it261: Does Your Website Pass the Market Test?

Wednesday, 1 March 2017

Does Your Website Pass the Market Test?

As the years go so do the masses of people joining the online world and so does the population of new websites grow.

With so much to see, read, and sign up for — it makes your head spin. If you’re even fortunate enough that someone lands on your website, you had best be prepared to grab their attention, and quickly.

A smart marketer knows you need to first be marketable before marketing. If you want to save a ton of time, money and frustration, make your website work for you before you start shouting about it to the world.

If your website is just an online brochure, you’re missing a golden opportunity. Before sending traffic to your website, whether organic or paid, get all your ducks in a row.

Your website needs to immediately grab visitor’s attention, but is best to take them on a journey as well. Hold their hand, and take them on this journey. You can do this by design, with specific and relevant calls to action.

People need to be told what to do when they land on your website — so tell them, show them and guide them through what you think they need to know.

Here’s my top 7 recommendations that should be implemented on everyone’s website.

Clear Message You want an immediate connection with your viewer; you get this with a very clear message. Don’t make people guess about what you do. You will lose them fast. Be yourself, and when they land on your page let them connect with you and know what you do and what you have to offer.
CTA (Call to Action) What do you want them to do next? Any page can be the first page a visitor sees, so what makes the most sense for them to see or do next? Visitors want you to tell them, they want to be taken on a journey. Don’t make them hunt for it: your CTA should be front and center. Make it easy for them to stay connected with a newsletter subscription or get on your email list with a lead magnet. Maybe you want them to watch a video, or direct them to a Facebook group, or lead them down your sales funnel. One CTA per page, and make sure it’s attractive and easy to engage with.

Organized Your website needs space to breathe. A website that is too busy and cluttered will not get read. You take a huge risk of your visitor closing your page before they even get through the first sentence. Think clean, crisp, organized. Don’t worry about using up all the space, you want “white space” — it gives eyes a place to pause or focus. Take them on a pleasant journey that doesn’t lead to a jungle.

Have a Lead Magnet A lead magnet is something of value you give away in exchange for the person signing up to your email list. This is huge. This lead magnet can be showcased on every page and very visible. Capturing email addresses is to build your email list — one of your most valuable assets. If you don’t have a lead magnet you’re leaving money on the table. Grow and nurture your list and the results will amaze you!

Testimonials As a very powerful marketing tool, use what others are saying about you. Use your best testimonials, ones with hard facts, and a real name behind them (industry dependent — some industries don’t allow testimonials or it would be unwise to reveal the identity of your clients). Ask for permission to identify your clients if you are able to use testimonials in your industry, and only put live links to their website if they’ll open in a new window, and it won’t compete with your web visitor’s attention on you.

Social Media Links Make it easy to find your social media links on your website so visitors can follow you. They will scan your social sites to see what you’re saying and how you interact with other people. Make the links easy to find so people can connect with you in as many ways as they are comfortable.

Media Links If you have radio or podcast interviews, or have had articles published on your business, add these to your website. This is a credibility builder that places you in the “expert status” category in your subject matter.

The success or failure of your web site depends on how you have defined your website goals. If you don’t know what you want your website to accomplish, then it will most likely fail to accomplish anything.

With goals to guide you in developing and monitoring your website, you can generate new business, grow your mailing list, make online sales, grab marketshare, and build relationships.

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