Does Your #1 Marketing Tool Need a Makeover?

Your website, like any other primary marketing material you employ, should be regularly assessed and upgraded if necessary. 

Red flag #1:  Your website represents someone you used to be, not who you are now.  Have you been in business for a number of years?  Does your site contain colors and graphics that reflect the "old" you or that look dated?  As you grow and evolve in your business, it's important that your website grows and evolves with you.  It should show and demonstrate who you are now, not who you used to be.  This includes your picture, your products (for example your voice-over demos if you're a voice actor), the overall design, and your website copy.

Red flag #2:  Your website is trying to appeal to "everybody" instead of a specific "target market."  Have you ever read a newsletter, a book, or a blog post, and thought to yourself, "This is speaking right to me!  It's as if this author knows exactly what I need!"  That's a great example of an author who is addressing a specific target market.  Not every woman, or every man, or a multitude of age ranges and professions - you!  Or have you also visited a website and clicked away quickly because it was confusing or simply didn't address your needs?  The clearer you can become about what niche your website is targeting, the easier it will be to reach your intended audience, the easier your marketing will be, and the more response you'll get.  Think of who your ideal client is and tailor your website to them.

Red flag #3:  Your website copy is all about your credentials, what you do and how you do it, instead of how your customers will benefit from what you do.  When someone visits your site, they're there for one reason:  they're looking for a solution.  They are thinking about THEIR needs and how you might be able to help them.  Make sure the primary focus of the text on your website is about the benefits a customer will receive when working with you, rather than a laundry list of your capabilities.  Imagine each potential customer coming to your site and asking, "How can you solve my problem?  What solution do you offer?"  And then craft the answer to that into your website copy.  Focus your copy on the benefits, not the features.

Red flag #4:  Your website represents more than one business.  Are you using one website and domain name to represent more than one business?  For example, does your site contain information about your copywriting business but also include pages for your professional organizer business?  Too many choices are confusing and many times a confused person says "no" and clicks away from your site.  Domain names and web design can be so inexpensive these days, there's no reason to cram multiple businesses under one umbrella.  (Remember red flag #2 - Each site should appeal to its own target market.)  It's okay to include a link to your other sites, but keep each site's content dedicated to its own target market.

Red flag #5:  Your website is not generating any business for you.  If you aren't receiving any business contacts via your website, it's time to freshen it up.  This can include:

• A re-design to spruce up the look and colors
• Adding a blog to your site to stimulate more interaction with your visitors
• Creating new, up-dated products, demos, and articles
• Re-writing your website copy to stimulate new interest

And here are some other things to look out for when assessing your site:

• Check and double check your site for typos, grammatical mistakes, and spacing errors.  Have another person, preferably an experienced copyeditor and proofreader, check it for you.

• Do your web pages, audio, or video take forever to load, giving your visitors good reason to click away?  (Or worse, require your website visitor to open your content with software on their computer?)  Make sure all your content loads and plays quickly.

• Make sure your contact information is easy to find from every page on your site.  Visitors don't like having to search a site for contact information.

• Check your site for expired content:  Events that have passed, outdated contact information, or expired links.

• Does your site have font so tiny that it's difficult to read?  Or have you included colored or white font on a colored background?  Make sure the text on your site is easy to read and that there's plenty of white space.

• Do you have audio or video that plays automatically when someone arrives at your site?  (And either startles them because it's unexpected or embarrasses them because they're at work!)  Just say "no" to automatic audio/video play.  Give your visitors the power to choose and make your site more interactive by allowing them to decide for themselves whether to listen or watch.