Your website is quite likely your customers’ first impression of your business. Websites, much like houses and hairdos, need to be updated. You really don’t want to be the last person with the mullet, or the “framed” coding and comic font, do you? Depending on the business you are in, you may want to update your website every few years or even every few weeks. If your site is looking a bit frumpy, it may be time for a bit of sprucing up, or a whole new make-over.
Take a good hard look at your website, and ask yourself some of these questions:
Is Your Style Outdated?
Look at your website with the eyes of someone seeing it for the first time. If there isn’t consistency, it could confuse and lose the customer. Are there multiple fonts, colors, and sizes? Do you have outdated clip art or flashing animation? How about outdated colors, or separate frames coding? If you have a distracting background, such as tie-dye, plaid, or certain repeating patterns, you are guilty. Think about what colors and fonts you admire on other sites. Much like your business, you want to present a unified, clean, modern appearance to your customers.
Is Your Technology Outdated?
Technology changes quickly, and if you want it to work for you, you have to stay on top of it. There are many different ways to view websites now with five major browsers, wider monitors, and phones that people are increasingly using to surf the web. Do you know how your site looks on all of them? Is your website compatible with the main browsers? Make sure all of your links are working and current, including internal links. Has a usability study ever been conducted on your site? Track visitor activity on your website to determine what is being viewed, and which areas are of the most interest. This knowledge can help you in modifying your services and product areas to those with the most interest, and lead to increased sales. You may want to consider adding a shopping cart, forms, a place for requests, customer log-ins, or even online appointment setting to further assist your customers.
Is There A Reason To Come Back?
Is there a reason for your customers to revisit your site? Generate some interest to get repeat visits, as well as new traffic. This can be fun and creative, or informative. Think about adding specials, coupons, sales, or new arrivals. Post statistics related to your business, how-tos, recent work and projects you have completed, before and after pictures, a portfolio, or customer stories. Allow a place for customers to give their feedback, which in turn, will help you better your business. Writing a humorous or informational blog, a monthly newsletter, or a calendar with upcoming dates will bring those customers back for more!
How Does Your Site Rank?
How does your site rate in search engines? This is an important part of how your customers find you today. Make sure that your great website is being seen! Are your keywords up to date? Does your text contain an appropriate ratio of important keywords? Update your written content frequently to increase your ratings. Be careful not to flood your keywords, because this will do more harm than good. Most customers will not browse past the first few results pages when they do a search. Ask us how to help your company be on that first page!
Is Your Site Difficult to Navigate?
When people come to your site, is it user friendly? Your layout should not only be pleasing to the eye, but easy to use. Can customers find what they are looking for easily? Do customers ever complain that it’s difficult to find certain things on your site? Make sure the text is the right size and in good contrast to the background. If your background is a picture, it can be difficult to read text over this. Not only should customers be able to find the information, they should be naturally led to other interesting parts of your site as well. Make sure your links and buttons are prominent and all your information is easy to find.
Does It Represent Your Company Today?
When you first built your website, it was a big step. Has your company grown or changed since then? Have you changed your logo, or colors? Maybe you specialized, or have become known in the community for excelling in an area. If you have won awards, reached goals, or received some great press, make sure to share that great news! Sharing your successes demonstrates that your business is doing well, and builds confidence with your potential clients.
Does It Help Your Business Grow?
In the beginning, websites were designed more like a yellow page ad or brochure. Today, a website is not only a customer’s first introduction to your business, it is the best source of information about your business. It’s one of the most important ways to serve your customers. Are there questions that customers frequently ask you? Answer them on your site to further free up your staff’s valuable time. Do you need to think about business overseas? Websites are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Open your business up to local, interstate and international business markets. We can assist you with translation services. Reach specialized markets, and different demographics. With 1.6 billion Internet users in the world, there are certainly more people out there that need your product or service.
If you feel that it’s time for an entire new website, start gathering information on how you would like your website to represent you. Make a list of things you would want your website to have now, and have added on in the future. If it is time for a new site or just a few minor lifts, focus on what will make the biggest impact and generate new business with both current and new customers. Make sure you are representing your company at its best, and keeping up with the ever increasing opportunities!
For personal one-on-one assistance with website design, development, and planning, contact Oval Solutions today at (517) 902-7851 for a free quote and some free, fresh ideas!