How to See Immediate Results From Your Website
By Tim Fitzpatrick | SBDC Consultant + President of Rialto Marketing
"Your website is the workhorse of your marketing plan. Virtually everything you do from a marketing standpoint will drive people back to your website."
Your website is the workhorse of your marketing plan. Virtually everything you do from a marketing standpoint will drive people back to your website.
Yet, most businesses make many common mistakes with their websites. Be honest, are you committing any of the following mistakes?
● You don’t clearly communicate what you do?
● You are using images that don’t reflect your business and what you offer.
● You use insider language or technobabble.
● You have way too much text.
● It’s not clear what action you want a visitor to take once they land on your site.
Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. You can quickly address any of the issues above by implementing the tips below.
If you choose to implement these tips, your website will become a critical element of your marketing strategy.
Here are the essential elements you should have on the home page of your website.
1. The Above The Fold Trilogy
The above the fold portion of your website (the header) is the part visitors see on their desktop before having to scroll down the page. It is the most valuable real estate on your website, and you must take advantage of it!
The job of your website header is to get visitors to read the rest of your website. To accomplish this, you should answer three questions above the fold:
● What do you offer, or what do you do?
● How will it make my life better?
● What do I need to do to buy it?
Peoples attention spans are super short. Your goal is to have any visitor be able to read and understand this information within five seconds.
2. What Are The Stakes?
What does your customer have to lose if they don’t buy from you? That’s what the stakes section needs to answer. You can easily create this content by answering the following three questions.
● What problem is your customer having that you can solve?
● How is that problem making them feel?
● Why is it wrong for them to be burdened with this problem?
Here’s an example of the stakes content for our business (marketing consulting & digital marketing services).
“Are you tired of spending money on marketing and seeing no results? We understand how frustrating this can be, but marketing your business shouldn’t be a constant challenge.”
3. Trust Building Elements
Your customers aren’t looking for a hero, they are looking for a guide to help them solve their problems. One of the characteristics of a guide is credibility.
You can easily establish credibility with customers on your website by adding a few of the following elements.
● Customer testimonials.
● Certifications/Affiliations/Accreditations
● Logos of current/past clients.
● Results you’ve achieved for clients.
● Awards you’ve won.
4. The Plan
It’s vital to demonstrate your company is easy to work with visually. The plan section of your website will accomplish this.
The goal of the plan section is to provide your customers with a path they can take to work with you. Ideally, this should be 3 steps, but no more than 4.
For example, a plan for a financial advisor might be:
● 1. Schedule a Consultation
● 2. Get a Financial Plan
● 3. Enjoy Your Retirement
5. Value Proposition
Customers don’t buy your product or service, they buy the results they can achieve from them.
What benefits will your customer experience when buying from you? This is your value proposition. Your website should list 3 to 4 results or benefits a customer will experience when they do business with you.
6. A Clear Call to Action
People don’t typically take action unless they are told to do so. This is why it’s incredibly important for you to clearly spell out what action you want a potential customer to take.
Your call to action should be all over your website. Don’t be afraid of having it in too many places. “Learn more” and “Get started” are not clear calls to action. Here are examples of great calls to action.
● Buy Now
● Schedule An Appointment
● Get a Consultation
You should also offer something of value on your website for visitors that aren’t quite ready to buy. Things like ebooks, cheat sheets, or checklists can be offered in exchange for a name and email address. Now you’ve collected a lead you can nurture via email until they are ready to buy.
7. Additional Elements
In addition to the six elements above, you may want to consider incorporating some of the following “bonus” elements as well.
● Video
● Core Products/Services
● Target Markets You Serve
It’s amazing how many businesses don’t have these elements on their websites. By incorporating them on your website, it will make all the difference in the world.
That wasn’t so bad, was it? Make these changes to your website, and I’m sure you will generate more leads and get more customers in short order.
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