The 1990s thinking: Put up a website and watch the customers roll in. The 2011 thinking: Well, it’s a bit more complicated.
First step: Put yourself in the role of prospective customer and visit your site. How easy is it to navigate? How helpful is it? How hard is it to find a telephone number to call, directions for a visit or chat with a rep from your firm? Can you make an appointment, order goods or services,
Hint: Don’t depend on a “Contact Us” tab to be your lone method of connecting to customers and clients.
Websites need to be optimized in a dozen different ways to collect info from visitors who may be interested in your offerings or services.
Bob DeStefano over at Modern Distribution Management offers a variety of website tips for businesses that he claims have the potential to triple sales if used correctly.
The bottom line: You need to make visitors take some action when they visit your website. That action can be anything from downloading a free whitepaper to making a reservation or subscribing to a newsletter.
By interacting with your company or firm through the website, you take the first steps in creating a relationship that can ultimately lead to doing business together.
As DeStefano reminds readers, only 10% of the people who land on your site are ready to buy something. Moving visitors along in the buying process is the job of your website.
Have you made sure your site is doing its job?
