Do you have Website shame? Are you directing people to your Website?  Is it working for you? Your business Website is your most important marketing tool. How you appear to your potential customers can make or break your online success. It may be time to re-design, re-work and re-capture your audience.

Mother’s aren’t always right

My mother used to tell me that looks aren’t everything and you can’t judge a book by it’s cover. And in certain instances, that is true. But not when it comes to Websites. I know there are code monkey’s out there and marketing gurus that will tell you it doesn’t matter how your Website looks but it’s more important how it functions.  And absolutely it’s important how your Website functions in a search engine and how your user experiences your site, but it’s the look that will grab their attention and motivate them to contact you or buy your products. How a Website looks can hit a customer on an emotional level that’s subtle but effective.

Decisions are made in an instant

On a Website homepage you have only seconds to grab your guests attention.  If your homepage fails to do this, your guests won’t go further in to your Website. Enticing someone to stay on your site long enough for a sale or contact is the goal of any Website. Does your site motivate? Or is it out of date? Objectively look at your Website and answer these questions:

  • Do I trust this company? The overall feel of your site should give people a feeling of trust.
  • Does this company look like they care about me, or do they just want to make money? Are they transparent? Hiding pricing or fine print can make you appear like you have something to hide. Having enough content to tell people what you’re all about can help put them at ease.
  • Do they look like they’re modern, or has it been years since they last updated their site? This can tell people that you don’t care enough to invest in your most important marketing tool. Or that your company doesn’t have the funds to invest.  Either way, it’s a bad impression.
  • Do they look professional or is this business a hobby? Is this site constructed with pro photos and graphics?  If you appear to be a hobby site, it won’t motivate your guests to work with you.
  • What do they sell? Your home page should answer this immediately.
  • How do I buy or contact? This should be in an obvious place and easy to get to.

You’re hired!

How you look to others can motivate people to hire you.  After all, if you had to choose between a disheveled applicant and a equally qualified applicant who dressed well and smiled, who would you choose? How your Website looks to others can also motivate people to hire you or buy your products.