Conversion-Funnel.com

By now most businesses and people have websites. The thing that you should be most concerned with is how your site is working for you.

If you’ve wondered if you should redesign your site, the first thing you need to ask yourself is when was the last time you had an inquiry or an order from your site? If it’s been more than a week or two, you’ve got a problem.

The second thing you should consider is if you’ve had any emails or phone calls that went something like this – “I was looking for something on your site and couldn’t find it, so I decided to call.” That’s not a good sign either.

Third, you need to look into how much traffic you’re receiving. Hopefully your hosting service has a website log analyzer like WebTrends, AwStats, Webalizer, Analog or any other software that does the trick. Review it every two weeks to get an understanding of how people are using your site. The key metric that you need to look for is “unique visits”. Don’t waste your time counting “hits” – they’re extremely misleading and don’t give you an accurate picture.

Fourth, ask a colleague who doesn’t work for you or your company to perform some simple tasks on your site. For example, give them 30 seconds to find a data sheet on a particular product. Or ask them to find the email address to your customer support person or team. You may be surprised with the results and even more surprised with the ideas that you get for improving your site.

In summary, these issues will help you understand whether or not your website is contributing to your business. For more details on this, check out our previous article on “Why Should I Have a Website” or give us a call to discuss your situation.

I was reading a post at one of my favorite message boards this morning and ran across a great article on one of my web pet peeves - drop-down menus. Here’s a link to a study performed at Wichita Stats University on the issue: Cascading versus Indexed Menu Design. Here’s the post that I read: Mouseover Menus - or DHTML indigestion. In both cases, superior website design and navigation wins out over fancy coding techniques.

Are you complying with the new CAN-SPAM law. Here is a primer on the essence of what the law is about and how it applies to you: MarketingSherpa.com : Practical News & Case Studies on Internet Advertising, Marketing & PR.

The basics of the law (I am not a lawyer) is that you must be honest about who you are (senders address & server info), what the message is about (truthful subject line), properly labeled (list an unsubscribe link & physical address), and maintain a file of those who have opted out.

Here is an interesting white paper on how Macromedia overcame a miserable website: Macromedia.com: A Redesign Done Right.

Redesigns and makeovers are always a tough process. In situations where I have had data and extra-company feedback to work with, the end result has been stellar. It is so important for you to understand your user and their needs. Unfortunately, too many companies go the opposite direction and build their websites from the perspective of how they want their user to interact with them.

Have you ever sat down and thought about this question? Is it making you money? Is it influencing your business? It is affecting your bottom line? Have you hired web designer after web designer to try and get it ‘right’?

Many are guilty of having a website because they believe that they need one. Or, that their market dictated that they should. But, are those excuses good enough to keep one around?

Not really.

So, why keep one?

Websites can do three things for your business:

1. Validate you. It shows that you can provide particular goods or services.
2. Market your goods and services.
3. Initiate a transaction that can be fulfilled multiple ways.

You website must be treated with the same respect that you show your brand, product mix, and divisions of your company. You need to address your strategic direction, have a plan and continually monitor its performance. Then, and only then will you understand why a website is so important to your business.

Is having a website in today’s world a necessity?

Absolutely.

We’ve helped numerous companies answer these questions and be more successful with their website strategies. Contact us for more information.

What Can Web Copywriters Learn From Direct Mail?

My contention all along is that there is a writing style for the web. You take a little from the direct mail world, a little from print advertising and throw in some conversational tone - voila! Web Writing Style. This article gives some great tips on writing online.