When was the last time you made some major enhancements to your website? Or even just a few simple edits? Did you create your website and then just let it sit there like a print ad in a magazine… or do you treat like it what it really is – the most important element in your entire marketing & sales effort?
If it’s been a while since you’ve spruced up your website, now’s the time… as you start thinking ahead to the new year (and the new decade). To help you get started, here are 3 easy ways to upgrade your website… and it won’t take very long or cost much (if any) money.
Update the Copy
There are several places on your website that might need to be updated with new information…
- Have you added any new service lines or products since the last time the website was edited? And it’s not just ‘new’ services… have you upgraded the way in which you’re doing things? For example, you might still be doing qualitative research… but now you’re doing it online with video cameras, in addition to in-person focus groups. Those kinds of changes should also be added to the site.
- Have you added any new people to your team (especially at the senior level or in client-facing positions) or opened any new locations? Add ’em.
- And if you keep a list of clients on your website – or a collection of the logos of those clients – is it time to update that? And beyond just those lists… do you have new client testimonials or case studies you need to add? Further, if you’ve widened your target market and are now working in new industry verticals or new market segments, make sure to add those to your website, as well.
Search Engine Ranking
How are visitors (a.k.a. sales prospects) finding your website? Either they are being referred there through word-of-mouth or they did a search on Google and came across your firm’s listing. The question is, what ‘searches’ did they use to find you? And what keywords should you be using to help attract visitors? The answers to those question would be good information to know.
There are a number of free tools available online to help you dig into that, but a few we like are:
They’re free and they’re fast.
The Aunt Betty Test!
We have some really smart people in our industry… sometimes too smart. And sometimes these smart people write their website copy at such a high level that it’s almost impossible to understand. That’s a mistake!
Instead, write at a much lower level (a 6th – 10th grade level is fine). When you do, the information on your website can be absorbed much easier and much faster. And don’t worry, the really smart people will not think you’re ‘talking down to them.’ In fact, they’ll appreciate that you’re making your site more user-friendly.
So, apply the Aunt Betty test. Find somebody to review your website copy – someone from outside of your firm and outside of the industry. You know… your Aunt Betty. This person should be able to read through your site and understand 95% of it reasonably well. If they can’t… it’s time to “dumb it down” a little bit further.
And by the way, it’s not just the copy… your navigation also needs to be “stupid simple.” Make everything on your website easy to find and located in a logical place. Aunt Betty can help with this, too.
Sometimes smart people write their website copy at such a high level that it’s almost impossible to understand. Instead, write at a 6th – 10th grade level. When you do, the information can be absorbed much easier and much faster. Share on XConclusion
I started out by saying that your website is the cornerstone of your marketing & sales effort… and if your prospective clients can’t find your website and if it’s not engaging them on their very first visit, the chance of them becoming a client is lost. So, take the time now to start enhancing your website. I promise it will be time well spent.
If you’d like to learn even more tips for getting the most out of your website, please join us for our upcoming webinar, 11 Common Mistakes You’re Probably Making with Your Website on Thursday, October 3rd at 2pm ET/11am PT. Click Here to register online.