Your Website Should Work for you

Since we work with a lot of small businesses and nonprofits, we see a lot of websites that are not set up for success. People know that they need a website and they know that there are services that allow you to easily create a website. But they don’t know the true value because they think that a website works like a business card or a directory listing.

We believe that a website can be much more than “who we are” and “what we do”. Yes, those are important, but that doesn’t make you any different than your competitors.

Your customers are researching you first

To state the obvious, the internet has changed the way we do business. Depending on your industry, 50-90% of people have probably researched your product or service before talking to you or making a purchase. This is known as the self-educating buyer. 

The Death of the Salesman (hyperbole)

In a time, not too long ago, when you wanted to get more information on a product, you would have to speak with a salesperson. A salesperson working on commission would obviously want to push for a sale, even if you weren’t really ready to buy. This created friction and a lot of uncomfortable situations. 

With the rise of the internet, people no longer have to talk with a salesperson just to learn more. By the time people talk to a sales rep, they have most of the information they think they need and are much closer to making a purchase. A lot of a salesperson’s job (depending on the industry) has been reduced to processing credit cards. The need to convince or close on-the-spot has been reduced and may even lead to people not wanting to do business with a company.

Compete by being a top educator

When people are doing the research about your product or service, are they finding the information on your website – making you the expert? Or are they finding the information on your competitor’s website? Since people are doing the research themselves, doesn’t it make sense for them to learn about your products or services from you? 

Your website can be one of your salespersons

When your website is consistently able to answer people’s questions about your product or service, it becomes a salesperson for you. You are building trust with people. When they are ready to buy, they are more likely to remember you if you have consistently answered their questions in an easy to understand manner. 

Are you getting the same questions from your clients before they make a purchase? They are probably asking your competitors and the search engines the same questions. Answer those on your website and you could be getting name recognition. 

The more common the question, the more upfront the answer to that question should be.

Conclusion

Many people treat their websites like business cards. They give out their web address to everyone and cross their fingers. When people land on the website there is a minimal amount of information about their service or product. In this scenario, the chances of someone working with you because of your website are very low. We believe that a website should be more of an advocate for you and should attract people to your product or service.