Is Your Website Generating Leads or Sales

If your website is not generating leads or sales and you do not see a return on your investment, then your site is failing you and your business, but don’t worry here’s what to do to help you fix it.
Common Cause of Failure

Website Failure is Common

Unfortunately, website failure is common, and it is often because of the same fundamental problem, the website was developed hurriedly without a fully planned strategy of how to roll out your business as it is now and how your website will adapt to your future business goals.
Many businesses feel the urgency and pressure to develop their website quickly as we all know that an online presence is vital for business success. The problem when a website is deployed quickly, it often doesn’t take into account all of the requirements the website needs. A website may need specialist features that are hard to implement once the website is already in existence.
Other problems come from a rushed job website as well which include;

• A cheap looking design
• Bugs and flaws which you didn’t have time to sort before the website launch
• A lack of buzz and excitement
• Poorly written copy
• A lack of cohesion between your site and your social media presence
• A low conversion rate
• A lack of usability.

All of these problems lead to low SEO, which leads to reduced traffic and reduced conversion and the result is a loss-making website that you don’t know what to do with.

What Businesses Do, But Shouldn’t

What most businesses then do is work backwards, trying to fix their hurried website with add-ons that look disjointed on the website and quick fixes to boost conversions, often using questionable black hat methods and short term advertising methods.

The result of this is costly and not effective. You are still left with a website that is not best reflecting your brand and a hard to manage an online business that needs constant tweaking, attention and more money is thrown at it to keep boosting the conversions and your online presence.

What you really need to do is stop wasting money on a fruitless website and start putting your time into a better online business strategy.

Now You Know Your Website is Not Converting

While your online business may not need to be completely scrapped and started again from scratch, it is important to step back from your current methods and take the time to plan your new strategy. Planning is vital for success, so think carefully about your goals and future of the business and how this needs to be reflected and optimised in your online presence.

1. Review your Website

Once you have decided what you want your online presence to be, you need to review what you already have and if that meets your requirements. This stage can be hard to do by yourself as it can be hard to take an objective view of your own material which you’ve worked so hard for.

At this stage, an independent SEO audit may help you. Choosing an SEO consultant to help review the competition, marketplace and target audience is a great way of finding out what part of your operation works now, and what needs improving.

Start thinking about the colours, branding and messages you want to achieve are and what services you need to offer. Collect ideas from other websites and build up a scrapbook of things you like and tools that would be well placed on your site.

2. Website Design

Now you know the areas of improvement, and what you’d like your strategy to be, it is time to start planning the concept. Whether you need a full web design or maybe just website development, take advice from the experts and speak to a web consultant. A web consultant can help to salvage parts of the site you want to keep and ensure that everything matches throughout your online marketing presence to create a seamless strategy.

A digital consultant can help to give your old site a new identity or develop your new website into a cohesive and compelling online marketing strategy. It is important to take lessons on best practice and best functionality, so you get it right, the first time. A web consultant can be really beneficial at this stage to ensure your navigation is clean, easy and simple to use, your SEO strategy is spotless and your keywords are incorporated organically and seamlessly.

Make sure you are completely happy with the new concept before committing to it. You want your money to be spent well. Your complete happiness, remember, shouldn’t just be based on your idea, it needs to be what your target market wants, so always think in their mindset and not your own.

3. Reap the Rewards

Everything is now in place to bring you more customers, more presence and more money. Remember online strategy doesn’t just end at a good website. A good website helps to convert viewers into buyers. To increase the leads and traffic to your website, consider a variety of inbound marketing strategies, from blogging, emails, content marketing and getting involved in social media. Keep an eye on your conversion rates and look for the patterns, look at what works and what means the most to your target audience.

Now you have a great website in place, all you need to do is keep its profile up.