website.
The design of your website is going to be the first thing that a website visitor notices. Whether we like it or not, consumers make immediate judgments about a business from the very first moment. You would never show up to a first date or a job interview with wrinkles in your clothes or without properly grooming yourself. Here are a couple questions to ponder:
The products and services your company provides sometimes change. Perhaps you have new product models or have changed the details of a service you provide. Since many people will try to find out if you in fact provide the products or services they are looking for, it is important that this information is current on your website. Make use of good photos and videos displaying your product or service in action.
Do you give people a reason to come back to your website? It is not only important that the content on your website is fresh and engaging but also that the content is easy to read. People will not read a 5,000 word description of your service lumped into one paragraph. Break up the text with photos, videos, bullet points, numbered lists and proper text formatting. Make your content inviting and easy to read.
How does your online presence compare to your competition? Now that consumers can quickly and easily research multiple companies online, it is more important than ever that your website is at the very least keeping pace with your competitors. Take into consideration what sets you apart from your competitors and leverage this to your site visitors. Set the bar high by providing people with useful information they can use during their purchasing process. This is your chance to not only be considered by to make a lasting impression.
In the early days of the internet, many businesses rushed to create a website that served as an online brochure providing visitors with an overview of who you are and what you do. While this may still be the objective for your website, you need to ask yourself if you are truly getting the most out of your website. Treat a visit to your website in the same manner as you would a customer walking through your doors. A website is a one way communication tool so you need to make sure that you provide options to interact with your business. Simple things like an option to subscribe to your email newsletter, an online form to submit a contact or quote request, demo videos, and the ability to purchase products and services directly through the website are a few things that can give consumers a more interactive and engaging experience on your website.
Plain and simple… search engines like fresh content. Websites that provide fresh, relevant content are rewarded with better page rank for certain keywords. A company blog is one of the best tools to naturally add fresh content to your website and help you increase your exposure on the search engines. Position your business in front of the countless number of consumers turning to the search engines every day to look for the very products and services you provide.
Many businesses have taken advantage of various social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Digg and Blogger, to name a few of the many, as a marketing and communication tools to their customers. Are you using these platforms in conjunction with your business website? Your website should be the center of your online marketing efforts. The updates and posts you make on these social media platforms are powerful but they should direct people back to your website that provides more detail about your business and the products / services you provide.
Basically what it comes down to is that your company website is often the basis of the first impression of how a consumer feels about your company. It should be a strong first impression, and hopefully a memorable, in a good way. So take advantage of the opportunities that an updated website provides because you do not want your first impression on a potential consumer to be their last.
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By Ken Franzen
President / Co-Founder of Neon Goldfish
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