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These are the top 10 signs your web site needs an overhaul.
# 10 The images used on your site include a revolving globe, bevelled horizontal
line separators, and one of those animated mail box icons that were popular
in free image libraries around 1995. If this is you, listen up. If your site
looks dated and unprofessional you will not make any sales. The key to generating
sales on line is with a professionally designed web site. People form an impression
of your business, and whether or not they will do business with you, within
30 seconds. Cheesy graphics used in an amateurish web site will do nothing for
gaining the trust of prospective customers.
# 9 Your hit counter is of the free variety and after one year reads "You
are the 38th visitor to this site." A site that publicized for all to see
that no one has visited is doomed for sure. Remove the counter, and see point
number six below for help with this one.
# 8 Your site starts with the words "Welcome to our site. Please bookmark
our site. Click on the links to find what you are looking for"
If your site starts off like this you need a lesson in marketing and copywriting.
When you read a magazine or the newspaper, notice how headlines and powerful
copy are used to get your attention and motivate you to do something. Your web
site should use the same strategies to get people's attention. This starts with
an easy-to-read layout, and wording that is interesting, motivating, and most
importantly is about the reader, and not about you.
# 7 There is no easy to find contact information anywhere on your home page.
Contact information on the main page of your site is convenient for your readers
and makes you look credible, and accessible. To make a sale, you've got to earn
people's trusts, this starts with giving them lots of ways to contact you. If
they have a problem with an order they place, they want to make sure you will
be there if they need you.
# 6 You don't have a way to analyze your web site traffic and determine where
your traffic is coming from. Without this you are marketing your web site wearing
a blindfold and simply praying for the best. Web site statistics software can
reveal valuable information to help you evaluate your marketing efforts. Information
about search engine traffic, including which search engine was used to find
your site, what key words did they use to find you, what pages are people looking
at when they get to your site, referring URLS, and much more!
# 5 You don't have a way of tracking leads or prospective customers when they
visit your site. How can you do this? Track visitor information by providing
prospects with a form to complete to request additional information, or to find
out more about your products and services. The form allows you to request important
details including name, address, phone, email address, budget, level of interest
and so forth. You get more detailed information for follow up, and your prospective
customer gets faster service because you have all of the relevant information
before you.
# 4 You've not had a lead off your web site for more then 24 hours. Your web
site should complement your traditional methods of business. Be sure to include
your web site address on all of your print marketing, business cards, letterhead,
shipping inserts and more. The more people who see your web site address the
more likely you are to get business from your site. If you are not getting leads
from your web site, or inquiries by email it's time to rethink what you are
doing.
# 3 You've NEVER sold one thing at your web site either directly or indirectly.
If you've had your web site online for a year and not made one shiny nickle
then you need to reassess what you are doing. You aren't doing something right.
It could be your web site, perhaps it is not professionally designed. Or it
could be your traffic, no traffic = no sales. Either of these factors can effect
your sales.
# 2 Your web site address is of the free variety and is so long that you have
no hope of ever fitting it on your business cards. If this is you, get a domain
address, they are cheap, easy to set up and give you instant credibility for
your business. Free web site addresses make your business look fly by night,
a domain address says "I'm a legitimate business because I've paid for
an actual address for my business site."
and the number one reason your site needs an overhaul....
#1 Your "last updated" time stamp reads March 19, 1996!
About the Author:
Sandi Hunter is the Director of Web Site Development for Worldprofit.com
She, and her team of expert web site design marketers have developed thousands
of sites for business worldwide.
Sandi can be reached at mailto:sandi@worldprofit.com |
