Lock and Load! 5 Ways To Shoot Down Your Website

​The launch of a new website is both a milestone in the growth of any business, and a recognition of the hard work that went into bringing all its knowledge and information into the one convenient location for clients to peruse, and perhaps initiate a purchase.  
The services on offer, together with the structure and expertise in any business will continue to evolve over time, and those key tools such as websites, branding and marketing material need to evolve as well.  

Just as an individual looking to advance their career will build an impressive Resume that focuses on their current skillset and not information from 2001, it’s just as important for businesses to focus on their products and what they are good at today.  So with that in mind, what are some of the mistakes you can easily make that will shoot down your website, and stop it from delivering consistent leads and customers?

1. You may remember the old western movie where the camera pans down the main street of town, and all you see are the tumble weeds rolling and some old guy chewing tobacco and rocking on a chair outside the saloon.  If the last time you updated your business website and added new content was 6, 12, or 18 months ago when it went live, then that’s the image the visitor gets in their mind when viewing the site.  If you aren’t willing to keep your site fresh and current, then maybe don’t have one.
2. Blogging isn’t dead!  Writing and publishing engaging blogs and posting them on your website for visitors to read, comment and share has several advantages.  Firstly, our friends at Google like sites that are regularly updated with fresh and relevant content that have an information focus.  It’s one of several things that can help in the constant battle for Google page rankings.  Secondly, blogs help to give you what I call “Street Cred”.  Credibility is everything in business.  Blogs help showcase your expertise and knowledge in your core area of business.  It doesn’t matter whether you have a law firm or sell fruit, as relevant content shows you know what you are talking about.  
3. Having one or two pages on your site with all the information packed into that space is like putting all your socks, underwear, shorts and shirts in the one drawer, and then wondering why you can’t find that favourite set of blue underpants!  Layout, format and organisation are key considerations in the design of a site.  It must be simple to find information.  Unless yours is the only business of its type around, then visitors aren’t going to waste time digging around for information.
4. If writing or presenting information in an engaging manner isn’t your strength, then engage a professional content writer to do it for you.  The prospective customer is judging you and your business on the basis of what they see on the site.  If it is littered with spelling errors, poor grammar and reads like some clunky technical journal, then the customer won’t be feeling very positive about your business.  
5. A business website needs to show the current products or services offered by the business today.  The content needs to be regularly checked and updated so that customers aren’t asking about products or services that are no longer available.  

If I could summarise these 5 points it would be to say the following:  To successfully engage with your customers, you need a well maintained website, with well written content, an easy to navigate layout and up to date information.  That way, you won’t consign your website to the dust bin.  

Anthony Ferro
 
Present Professionally serves customers across the Toowoomba Region and South East Queensland.  You can follow Anthony at https://au.linkedin.com/in/anthonyferro1  or view details at www.presentprofessionally.com.au and LIKE us on Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/PresentProfessionallyAustralia/
 
 Written and Published by  www.presentprofessionally.com.au