Clients come to us for website redesigns because their current site isn’t giving them the results they’re looking for. Usually, the biggest problem is the site’s content.
This isn’t surprising. After all, content is how your prospects find you, because search engines love high-quality content. It’s also the most direct route to your customer’s wallet, because content sells your brand. If you’re website isn’t working, chances are you’ll feel it in your bottom line.
Why do so many websites fail to deliver great content? Because many organizations treat their websites like a filing cabinet—a piece of furniture that stores documents. In trying to balance the demand for information, the need for transparency, and the lack of effective content management options, many organizations add—and never remove—every report, news release, and event announcement to their website. They overstuff the site with any and all information about the organization, whether or not it’s relevant to the intended audience.
How can you avoid this problem? By thinking of your website as an employee vs. a piece of office furniture. Just like your employees, your website should add value to your business. But to get the best work from your employees, you need to treat them right. Here are three ways to make sure your website is performing at its best:
- Give your site a performance review. At least annually, review your website and determine what it’s doing well and where it can be improved. Conduct a content inventory to identify what content you can delete or reorganize. Analytics can also be very helpful in evaluating site performance over time. Then, create a straightforward plan with goals for capitalizing on the strengths and addressing the weaknesses.
- Make sure it looks professional. First impressions count. You wouldn’t want your employees to meet your customers in shabby clothes that were in style decades ago. Design trends evolve about every two or three years, so consider giving your website a makeover if it looks dated. You may not need a complete redesign—you may be able to “reskin” the site if the site’s underlying structure doesn't need to change.
- Introduce it to everyone. You don’t want your employees to feel like they’re on the sidelines of your business—each one should know they play an essential role on your team. The same goes for your website. It should be fully integrated into your marketing operations. Evaluate your marketing strategy and look for opportunities for your website to work harder for you. Additionally, make sure your site’s search engine optimization (SEO) strategy is on point. Strong SEO is critical to having your site show up high in search engine results so that your customers can find it easily.
A final thought: While a website is an apt metaphor for an employee, a website can’t replace a human being. A website doesn’t have emotions, it can’t form personal bonds, and it can’t answer every question a customer might have about your organization. Also, consider the fact that the average time spent on a webpage is 54 seconds. Given people’s limited attention spans, your website should give your audience enough information to take the next step toward conversion—and that’s usually talking to an actual person.
If you want your website to work harder for your organization, hire LMD.
