Is Your Website Costing You Customers?
Did you know it only takes five seconds for potential customers to form an opinion about your business based on your website? That’s right - a customer could decide in less than a few seconds whether or not they want to work with you. In the new digital age, websites have become the #1 acquisition source for new customers, which leads us to ask you this question:
What impression are customers getting when they first visit your website?
We aren’t just talking about looks; we also mean content, layout, and usability. If your website isn't up to scratch, you are very likely losing out on an opportunity to impress potential clients, costing yourself a significant amount of business in the long run.
The Best of the Worst
In light of recent health needs for a family member, I dove into researching specialists that could address our questions and provide guidance on needed accommodations. After a bit of research, I was directed toward five primary recommended providers that fit my needs and offered services that addressed my concerns. After reviewing a few of the providers’ sites, it quickly became apparent that they all had one thing in common: These websites were cursorily designed, outdated, and not optimized for mobile users. Ultimately, I went with the provider with the most modern site, although I still found myself hesitant about their credibility due to their lackluster online presence. Basically, I went with the best of the worst. Not the most confident way to start this journey with a health provider, right? Looking back, we had an overall positive experience with our selected provider despite my initial concerns. This experience reminded me of the impact your website has on potential customers. Four different providers lost my business due to their unprofessional online appearance. It took me under five minutes to decide they were not a good fit, solely based on my user experience. The reality is in the digital age, just having a website that “works” is no longer an option. To compete with the current market, you must have a website optimized for success.
Do you think I’m being unfair? I don’t. Who has time to do extensive research? Your site serves an important purpose: to help your prospective customers get the information they need to decide whether to do business with you. If you’re not up to date, that’s not on the customer; it’s on you.
Our website has worked fine for years; why change it now?
Have you had the same site for five years and still feel it works great? The hard truth is that having any ol’ site just won’t cut it anymore. As technology changes, so should your website. Even fairly new websites can still need updates to ensure they are up to par with the latest operating systems, accessibility, and customer needs. A dated site can signal to visitors that your company is behind the competition and unreliable compared to others utilizing more modern platforms. With an average of over half of internet users accessing websites from their mobile phones, your site must be optimized for mobile devices. If users aren’t impressed with your site, guess what? They can simply hit the “back” button and find another provider without a second thought. If you want customers to view you as the cutting edge of the industry (or, at a minimum, up to speed with your industry), your website should reflect that. Maintaining your web presence is no longer an option; it is a necessity.
Audit your site’s current performance
View your site through the lens of a customer. Can you navigate your site easily on a computer and mobile device? Do all buttons direct to the correct pages? Can customers find clear answers to questions quickly and easily? Do beta research and ask friends, family, or employees to review your website and provide their initial feedback. Use their input to address what updates your site needs and identify any areas to improve your customer journey.
During this research stage, we recommend doing competitor research to understand better what your site can do to stand out among the competition. Try to view your competition through the lens of a potential customer. What would grab your attention? Are you able to navigate each site easily? What do you want to emulate in your own way, and what do you want to steer clear from? Make notes about what you enjoyed about other sites and what they could improve upon to smooth out their customer journey. Use these notes as a reference for what you want your own website experience to look like.
Nail your messaging
If you get a high number of clicks to your website that don’t lead to action, it’s important to understand where they get lost. Looking at your analytics, it is also critical to monitor how much time people spend on your site. If users are clicking on and immediately clicking off, this is a major red flag regarding your website’s ability to convert clients. When starting, it’s essential to establish if your website answers the following questions: what problems do you solve? Who do you serve? Who are you? What do you do? How does your product or service benefit them? How can they purchase from you? As the customer is browsing through the website, answering these questions shouldn't take more than a few seconds. If a customer spends a few minutes trying to find out who you are and what you're all about, they will most likely click that “exit” button and never return!
Routinely update your site
Remind yourself of this: You are hiring an expert for a reason. If you are going to maximize your investment, you don’t need to still be heavily involved in the areas you are outsourcing. Focus on the parts of your business that require your expertise. Be wise about how you spend your time, and strategically outsource areas that you no longer wish to manage. A huge learning curve of growing your business is learning how and when to let go. The art of outsourcing can be scary, but we have found it is one of the most powerful tools for scaling a business.
The bottom line
The bottom line is: be honest with yourself. Do you have a website that reflects your business's capabilities and brand? And do you think it's working? Are you maximizing your reach and ROI? If you answered no to any of those questions, it might be time you invest back into your business with a fresh and modern website.
P.S. If your website copy needs a refresh, I highly recommend reading Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller. This book is a great resource for identifying effective copy and messaging to boost your business. As a certified StoryBrand guide, I have seen firsthand how proper messaging can transform the way that customers respond to your brand.