Have you ever found an author, speaker or public figure that you fell in love with? I mean anything that he or she said just felt like it was GOLD! So, you do what any modern, slightly-obsessed fan would do… you go to stalk them on their website. You can’t wait to get more awesomeness from this already awesome person, and you get there and in your head you hear the sad trombone sound (whomp, whomp, whomp, whomp).
You’ve experienced something that many small businesses, in particular, have. It’s a shame that so many great businesses struggle with what I call “Whack Website Syndrome”, and they have no clue they even have it.
In the urban dictionary, “whack” is defined as appalling in nature; not very good; and (my personal favorite) something that “sucks”.
One question that I like to ask my clients is, “What is the purpose of your website?” Most will give the response, “it’s for informing my customers or clients about what I have to offer.” Sounds like a great answer right? Actually, it’s wrong!
Your website should have only one purpose…to MAKE YOUR BUSINESS MONEY!
I know that some of you are saying, “But Kim, I really want my clients to connect with me and know my philosophy on life, and laugh and cry all at the same time!” Okay, maybe you’re not that dramatic, but you get my drift. Look, you can use your website for all of those things, but the bottom-line is, it needs to grow your business. Here is a little guideline that you can use to judge if your own Web is Whack.
5 essential keys that your website must have in order to truly be effective.
1. It’s Easy on the Eyes
Let’s face it, as much as we don’t want to admit it, looks matter. I’m sure you did’t go to see the movie Magic Mike for it’s excellent plot line! You needed a little eye candy to keep your attention. The same goes with your website. Your website doesn’t have to have all the bells and whistles, but it does need to look neat, clean, and appealing. If you are not the most trendy designer, that’s okay, there are plenty of options out there to give you something simple yet appealing. It gives your customers a feeling that you know what you are talking about, and you have a high standard for yourself and your product or service.
2. It Gives Value
Lets say that you are at the mall doing a little browsing and something catches your eye in the window. Like most shoppers, you use that as a clue that the store has what you like inside, so you turn on in to see what goodies they have for you. At this point, what makes you stay in and browse around or what makes you turn and leave out? Usually, what makes you stay is you see items that are made for you. The same process goes for you website. If a potential customer goes to your site because of something that they think makes it seem interesting, they will quickly leave if there’s not good information that interest them or gives them something of value. So make sure your website is value packed.
3. It’s Clear
Have you ever run into someone that you’re sure you know from somewhere, but cannot for the life of you, remember his/her name? Then you sit there for forever trying to recall who they are and where you know them from without having to ask? So annoying right!?! That’s the feeling your customers get when you aren’t clearly defining the type of products or services that they can receive from you. They don’t want to guess for forever. They just want someone who will be upfront and tell them. No guesswork! Unlike when we try to figure out a person’s name, customers are not going to sit and figure you out, it’s too easy to just click away. Be upfront and clear of what you do and where your customers need to go take advantage of it.
4. It is Monetized
As mentioned before, the main objective of your site is to make money for your work. If that’s the case, you must have a clear and easy avenue to make money. It could be an e-store or maybe you offer packages or online classes, but you need something that gives your visitors a chance to invest in themselves. You hear that right! Assuming that what you have is something of value to the customer, it is only fair that you give them that opportunity to invest in themselves. If you let them fall in love with you and your product or service throughout the whole website, but don’t give them a chance to act on that love, you’ve jipt them of an experience. That’s like going to the fair and they don’t have any smoked turkey legs…. AIN’T NOBODY GOT TIME FOR THAT!!! Plus, you’ve missed your own opportunity to financially support your passion. So, before you even start your site, be clear on an online profit plan.
Now, before you go pointing your finger at some terrible websites that you’ve seen in your day, ask yourself, does my own site have all four of these? If not, you probably need to rework things a bit and get on the right track. As always, I’m here to help, so feel free to check out how I can assist with some of your website woes. Remember “Whack Website Syndrome” is real and it’s running rapid on the world wide web. Don’t be a victim when you don’t have to be.
Today’s Think Tank:
Check out your site, or if you don’t have your own, the site of a business you admire. After you look, tell me which of the four keys is the hardest to provide? Maybe we can put our heads together and give each other some great ideas and options. As always, I’ll continue to pray for you and ask that you continue to pray for me. Be blessed and be a blessing!
Don’t stop there… Keep on Reading!
