How do you know?

When we talk to new clients and potential clients we find that they are often  in one of two camps:

Some will know their website is not cutting the mustard and that it really needs to be updated or replaced. 

The second group is a bit trickier however, we can see that their website is next to useless as a sales & marketing tool but they think it is wonderful!

Remember why you actually have a website

Ultimately, the main reason for any business to have a website  is to attract visitors to the site and convert those visitors into customers. The bottom line is that if your website isn’t doing this for your business, all your online marketing efforts might be a waste of time and money – and in today’s economy, that is a luxury most businesses cannot afford!

How can I check if my website is any good?

Here are a few ‘acid tests’ you can use to see if your website is working for your business:

1. Does your website ‘engage’ visitors quickly? You have only around seven seconds to convince someone who lands on your website to stay on it and explore further.  Use your website analytics to check how long people are staying on your site and look at those pages with a bounce rate of 50% and higher to see why people are not exploring beyond these pages.
2. Does  the website load quickly? This is very important as not only does load time help with ‘engaging’ visitors, it is also included in the algorithms of most of the search engines and as such will impact on your search ranking.  Websites with a slow load time will be ranked lower than those which load quickly.
3. Does your website have good quality content? When a visitor feels engaged with your website, they are more likely to explore more pages of the website and take part in conversations about your company in the Social Networks. They are also more likely to become customers, or even ambassadors, for your business when they find your site interesting.
4. Does the website make it clear what your USP (Unique Selling Proposition) is and what sets you apart from competitors? There is much more to web design than great graphics and pleasing colour schemes. Smart web design involves placing the information in a logical and compelling way that will lead to conversions,   This should  include making it intuitive and crystal clear what action your visitor should take next as well as explaining why your business is different to other businesses selling similar products and services.

Remember,  no matter how aggressive or comprehensive your internet marketing strategy is, your primary digital asset is your website – not your Facebook page or your Twitter account or your LinkedIn Profile.

Make the time to critically assess how your website is performing or ask a digital marketing professional such as WSIIMS to undertake a comprehensive assessment of it for you.

Your website is your primary shop window online.  Make sure it represents your business as you want it to be represented and, as with any business ‘employee’,  give it an ‘annual appraisal / review’ and if it isn’t working as it should be – Fire it!  And hire a new one!

If you would like more information about WSIIMS,  WSI Digital Marketing Services in Surrey, Sussex & the South East of England please leave a comment below or visit our website