Times are tough. What’s the best strategy to ensure that your business’s bottom line remains healthy? Your website is out there 24/7/365. It’s the most cost effective way to get the word out about your business. So in these tough economic times, make sure your site is working for you – not against you. Here are some things you need to consider.
1. Target the right keywords. You might think your business is located in “southern New Jersey”, but did you know that people search for “South Jersey” almost 15 times more frequently? You may call yourself a “physician”, but did you know that people search for “doctor” 6 times more often? The right keywords can make a big difference in your traffic. If you haven’t done keyword research recently, this is a must.
2. Beef up your visual presentation. If your site design is homemade, from a template, or more than 5 years old, you could probably use a visual makeover. Do you have a gallery? Add pictures. And think video. Your competition probably has all these things, and if they don’t, you can further distinguish yourself by utilizing them.
3. Include strong testimonials. Your testimonials need to address specific issues or aspects of your business. Vague testimonials like “Great job with the website!” are not as valuable as “Within days of going live after you implemented our search engine optimization, we received a noticeable increase in phone calls and email inquiries.” Also consider video testimonials, which are very effective.
4. Implement gift certificates or coupons. Most people who redeem gift certificates spend more than the face value. Gift certificates are also a “vote of confidence” from the purchaser in your business. If you already offer gift certificates at your physical business location, you really should offer them online. Your website is there at 2am anyway. Why shouldn’t it be selling for you? If you don’t already offer them, think outside the box: is it possible that this could work for you? Alternately (or in addition) put a coupon on your website for a discount to new clients, or for a new service. Include an expiration date.
5. Spell/Link/Image check. If your site has spelling errors, broken links, or missing images, why would a prospective customer stick around? It’s so easy to go elsewhere. And so easy for you to make sure this doesn’t happen.
Bonus Tip: Update your copyright date to include 2012. There is no more glaring clue that the information on a website is stale – unreliable – out of date – than a copyright date from several years ago.
