The Problem Really Is Your Website

The Problem Really Is Your Website

This week I’ve mentioned a few issues that are standing in the way of your online success.

But at the heart, the core, the foundation is your website.

If your website has not been revised in the past 18 months, you are missing out on several important changes.

But just having a freshly designed website isn’t the answer.

There are a number of factors such as the technical platform that your website is built on and all the coding that most folks never see.

I use several tools to evaluate the tech stuff and one that has some decent information that you can use is Woorank , which provides you with some important data that non-geeks can understand.  A majority of the websites I check on Woorank score below average.  Try it yourself with yours and then contact me if you want a more complete evaluation.

Besides the technical side, there is the SEO side that I mentioned Tuesday, the Social Media side that I wrote about yesterday and the content organization which I’ll mention today.

Most websites are not designed from a marketing viewpoint with a clear buying path for visitors to follow.

I call this connecting the dots.

Even some of the best scoring websites I’ve evaluated have this problem.

And here’s why:

Often there is a disconnect between the website developer, the graphic designer, and the marketing folks.

The website developer writes the code that powers your website and includes gadgets and gimmicks that he likes.

The graphic designer includes fonts and colors and logos and images that showcase her work and impresses her peers.

Meanwhile the marketing folks have no idea why the website they spent $40,000 to a couple hundred thousand bucks on isn’t creating a firestorm of results.

By having a plan that includes the end goal, and that goal is usually to attract and convert visitors to customers, all the other pieces to the puzzle of creating a successful online presence, beginning with your website can begin and work.

Questions? Agree? Disagree?  Contact me.

The Problem Really Is Your Website

Why Does My Website Suck?

Most people don’t think their website sucks.

Just like no one admits to having an ugly baby.

But we know there are some pretty bad ones out there.

Recently I did some preliminary research on about 200 websites for a home builders tradeshow I attended last week.

Out of 200, I found 2 that did a decent job of doing what the site was designed to do.

And that’s the first step to determining if your site sucks or if it is okay.

What is the purpose of your website?

That’s the first question all of us need to answer.

Are you wanting to sell stuff online? We call that an eCommerce website.

Are you promoting a limited time offer, like an event?  That might be a mico-site.

Are you online just because someone told you that you need a website?  (That’s the hole that most websites fall into.)

And I used the words hole and fall purposely.

Falling into a hole can be a trap.

And if your website has fallen into this hole, you need to be rescued.

If you are a business, your website needs to reflect your true professional business with clear paths for visitors to follow to find exactly what they are looking for in as few click as possible with an eye on SEO.

(I’ll talk about SEO tomorrow.)

Even if you are not a business selling products online, you need to remember that your website carries with it your Brand Image.

Your Brand Image is more than the logo or colors, it is what you are perceived to be others.

This includes your personal brand too.

This week, I’ll have a few random thoughts on your website to challenge your thoughts and inspire you to take action and as always if you have any questions on comments, let me know via the comment form, contact page or via Social Media.

The Problem Really Is Your Website

Tiny Screens Take Over Metropolis

A few years ago I mentioned to a friend that I was concerned about a division between the “have’s” and the “have not’s”.

The “Have’s” were the folks who had access to the internet.

The “Have not’s” were either to poor to own a computer or pay for an internet connection.

Those issues don’t exist anymore.

I know people who live on the street who have a prepaid smartphone with data access.  All they need is plug to keep the battery fresh.

But it’s a different issue now.

As more mobile devices replace bigger screens, is your website mobile friendly?

Contact me for help creating a website that is visible on every screen, big and small.

Here’s why you need to do it now, from Mediapost:

Mobile Shopping Insights For The Future

 

“It’s by no means a representative sample of the overall consumer population,” says the author, Bill Siwicki, Managing Editor, Mobile Commerce, but certainly useful as a harbinger of mobile shopping in the future.

According to a December survey of a sample of TechBargains.com visitors, reports Internet Retailer, among smartphone owners in this survey, 32% of women and 25% of men made half or more of their holiday purchases via mobile phones. Overall, 34% of iPhone users and 20% of Android users who made purchases using their phones say half or more of their holiday purchasing was done via their smartphones. Among tablet owners, 35% of women and 21% of men made half or more of their holiday purchases via their iPads and other tablets.

58% of mobile phone owners have made purchases via their devices compared with 94% on laptops and 75% via tablets, says the survey of TechBargains.com visitors, who skew tech-savvy. For those who shop with their phone:

  • 79% use it to research products,
  • 77% to compare prices
  • 73% to browse stores

Of the 58% percent of shoppers who make purchases via their mobile devices:

  • 69% use both the mobile browser and apps to buy products;
  • 18% only use apps
  • 13% only use a mobile browser

On mobile phones,

  • 70% of shoppers purchased digital goods,
  • 60% purchased physical merchandise,
  • 46% purchased services and
  • 38% purchased consumable goods, the survey finds.
  • 76%, say ease of use is the reason they would buy on
  • 34% cite price point as the reason why they would buy

75% of tablet owners use their devices to make purchases;

  • 90% use tablets to browse stores,
  • 89% research products and 85% compare prices.
  • 86% of iPad 2 owners make purchases via their tablets while
  • 74% of Kindle Fire owners make purchases via their devices.

Yung Trang, president of TechBargains, said “… results strongly indicate that mobile devices are currently much better for window shopping than for buying… tablets are widely used for research and shopping… “

59% of men and 54% of women in the survey made purchases using their mobile phones. Of those who didn’t use their mobile phones to make purchases, 42% of men and 38% of women cited security concerns, and 54% of men and 59% of women cited difficulty completing purchases, notes the report. 74% of men and 77% of women made purchases using their tablets.

At the same time, a Prosper study suggests that 40% of mobile users use their smartphone or tablet to compare prices while in the store and purchase from another retailer’s physical store…  .

Used Smartphone Or Tablet While Shopping In A Store (multiple answers OK), And:
Action % of Respondents
Compared prices and purchased from another retailer’s physical store

40.6%

Compared prices and purchased from another retailer’s website using my device

25.6%

Compared prices and purchased from another retailer’s website using my laptop/desktop after leaving the store

23.1%

Compared prices but still purchased from the same retailer

30.6%

Compared prices and purchased from the same retailer’s website using my device

13.3%

Compared prices and purchased from the same retailer’s website using my laptop/desktop after leaving the store

13.3%

Requested a price match

26.4%

 “Checked in” for a discount

26.7%

Read product reviews to decide between products

5.8%

Scanned a QR code to get more information about a product

29.7%

Source: Prosper Mobile Insights, Mobile Survey, December 2011 (totals may be greater than 100% because the respondents can select more than one answer)

For more information about the TechBargains report, please visit here, and to the complete Prosper Holiday Mobile Survey, go here.

1-17-12 Ft. Wayne Site of the Day

1-17-12 Ft. Wayne Site of the Day

Time to take a step back from my focus on websites created by or for Fort Wayne area folks.

Today’s Fort Wayne website is one of the most visited sites by people looking for information about our city and can use your help by providing updated info.

Click on the pic below to visit and participate: