“On the SIXTH Day of Planning, your boss will ask of you: SIX Website Elements to Improve Effectiveness . . . FIVE Lead Capture Strategies . . . FOUR SEO Factors . . . THREE Design Directives . . . TWO Website Questions . . . and One Measurable Marketing Plan . . .”
Is your website as effective as it could be? Give your website a check-up by reviewing these 6 elements . . .
1. Is The Answer to “Why Should I Buy Yours”? on the Home Page?
Can I tell from your Home page what you offer ̶ and what makes your offering(s) and your company different?
Be sure your Home page gives visitors a strong reason to stick around and learn more, by outlining the most important “what’s in it for me” benefit and the “why should I buy yours” difference.
Over time, those key messages may get moved further and further down your page. Don’t let that happen.
It’s time to review the PRIORITY of messages on your Home page, to be sure the most important messages are presented close to the top.
2. Do You Have an “Action Offer” on Every Product Page?
If you’re an ecommerce website, you should have your “Add to Cart” button close to the top of each product page.
What about for those visitors not ready to buy, but who might want to learn more? I might appreciate a free Guide that helps me learn more about how your solution solves a problem, how I can incorporate your product into what I’m using now, or why your products are unique.
Be sure you present an “Early Stage” and “Low Commitment” Lead Generation Offer on each product page. Educate me and make it easy for me to get to know you.
3. Do You Have an Offer on Every Blog Post?
If you’re spending time and money driving traffic to your blog posts through social media or email, why not take advantage of those visitors and present an Offer?
Your Google Analytics may show that social media visitors don’t visit more than the single blog page. Why not make it an objective to get them to another page?
If your blog post discusses an ecommerce product, be sure to link to the product and mention any special Offer to encourage the sale.
Every blog post is also a great location for an Early Stage, Low Commitment Lead Generation Offer to help your visitor learn more (and capture the email address).
You can test an Offer at the end of your blog post, mentioned within the text of your post, or with a pop-up. Have you tested each of these locations?
4. Does “Why Should I Buy Yours” Appear Throughout Your Website?
If you only have the “why should I buy yours” information on your Home page or your About Us page, what if your audience enters your website on another page? Websites may see anywhere from 30% – 70% of traffic start on Home. The rest of your visitors may never see your Home or About Us messages.
Even for those that do visit Home, they may focus on the top Menu navigation and not see your messages at all.
Your “why should I buy yours?” messages should be woven throughout your website and appear on EVERY page in some manner. Can I tell how you’re different, no matter what page I start on?
5. Can I Get Your Key Messages Just by Scanning?
Your website visitors scan, rather than read line by line, word for word. What makes a page “scannable”?
If I read just your headlines and subheads, I should learn what your product can do for me, how it’s different from the competition, and how I can take the first step.
The key is to write SPECIFIC headlines and subheads. Each should summarize the most important point on the page (headline) or in a section (subheads).
Review your website pages and blogs to be sure you’re using a specific headline, and enough specific subheads to highlight your key messages. Do you get the entire story just by scanning your headline and subheads?
6. Are You Making Constant Improvements Based on Results?
Do you review your Google Analytics at least once a month to identify problems and opportunities on your website?
The most effective websites are making constant improvements by continually testing new approaches and reviewing results.
Is your conversion rate low for a particular ecommerce product page? Time to test some revised product copy. Is your conversion rate low for a particular Lead Generation Offer? Review your form to be sure each data element you’re asking for is really needed.
Have you improved your website results this year? If not, time to start reviewing your Google Analytics regularly, and testing changes to help improve your lead and sales results.
Did you miss: FIVE Lead Capture Strategies . . .
FOUR SEO Factors THREE Design Directives TWO Website Questions and ONE Measurable Marketing Plan
If you need more detail on the planning points above, our new BEST-SELLING book, “The Results Obsession: ROI-Focused Digital Strategies to Transform Your Marketing” is now available on Amazon!
Learn more about The Results Obsession and see the Table of Contents
The book includes chapters on website navigation, website offers and content strategy, website copywriting, copywriting strategies, characteristics of great copy, lead generation strategies, lead generation offers, Google Analytics, marketing math — and more.
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