Is your website the comprehensive, client-attracting, dynamic marketing tool it can and should be? Too many small business owners make a very big mistake when it comes to their website.
The mistake...creating a "plain and simple" website, versus a comprehensive one.
What a way to miss the boat and miss out on the outstanding marketing opportunities that come with a comprehensive website. "Plain and simple" websites very rarely work.
Let me illustrate. True story...
A colleague of mine recently called me and said, "Jeanna, go on Google and pretend you're a receptionist looking for a company like mine. Type in the keywords you would use and tell me what you find."
So I did, and when the results popped up, I saw all of his local competitors. His website was nowhere to be found. I searched and searched, clicking up to page 17 in Google. In my search I was unable to find my colleague's website, even when I searched for his business name.
I told him what I found and he said, "Yep, that's what I thought. I think I messed up big time."
My colleague had hired a friend of his to develop his website, and in doing so he made a CRITICAL error. The error was not in hiring his friend, that was fine, but he told his friend that he wanted his company's website to be "very plain and simple, bare bones, with no clutter whatsoever and not a lot of text." That was the critical error.
He got exactly what he asked for-a paper thin, "plain and simple" website with barely any information on it. If there was 500 words of text on his website, I would be surprised!
Too many small business owners make the same mistake my colleague made when it comes to their website. They think people are too busy to bother reading through lots of information about their services. They think that people don't want information, they just want simple, plain and bare bones. This thinking is wrong and can be a costly error.
People turn to the Internet because they want information, they want details, they want the whole story. The more quality content you include on your website, the better.
Your visitors will sift through and skim to find the information they want, but only if you give them a chance to do so. Some visitors will read every single word on your website. You see it should be there choice, not yours. Don't edit and hold back just because you think people won't want to read it.
A plain and simple website turns potential clients away because it doesn't offer a solution to the pain, problem or predicament they're looking to solve. It doesn't build an entire case for hiring you. It leaves them wanting more. And above all, it sends them looking elsewhere for answers...which, I bet your competition will be happy to provide them.
As if turning potential clients away isn't bad enough, "plain and simple" websites cost small business owners in another big way, too...lack of content turns off the search engines just as much as it does visitors.
My colleague's bare bones website doesn't have a snowball's chance in (you-know-what) of EVER getting a high listing with Google or any other search engine. Google loves content. Google practically demands content. No content, no high listing.
You know, my colleague is mad (mostly at himself), but at least he realized the mistake he made. The tough thing is, it will cost him more to redo his website and fix the mess, than it would if he had done it right the first time.
Trying to attract clients with a "plain and simple", paper thin, bare bones website didn't work for my colleague, and it won't work for you. A comprehensive, client-attracting website is much, much more than a few pages of information, some bullet points and a contact page.
A comprehensive website utilizes in depth content to develop a strong and convincing case for why clients need to hire you. It includes information about your services, but it also demonstrates your expertise, answers all of your clients' possible questions about you, your business, and why you're the right company for their needs.
It shows them how your small business is different, unique or better than the competition. After visiting your comprehensive website, potential clients will feel motivated to pick up the telephone and give you a call, because they know who you are, what you do, and how you can possibly help them.
To take full advantage of the huge opportunity your website gives you as a marketing tool, you have to develop a comprehensive website. Doing so, you'll be rewarded with higher search engine rankings, plus a steady stream of clients.
Copyright © 2008-2009. Jeanna Pool. All rights reserved. Jeanna Pool is a small business marketing consultant. She works exclusively with solo small business owners who are really great at what they do...but really struggle in marketing their services and attracting clients consistently. For more information about Jeanna's small business marketing services, visit her website athttp://www.MarketingThatWorks.com |
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