Most websites simply are not fit for purpose. They’re designed from the wrong premise, that the site needs to have a certain “look” that ties in with the company’s “brand”.
The correct premise is to first decide what you want the website to do. Once you have the answer to that, it will tell you what your site needs to look like to achieve its purpose.
Form follows function, after all. So here’s a simple seven-point checklist, to make sure you’re up to speed on the Internet Marketing basics.
Your domain name.
Do you have an easy to use and remember domain name, ideally without hyphens? One thing I’ve noticed recently is a tendency for people to use long, convoluted domain names that mean something to them, but don’t mean anything to anyone else.
For example, if your company fi xes computers, you could have the domain name www.wefixcomputers.co.uk instead of something like www.xyz-company.co.uk. You can’t always get something this perfect (wefixcomputers.co.uk has already been taken, for instance), but with a bit of imagination you’ll be able to come up with something snappy, memorable, and meaningful for your business.
Are you measuring visitors to your website and the actions they take?
When you set up a new website, it’s as important to have this in place as it is to have a good design and layout.
Google analytics is one of the most advanced software systems out there and it enables you to do almost any kind of analysis on your website traffi c for free. It’s comprehensive and even quite complex but it allows you to analyse your traffic, where it’s coming from, and what it does when it gets to your site in exquisite detail.
If you find Google Analytics intimidating, there’s always getclicky.com, which is more streamlined than Google Analytics and, so many people say, far easier to use.
Don’t make the mistake of leaving all this up to your “web guy”, either, because it’s as fundamental a part of your marketing as is putting the ads and other traffic-generating pieces out there.
Does each page have an immediate, clear, compelling message for your visitors?
Remember, every single page on your website must have one purpose and one purpose only.
It’s a mistake to think people are going to visit your site, browse around, and then love you so much they’ll buy from you.
Most of the time they’ll be on your site because they’re looking for something specific to a problem they have, so it’s your job to give them what they want in
exchange for something in return (either a sale or their contact details, in most cases).
Too many businesses have an endless succession of pages serving no useful function other than to look pretty and talk about themselves.
Have you tested Pay per Click Advertising?
If you’re not testing search-based advertising (both Google Adwords and Bing Advertising) and all the different forms of banner advertising (Display advertising on Google, as well as Facebook and LinkedIn Advertising), then you are making a HUGE mistake.
PPC advertising has revolutionised the way we do business online and it’s still expanding in scope and flexibility. You can’t afford to get left behind in this.
Are you collecting visitors’ details?
Selling “off the page” can work, but for most businesses it’s far wiser to switch to a lead-generation model so you can follow up with your site visitors and sell to them over time.
Email marketing remains one of the most powerful, effective, and profitable ways to reach out to your prospects, customers, and clients, yet most business owners never do it. The most they’ll do is send a boring “newsletter” type email once a month (when they remember to do it) and wonder why they get no sales.
The most effective email marketers are emailing several times a week, many of them every single day, including weekends.
Are you using remarketing?
Remarketing is a particular flavour of banner advertising where your ads are shown only to people who have visited your site already and had that fact recorded by Google’s remarketing system.
It allows you to follow your visitor around the Internet even if they did nothing to interact with your website when they landed on it.
And like the other forms of PPC advertising you pay only when someone clicks on the ad (and the clicks are cheap, and the traffic quality exceptionally high).
Who’s in charge?
A common complaint from Members at the Gold Mastermind meetings is about their website designers not doing things the way they’re being told to.
You can NOT allow this to happen. Most website design firms have no idea about marketing and have no business making decisions about how it should be done and especially not on their clients’ sites!
You pay them to do a job for you.
You are in charge.
If your site doesn’t make any money, all they’ll lose is a client; but YOU will perhaps lose your entire business.
If your website designer won’t do as they’re told, fire them and find one who will.
CHRIS KEY TAKEAWAYS
Go over your website with these seven things in mind, and I guarantee your sales will increase.
Please share here your thoughts on this article about Chris Cardell, share it on social media and express your views. To learn more about Chris Cardell visit his website chriscardell.com or Chris Cardell’s Media Company, Cardell Media Ltd. There is also an interesting video interview with Chris Cardell. His next life changing event is The Sovereignty Summit with Chris and Dan Kennedy on 29th – 30th of September 2015.
