Billboards in the Simpson?

Is your website a thing of beauty but about as useful as an advertising billboard in the Simpson Desert, because no one sees it? And what can you do to try fix that?

Other than cluttering a website with too much tedious information (see last month’s post for some common sins), a lot of businesses breathe a sigh of relief once ‘the new website’ is done, and the project falls off the ‘to do’ list. Too often, once created, it’s left to work on its own, as if by magic attracting potential clients to gaze at its (rapidly dating) content in rapt awe.

But it doesn't work that way. If you haven’t committed to leveraging all that effort you put into creating your site, you will only get a fraction of the benefit you hoped for.

I’m writing this with business to business marketing in mind. If your business relies on marketing to consumers, then different dynamics come into play. To tell the difference, it’s really a question of whether they know who they’re looking for, or more a question of what. That is, if your typical client already knows who you are, they’ll probably Google your business name to check on any latest news on projects or people or simply want a quick way to find your contact details. This is what’s often typical of business to business marketing environments. (Your website can tell you what search words clients are using to find your site… it’s worth checking, it could save you wasting lots of money on SEO if you’re not in that type of space).

By contrast, if your typical customer doesn’t know who you are, and will typically Google something like ‘Brisbane printers’ (for example), then you can’t ignore the importance of SEO (search engine optimisation) or Google Maps to capture a higher share of potential enquiry.

But let’s say you’re a professional firm that markets to other businesses. Your new website probably cost you several thousand dollars and a lot more in time. You owe it to yourself to get the most from it, or why did you bother in the first place?

Driving traffic there.

One way to drive traffic to your site is simply to remind your clients that it’s there. As self-evident as it sounds, it is too often left to be forgotten, other than perhaps a web address at the bottom of your email signature.

Some companies send clients function invitations via email, with a hyperlink back to the website for the actual invitation. That can work nicely if your business holds open invite functions like this. Others use an e-burst advising of a new person appointed to the business, or a new project win, or some other piece of news about the business, but where the recipient needs to follow the hyperlink back to your site for the full story. That also works. (Those who don’t click through really just aren’t that into you, but don’t take it personally).

Another device which can be a good driver of traffic is to use a brief form of survey that invites clients via email or sms to log onto to your site and answer a few key questions. This can be about anything as broad as opinions on the direction of the economy for your market sector in coming months, to testing new products on your clients.

Keep it fresh

If your ‘news’ section is full of content that was last loaded up six months ago, you’re passing your use by date. But if you regularly add new ‘news’ content and regularly let people know when you’ve added something new, then you’re creating the impression of a vibrant, up to date business.

And don’t just rely on new content in the news section. Change the home page images. Add new content or downloads to key sections. Every couple of months, try give your top two or three pages something fresh and new that repeat visitors will realise is something worth exploring. Otherwise, it’s a bit like asking someone to read a short story, over and over again. You wouldn’t, so why ask your clients to?

Keep it simple.

As with most things in life, simplicity is everything. Consultants can sometimes go overboard on creating complexity where simplicity would have done. Your clients are time poor and will value communication that is brief, easy to understand and simple to follow. Strong images are superior to lengthy blocks of text. If showcasing your people, use pictures supported by captions, with a download option if viewers want a more expansive CV. Most probably won’t – they will just use your website to scan quickly the people, projects, products and expertise of your company, and for any latest news. Because they’re mainly scanning, think with that in mind. (It’s been described as designing a billboard for people driving past at 100kpm… the simple message works, but long ones are doomed to fail).

And for goodness’ sake, make it easy to find your address and contact phone and email details. That will be one of the primary reasons people are visiting your site, so don’t make it too obscure.

That’s really all there is to it. It’s up to you and your colleagues to find inventive ways to drive traffic to your website, and to create ways which encourage repeat visits. If you have gone to the effort of building a new site and have basically now abandoned it to hyperspace, you quite possibly wasted your time and money in the first place.