Web Profitability = Visibility + Credibility
In a very real sense, if you’re in business today, a key part of your “presence in the marketplace” is your “web print” – your footprint or visibility on the web.
In a very serious sense, your website has almost displaced or become your “shopfront”, for six out of ten new contacts will Google you – after first contact – to gain a better feel for who you are, what you do, and how you could be useful to them.Your website is fast becoming a key part of the “first impression” you create and in that sense one thing has not changed – you only get one chance to create a great first impression.
So what makes a good website, and what are some of the traps to avoid?
Visibility
Your website is often the first visual aspect of your company that a prospective new Client will encounter and, if you’re part of the exodus from bricks-and-mortar into clicks-and-mortar and don’t have a flashy office, your website may be “all there is” in terms of the face of your business.
Visibility has two aspects:
- Findability – how highly do you rank in the search engines when someone keys the words that relate to the products and services in which you specialise?
- Remarkability – how positively impactful, relevant, engaging and memorable is your site?
Credibility
Nowadays when a 15 year old can build and publish websites it’s vital that your website shows you as a credible business, and there are few things to be aware of when it comes to boosting your credibility.
- Is your website current and up to date? No ones wants to be reading information from 2000!
- Have you put time into your ‘About Us’ page? It is one of the most important pages on your website and often the most commonly overlooked by business people when setting up their sites (and, ironically enough, one of the most referenced when they are checking other business people). It’s your chance to create a great first impression by telling your story, how long you have been in business, what your company stands for, your experience and, most importantly, why they should deal with you – your value proposition. And, don’t underestimate the impact power of a good professional photograph of you and/or your team – note I said “professional”: No dark circles under eyes, fuzzy focus or lousy lighting – all things in amateur shots that create subconscious negatives for the viewer.
- Does your ‘Contact Us’ page provide an immediate contact option? Remember your website is at work 24/7 and you’re not, so ensure that any phone number is professionally answered either live or with a professional-sounding voice message (First impressions, remember? If you work from home or provide an after-hours contact, you don’t want their first impression to be of a five-year-old screaming “Dad, it’s for you!”).
So, at this point, on a scale of one to ten, where ten is “shining like a star” and one is “lost in space”, how would you rate your “visibility + your creditability”. Would it equal “profitability”?
If you’ve put no importance on a website of your own up till now, would it now be a wise move to become visible to those searching to do business with you?
If you do have a website, but it’s tired, out of date, behind the times or was created with less awareness than you have now, does it need a professional makeover?
Deal with Professionals
I love the saying, “If you think dealing with professionals is expensive, you should try dealing with amateurs!”.
You would not consider using anything less than a professional sign writer to front your building; don’t consider using anything less than a professional developer for your website.
