When planning the layout for their website, most companies add too much content, in an effort to educate the consumer. Some try to be everything to everyone. They listen to customer feedback. Unfortunately the majority of customer feedback comes from the complainers and customers that have nothing better to do but critique your site. The opinion from this section of visitors is skewed and most likely not a true representation of what the average visitor thinks of your website. Yet it is the side that most companies listen to.
Please remember the original goal of your website. It was to drive business to your company. It wasn’t to satisfy the non buying opinionated public. Look at the number of visitors to your website. Look at their traffic patterns. If you are getting a conversion rate of 2.9 percent or better, you are doing better than average large business website. Small business comes in at about half that percentage. There could be many reasons for low conversion rates. Your customer’s opinions may or may not address the real issue.
Most business owners ad web designers start planning a website with the standard pages like:
- home
- about
- products
- services
- latest news
- contact us
The main reason is because this is what customers come to expect. The average website can be tweaked to be more original, just don’t go too far from the norm, or people won’t know where to go ad will choose to go to a more easier to navigate website. The real key here is to have a goal for every page. That goal should be to create some kind of customer interaction. Those interactions should work something like this:
Home Page
- learn about your services
- Look deeper into your company
- Leave a comment (Blog Website)
- Fill out a lead form or subscription (Consultative Website)
- Purchase a product (Retail Website)
About Page
- Feel good about your mission, history and morals
- Leave a Comment (Blog Website)
- Fill out a lead form or subscription (Consultative Website)
- Purchase a product (Retail Website)
We could go on and on page after page but the same expectations should be the goal for 90% of websites out there. If your goals aren’t one of the above something is wrong. Your goal shouldn’t be to send the consumer to your social networking webpage. That would be a complete failure unless you’re just trying to build an image. If you are the end result should still be a transaction of some type which social networking don’t do as well as your website should. Other goals should include encouraging customers to come back or recommend their friends. They could include education if you are a blogsite or a site that requires education before buying. Please remember the ultimate goal is the transaction and a higher conversion rate.
Resource pages are nice but they shouldn’t steer your customer away from you. It should encourage them to utilize your expertise in the industry. There are some exceptions, but remember the goal of our resource pages should still encourage some type of transaction or they are an exit strategy for customers to leave your website and go elsewhere.
Give the customer an opportunity to purchase your products easily. Many people have a tendancy to undersell so they don’t look pushy. The site that undersells can lose the customer. Find the right mix by watching your conversion rate. Your opinion of the sales process should be run by your conversion rate, not your personal opinion.
When planning content for their website, most companies add too much content to their website. They try to be everything to everyone. They listen to customer feedback. Unfortunately the majority of customer feedback comes from the complainers and customers that have nothing better to do but critique your site. The opinion from this section of visitors is skewed and most likely not a true representation of what the average visitor thinks of your website. Yet it is the side that most companies listen to.
Please remember the original goal of your website. It was to drive business to your company. It wasn’t to satisfy the non buying opinionated public. Look at the number of visitors to your website. Look at their traffic patterns. If you are getting a conversion rate of 2.9 percent or better, you are doing better than average large business website. Small business comes in at about half that percentage. There could be many reasons for low conversion rates. Your customer’s opinions may or may not address the real issue.
Most business owners ad web designers start planning a website with the standard pages like:
- home
- about
- products
- services
- latest news
- contact us
the main reason is because this is what customers come to expect. The average website can be tweaked to be more original, just don’t go too far from the norm, or people won’t know where to go ad will choose to go to a more aesir to navigate website. The real key here is to have a goal for every page. That goal should be to create some kind of customer interaction. Those interactions should work something like this:
- Home
- learn about your services
- Look deeper into your company
- Leave a comment (Blog Website)
- Fill out a lead form or subscription (Consultative Website)
- Purchase a product (Retail Website)
- About
- Feel good about your mission, history and morals
- Leave a Comment (Blog Website)
- Fill out a lead form or subscription (Consultative Website)
- Purchase a product (Retail Website)
We could go on and on page after page but the same expectations should be the goal for 90% of websites out there. If your goals aren’t one of the above something is wrong. Your goal shouldn’t be to send the consumer to your social networking webpage. That would be a complete failure unless you’re just trying to build an image. If you are the end result should still be a transaction of some type which social networking don’t do as well as your website should. Other goals should include encouraging customers to come back or recommend their friends. They could include education if you are a blogsite or a site that requires education before buying. Please remember the ultimate goal is the transaction and a higher conversion rate.
Resource pages are nice but they shouldn’t steer your customer away from you. It should encourage them to utilize your expertise in the industry. There are some exceptions, but remember the goal of our resource pages should still encourage some type of transaction or they are an exit strategy for customers to leave your website and go elsewhere.
Give the customer an opportunity to purchase your products easily. Many people have a tendancy to undersell so they don’t look pushy. The site that undersells can lose the customer. Find the right mix by watching your conversion rate. Your opinion of the sales process should be run by your conversion rate, not your personal opinion.
Dr. Janeen Miraglia is a physician qualified to care for both children and adults. Because Dr. Miraglia is board certified in both Pediatrics and also Internal Medicine, she embodies the skills, experiences and knowledge to care for an extensive array of patients. With an office located in Millburn, New Jersey, Dr. Miraglia services patients from the towns of Livingston, Summit, Maplewood, Short Hills and Union. To learn more about Dr. Miraglia and her expert care, visit the new website by clicking