8 Clues That Your Company Needs a New Website

What has your website done for you lately? Are you getting the traffic, leads and sales that you expect and deserve? Your website needs to be professional, optimized and easy to use and maintain. It’s time to revive your website if it is not meeting these criteria for success.

• Can target customers find my website using search engines? Your website needs to be easily accessible and get found by your target audience. Most people use web search engines and directories such as Google, Bing and Yahoo to find companies. SEO can get your website to “organically” show up on the first few result pages of a search using relevant keywords and phrases. Search Engine Marketing (SEM), also known as, Pay-Per-Click (PPC) is paid advertising on search engines.

• Are my competitors’ websites attracting more attention than mine? Take a look at your competitors’ websites – look at their positioning, messaging and how up-to-date their content is.  Your website should be comparable, if not superior, to theirs.

• Does your website display well on all devices? Look around – most people are using a smart phone or tablet to access the internet. It’s naïve to think that all of your website visitors are sitting behind a computer monitor or using the same browser. Make sure your website displays properly and provides easy navigation on all devices.  New websites feature responsive design, allowing them to expand in a visually-appealing way on a large monitor.

• Does my website portray the image of a successful company? Your website should project the image of a company your size or larger, and it should engage visitors with its professional design while enticing them to learn more about your company, products and services.

• Is my website content engaging and persuasive? Have you defined your positioning and value propositions, and does it show through on your website? If not, you may be confusing people and scaring them away. Try talking less and saying more. Edit text to communicate your message in fewer, shorter and more thoughtful words and sentences. Using subheads and bullets can make complex information easier to understand.

• Can website visitors quickly find the Information they need? Your home page should be a clear map for visitors to easily find and identify their areas of interest and get relevant information fast, with an intuitive user-interface, sitemap and well-organized content. If you have a lot of content and numerous webpages, consider drop down, pop-up or fly-out menus to make your site easier to navigate.

• Is my website generating sales leads? Every page of your website should have a call-to-action. Provide your visitors with information they will find useful and they will provide their contact information in return. Don’t be selfish. You need to “give-to-get,” providing “news they can use” so visitors will fill out a lead form. Is your existing website integrated with Social Media channels and a CRM system? If not, you may be losing track of a potential customer.

• Is it easy to update and maintain my website? Today, most new websites are built on Content Management Systems (CMS), which enable non-programmers to quickly and easily update sections such as news, events and the other frequently updated content. This will be critical to keeping your website fresh and current.

Download our latest eBook – “8 Clues That Your Company Needs a New Website” to learn more.
Think your company needs a new website? Contact Sagefrog Marketing Group. Visit www.sagefrog.com.