Website Guidance
Helping you navigate today's web with practical advice and proven experience
Your Website Is Not a Vending Machine
Having a website is important, but simply having one doesn't mean new clients will automatically appear. A website is not a vending machine where you put money in one side and expect a new customer to drop out the bottom.
That is also a difficult way to measure whether a website is working. A website can play an important role in bringing you new business even when no one fills out a form or says, “I found you through your website.”
The Website May Not Get the Credit
Someone may hear about your business from a friend, search for your name online, visit your website and spend several minutes learning about you. A week later, they may pick up the phone and call.
When you ask, “How did you hear about me?” they answer, “Mary gave me your name.”
You naturally count that as a referral—and it was. But your website may have played an important part in turning that referral into a call.
No one filled out a website form. There was no obvious “website lead.” That doesn't mean nobody used the website when deciding whether you were worth contacting.
Give People a Reason to Visit
Your website becomes more valuable when you make it part of the conversations you're already having. If someone asks a question your website answers, send them the page. If you post something on social media, consider linking to useful information on your own website. Include your web address in your email signature, marketing materials and even your voicemail greeting.
For real estate professionals, this can be especially important. Buyers may automatically turn to large national real estate websites to search for homes. Your own website can still give them access to local listings, photos and important property information. More importantly, when buyers search from your website, they remain connected to you.
You don't have to convince every buyer to stop using the large real estate portals. But if you never introduce buyers to the home search on your own website, you've never given them a reason to use it.
Look Beyond the Form Submission
It is tempting to judge a website by one simple question: “How many leads did I get from it?”
But what does “from it” really mean?
A prospect may visit your website after seeing your name on social media. A past client may send a friend your web address. Someone who met you months ago may search for your name before deciding to call. A referral may use your website to learn more about you before making contact.
In all of those cases, another source may receive the credit for generating the lead. Your website helped the prospect decide what to do next.
That is one of the important jobs a good business website should perform.
Make Your Website Part of Your Business
Your website should not sit quietly waiting for strangers to discover it. Put it to work as part of the way you communicate, market your business and establish credibility.
Send people to helpful pages. Share useful information from your site. Give prospects a reason to search your listings, read about your services or learn more about your experience.
And don't assume a website isn't contributing simply because customers aren't lining up to fill out its contact form.
The better question isn't always, “How many leads came out of my website?”
Sometimes it is, “How many people used my website before deciding to contact me?”
A website is a business tool, not a vending machine. Put it to work.
Question of the Month
How Do I Know If People Are Actually Visiting My Website?
Website statistics can tell you quite a bit. Depending on the tracking available, you may be able to see how many people visit your website, which pages they view, how they arrived, what devices they use and how long they stay.
But statistics don't always tell you what happened next.
Someone might visit several pages, leave without filling out a form and call you a few days later. Another visitor might look at your website after receiving a referral and decide you are someone they want to contact. Neither action necessarily appears in your statistics as a new client.
Website traffic is useful information, but it is only part of the picture. The real goal isn't simply getting someone to visit your website. It's giving them enough useful information and confidence to take the next step.
Marketing Tip of the Month
Help Search Engines Understand Your Website
Some of the most important improvements to a website aren't visible on the page.
Schema markup is code added behind the scenes that helps search engines better understand what a page is about—such as a business, service, frequently asked questions or other specific information.
Visitors don't see the markup, but search engines can read it. Properly used, Schema gives them additional context about your website and its content.
It is one more example of why a website shouldn't only look good. What is happening behind the page matters, too.
A Real-World Example
Sometimes the Best Improvement Is Making What's Already There Easier to Use
Recently, while working on an existing website, much of the information visitors needed was already there. The opportunity wasn't simply to add more content. It was to make the existing content easier to find, understand and use.
That meant looking at the website through a visitor's eyes. Was the navigation clear? Did page headings immediately explain what each page offered? Were there logical next steps? Did the site work just as well on a phone as it did on a desktop computer?
Improvements to navigation, page organization, calls to action and mobile presentation can make an existing website considerably more useful without starting over.
A website improvement doesn't always mean adding more. Sometimes it means making better use of what you already have.
Know Someone Who...?
Could Use an Experienced Second Opinion About Their Website?
Maybe their website looks dated. Maybe it isn't working as well on phones, iPads or tablets as it should. Perhaps important information is difficult to find, or they're simply wondering whether the site they already have could be doing more for their business.
They may not need a new website at all. Sometimes a few thoughtful improvements can make a significant difference.
If you know someone who has questions about their website, I'd be happy to take a look and give them an honest, experienced second opinion—no obligation and no assumption that everything needs to be rebuilt.
Sometimes knowing what doesn't need to change is just as valuable as knowing what does.
More Website Guidance coming in September.