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Build a better mouse-trap (ie: your website) Define what it is your customers/visitors are looking for and gear your messaging towards conveying that as succinctly as possible. This is your brag space and you have on average 5 seconds to get your message across - don't waste it with "welcome to our website"!
Are you the BEST, FASTEST, MOST RELIABLE, MOST AFFORDABLE, HIGHEST QUALITY, etc., etc. - whatever makes you special needs to be the first thing your visitors see and the only thing that they must remember. Say it loud and often.
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Engage with ongoing Search Engine Improvement This is a must if you want your website to generate for you. Even in the most niche categories, there is always competition that will take that 1st place spot if you don't dominate it. There are a lot of less-than-effective optimization outfits in the market, so make sure that you vet your investment and get specific active results that they've generated to be sure about the ability of the company that you choose.
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Make sure that your calls to action get the attention they deserve. After you've tuned your message to impress you MUST get the visitor to start the process. Our advice is that you make sure that, -no matter where a user is on your site, the call to action is visible and enticing. This means that you may want to have one at the top and one at the bottom of the page if you have long scrolling pages. Or make it fixed to the side of the page so that the user never has to dig to find it.
Also be sure that the forms are as short as possible. You don't need their fax number, or their dogs maiden name to do business, you typically just need 'name', 'email', 'phone'. Additionally, the lower number of form fields you have, the more visitors will fill out that form.
- Convey your message through video and images wherever possible. This fact is becoming more important now than ever... PEOPLE DON'T READ! You must get your message across in a short Tweet, 30 second vine etc. to gain any real attention. The same reasons that these social media outlets are successful can be conveyed over to your business website.Say your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) and get out.
You need copy to attract the search engines, but real users need to see something enticing to make a memory. Video has also been proven to be the best way to make a lasting impression. So make your message/product/service shiny with quality photography, or even better professional videos that get right to the point.
- Complete the loop! Answer your phones and reply quickly to emails. Yes, this isn't a direct part of your website, but it is a growing problem for many businesses that they have visitors that are looking to make a decision 'NOW' -they fill out your form or call your number and then have to wait days to hear back.I'll avoid making trite references to early birds, but the reality is that the average user that responds to your call to action has also responded to similar calls on your competition's websites.
So the first company to get back to them with solutions is usually the one to gain their business. This is an obvious one for sure, but you'd be surprised how many companies do a poor job of this simple follow-through. Be the best and make sure that you have the right people returning the call and set branded responses to make sure that the customer thinks "wow what a professional response".
