When you were a kid, did you have a friend who never invited anyone back to her home? She always came to your house, but you never, ever went to hers.
Chances are good that her home was an embarrassment to her. Maybe the paint was peeling, some windows were broken, or her parents weren’t very hospitable to guests. Perhaps her dad had started collecting broken-down cars in the yard.
Whatever the reason, her home didn’t reflect her perception about herself or the way she wanted to be seen by others.
Are your sales reps sending prospects to your website?
If your sales reps aren’t sending prospects to your website, you’ve got a serious problem. They know that sending potential customers to your website will likely do more harm than good.
Why? Here are some possible reasons:
- The design is unprofessional. Your website looks like it was done by your nephew in his spare time away from high school, and your sales reps know that it will destroy their credibility.
- The content is outdated and inaccurate. Your calendar shows upcoming 2004 events and your product line shows items you don’t even manufacture anymore.
- Your layout doesn’t work in modern browsers. Your website proudly displays “Best viewed in Internet Explorer 6″ at the top of the page along with a download link.
- Your website is built entirely in Flash. Your website doesn’t work on your sales reps’ shiny, new iPads.
As a business owner, are you embarrassed by your website?
I talk to a lot of folks at networking events, and I often ask about their website. I want to check out their company or find out more about their products and services.
Surprisingly, a lot of business owners are reluctant to give their website address to me. They hem and haw and make excuses about how the design is lame and the content is outdated.
Why do you even have a website if you don’t want people to see it?
A website can be a valuable marketing tool for your business. It should be an integral part of reaching your business goals. It should never be neglected to the point that it is best left unmentioned.
Have you stopped putting your website URL on business cards or other marketing materials? Do you cringe when you see someone looking at your website? Seriously, what are you waiting for?
Okay, I hear you. You’re waiting until you have a massive budget for a complete website redesign, right? This is the main excuse I hear from owners of embarrassing websites.
Sometimes, all it takes is a little TLC, consistently over time
Here’s the good news. If you lack the budget to scrap your embarrassing website and start over, you can still move in the right direction.
Start by setting a monthly budget for your website, and make sure it’s an amount that you can afford. Include discussions about the website in your strategy meetings with every department of your company.
Plan and implement small changes each month, starting with the most critical content updates to make sure the information is accurate. Develop a content strategy that includes a website review and editorial calendar, and make it part of your business processes.
Once your content is updated, you can move onto the more complicated changes like design, navigation, and information architecture. Make small changes, then test them out to see how they are received by customers and prospects.
Pull your sales reps into the conversations about your website. They are on the front lines with prospects every day, and they know what messages need to be conveyed.
At some point, you will probably need outside help. A quality web design company will understand the value of iterative design changes to achieve your business objectives.
Paramaya Web Consulting is a web design company for growing businesses. Learn more about our web design services or get started with a quote.
photo credit: Nicholas_T
