Do you think you need a website because it’s like an “online business card”? There’s a problem with that! You’ve invested all that money and/or time into your website and you haven’t seen a dime out of it. What’s your return on investment? How do you measure it and are you even doing it? Your website shouldn’t just be a place where people can find your contact info, a long list of testimonials, and your contact info. It should be a money-making machine. And it can be. This may sound silly to you, but it’s not too out of sight for you to get the changes made and can start by making a few changes to your website. Now, we introduce to you the reason why your website isn’t making your business money.
1. You don’t have a clear Call to Action
How long does it take a new person to find out what it is that you want them to do when they visit your website? Does it stand out? Do you make it obvious? Website visitors are usually bombarded with text or moving/sliding images that are distracting and take too much concentration to really read and understand. If you don’t have something jumping out visually telling each person what it is that you want them to do, you’re missing sales. You’re losing customers. This one is easy. If you don’t know how to put a button on your site, make some big bold text that links them to what you want them to do… text that stands out.
2. You Don’t Have an Email Automation Sequence in Place
What happens when you get a lead from your website? – Someone fills out a contact form. You probably have a process for reaching out to them. But do you have a process for following up with them and nurturing them to increase the chances that they’ll buy/work with you? If you don’t, you’re missing out. Setting up a service such as ActiveCampaign, Infusionsoft, or Mailchimp that emails your new leads periodically can help prime them into buying from you. If you need help setting a service like this up or need help writing the emails, contact us now and we’re here to help you.
3. You Leave Out How Your Product or Service Works
You don’t tell your customers how your service or product works. What are the steps your customers have to take to use your product? Check out the menu, call in their order, pick it up? What is the journey you will take them on so their need is fulfilled? The moment you explain this in 3-4 simplified steps on your website is the exact moment you’ll have more people understand what you do more quickly and you’ll have more people that want to give you money.
4. You Have Broken Links on Your Website
This is an obvious point that people fail at so often! When you get your new website double and triple check that all of your links work. If someone clicks “View Menu”, it better take them to the menu quickly. And if it doesn’t, they’ll head over to the closest chain restaurant because they know how the chain restaurant works. Pay close attention to the details. If a Call Now button or an email address doesn’t link properly, it’s costing you money. About 70% of the websites we see each day have links that don’t work properly.
5. Your Website Doesn’t Follow SEO Best Practices
There are too many times where we see businesses that have not filled in their Title tags correctly. The URLs don’t have important keywords in them, and the meta descriptions aren’t filled out. Not to mention, your website takes too long to load. And if it’s not mobile-friendly, Google doesn’t like it either. There are many SEO best practices that are required in order for your website to show up in search engines. While this can be a lot to learn, there are people around that can help. Hire an SEO to make sure your site includes basic SEO best practices so your website actually shows up in the search results for your keywords and key phrases.
If this blog post has made you realize you need to make some changes to your website, contact us today and we’ll help you turn your website into an asset so you can truly measure your return on investment. Tap the button below now to schedule a call with Sharpen Marketing.
Zander Aycock
Digital Marketer & Web Designer for Restaurants
Zander Aycock is a local marketer that is truly passionate about helping other local businesses. He has spent most of his time working with eCommerce websites and marketing them using Facebook, Instagram and Google with both paid and organic strategies. After gaining several years of professional experience, he decided to pivot and help some of the local businesses he frequents and loves. Since then, restaurants & other small businesses have had successful launches, grown their revenue and customer base, improved their customer's experiences, and got people back to their shops a second and third time.
