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As a marketing agency that also specializes in web design, we find many clients we work with initially don’t fully consider the impact their website can have on their overall business success. We’d like to shed some clarity on the matter for every business that’s looking to grow their sales this quarter and into the new year.
When asked what the primary goal of their company’s website is, the two most common responses from non-ecommerce businesses we hear are:
- provide information about my company
- give customers a way to contact us
There lies the issue. And you can likely already see the disconnect. While these two items are functionality that every website needs to have, they are not the goals your business should be measured against online. Even if you’re not an ecommerce business, your website is the single most valuable representation of your business online, and it should absolutely service you as such.
Ask more of your web design
Regardless 0f your industry, one message should ring true — it’s late 2014, and your business’s website absolutely SHOULD be a tool to drive sales for your business. Give your website a real purpose and expect returns. Sound intimidating? It doesn’t need to be (at all). We believe website design must drive sales for our clients.
Start by shifting the primary focus of your website from passive goals like communicating information to active goals — particularly generating leads.
It starts with recognizing that maintaining an online presence is no longer enough to set your business apart. A website is now a cost of doing business (and has been for some years). Competition is high, and attention spans are low. A website that is designed and optimized to generate leads is what your business needs to come out on top of the competition.
It all comes from effective design
So how does it all come together? And what makes the websites we design so valuable from a business standpoint? It comes down to the strategy behind the web design. When we approach a new web design project, we do so with the goal of driving sales for a business We consider every aspect of how potential customers will interact with the website. Then we make sure the website has every chance to convert them.
Ask yourself if your website:
- Features a clear call to action on the homepage (more than just “contact us”)
- Has a functional contact or inquiry form (one that you’d want to fill out yourself)
- Functions as well on a smartphone as in a desktop browser
- Communicates the legitimacy of your business and your past success to someone who’s never heard of you
- Was coded in a way that makes Google happy (and gets found by customers searching online)
- Is search engine optimized across all pages, with the same goal as above in mind
Together these aspects are what set businesses apart online today. A competitive website is one that is both easily found by customers searching online, and has a meaningful method to capture each customer’s information. It doesn’t need to be complicated — quite the opposite actually. More so online than offline, your ideal customers likely already know what they’re looking for by the time they visit your website. Your website just need to quickly convert them from a visitor into a lead.
Need help getting there? Get in touch. We’ll provide a free audit of your existing website and show you how your next website can drive your sales for years to come.