Five Signs of Failing Business Websites- Why a Products and Services based website will loose its shine in the wake of these fundamental Features
A business or products service website works like a salesman for their visitors and regular readers. A website is not a product in itself, but it is the single most important thing for any business that wants to sell products or services through it. And, this becomes more true when it comes to e-commerce business where a website works as a main platform of business activities and almost every sales related activities depend on it. So, this article is not written for e-commerce business because they can rarely do such mistakes as mentioned in this post. Otherwise they wont survive and their existence will be lost. We are talking about the small business or freelance work based websites where an individual offers most of their services through it.
If there is one thing that Business marketing has taught us, it is that online presence is an essential requirement. Website is at the forefront of today’s marketing and it is the place where potential consumers look for information on products and services.
We can have the finest IT implementations in the world with all the knowledge we have at our fingertips, but they count for nothing if we fail to generate clients.
Here are 5 signs that you need to perform major website overhaul:-
#1. The website doesn’t show our products and services at a glance:
Our websites should clearly display our products, services and other things we have to offer. Potential consumers should be able to identify ideal solutions to their problems. Many small businesses find it difficult to convey messages clearly and succinctly. Simple menu structure is our greatest tool in this area. Well-designed website will tell us everything we should know about a business, while we scroll over the menu structure. The use of iconography, word clouds, infographics and other elements should help us to convey information in an appealing and exciting way. People should be able to see our products at a glance regardless of the page they are visiting.
#2. The website is difficult to navigate:
Other than being able to show our products and services at a glance, consumers must be able to jump to any information they need without any effort. We should be aware that if we fail to deliver relevant information, visitors will click the Back button and visit our competitor’s website. We need to put primary messages throughout our website and remember that many people don’t arrive to a website through the main front page. Websites that don’t have ideal navigation structure may discourage people from exploring further and we may throw away potentially lucrative business opportunities.
#3. The website doesn’t make it easy for clients to contact us:
While this may seem like a no brainer, it can be sometimes difficult for some visitors to contact the website’s owner. Consumers want to do business with sellers and we should make it much easier for them to immediately contact real live people, which can provide them with specific answers. It is important to have a dedicated contact page, with links that are placed on both header and footer, so they will be accessible from any page. Some people won’t bother navigating back to the front page to check contact details. To add personality to our website, we may put up bios and photographs of our team members, so consumers will know with whom they’ll be working with. The email address should be valid, even if it is a generic account from Gmail or Yahoo! Mail. There is nothing more annoying than being required to fill plenty forms just to send inquiries.
#4. The website doesn’t provide answers to FAQs:
Every consumer has questions and websites should be the initial and if possible, the best way to answer them. Many successful businesses make their websites the primary port of call for consumers and this will save us time immensely. This way, customers may just visit the website to read and download anything they need. The rule of Internet should be simple: The more people visit our website, the more they validate it. This will further attract more visitors to our website. By making our website an important information source in the niche, we can drive more people to it. The increased SEO rankings will result in better traffic. Unfortunately, many websites neglect this rule and they don’t really make things clearer.
#5. They don’t provide geographical-based information:
The Internet technology has developed much and we can now use multiple cool features. We should be able to identify visitors that come to our website and provide information that’s relevant to them. The Internet changes the way we perform our business and it is inefficient trying to provide universal information to all consumers, regardless of their geographical locations. Geographical-based information may involve relevant language and local contacts in the region. We can also provide relevant pricing and delivery options.
By addressing the above pitfalls, it is possible for our website to become an effective salesman that provides all our sales and product information. The website should be accessible to consumers at anytime and anywhere. The website need to include links to essential information that consumers may want to know. This could provide motivation for users to purchase products that we offer to them. It is important to make sure that consumers have easy access to contact page on all pages and managing shopping cart should be very simple.
Free Classifieds says
Great Article Few great points covered here. I remember in future for my own products sell service.
Thanks adslistor
Patricia Lamons says
The topics of this article is excellent and it’s very important aspect for any webmaster who is running a service based site.everyone have to be aware about the features that impacts the sale conversions apart from Good SEO.
adslistor says
I agree with you fully here.And, not only service or sales related websites but any kind of blog or website has to work on their conversion parameters. Conversions are a must have thing for any blogger or webmaster out there!