Most businesses today have websites. What are you doing online to differentiate yourself from your competition? In this article we will go over three effective components to incorporate in your website to convert more visitors into customers and help you stand out amongst your competitors (don’t worry, you can thank us later).
1. Engaging content
You can have your website visitors coming back for more by providing interesting content on a consistent basis. Below are a few ways to engage your audience:
Blog. If written by a talented writer, maintained well, and filled with relevant information, a blog could increase traffic to your website and help with your company’s image. However, if done incorrectly, it could negatively impact your company. An outdated blog full of typos doesn’t produce a good first impression; and we already highlighted in one of our previous posts how crucial first impressions are! Before starting a blog, you should formulate a plan of action on how to utilize blogging to generate business.
Here are a few questions to answer in your blogging strategy:
- Who is the target audience?
- What interesting topics/insights will you share?
- Who will write/maintain the blog?
- Schedule: when and how frequently will you post?
A blog can become the voice of your business, helping to build an online rapport with your visitors. You can utilize your blog to obtain valuable feedback from customers and readers. However, allowing public commentary opens the door for negative comments and occasional spam. Blogging is a long-term strategy that can take a lot of time and effort. If you can’t make that investment, remember: no blog is better than a bad blog!
Video. It could be a video blog, a webinar series, product demonstrations, tutorials, etc. No matter which format you choose, make sure you are delivering quality content to your audience. This includes having proper equipment, a good presenter, a plan of action, and, ideally, a professional video production company. Creating, editing and promoting a video is not easy, but when done right, it can increase customer engagement and generate more sales than written content.
Photos. This is another opportunity for your business to showcase what it can do for website visitors. Utilize your website to feature photos about products, services and benefits your company has to offer. Images of the office, staff and special events are suitable for your social networks, because they help your company look more personable, rather than a faceless entity.
2. Trust-builders
People are social animals: we often rely on opinions of our peers when it comes to making important decisions. Remember the key rule: people do business with those who they like, know and trust. Try featuring one (or all) of these elements to convey trust and value throughout your website:
Credentials. Every business has something to brag about. Featuring your awards, publications, certifications, license numbers and professional experience on your website will help present you and your business as an expert in your industry. Think about it, what customer doesn’t want to deal with an expert?
Portfolio. Depending on the nature of your business, portfolio or case studies can showcase your best work. The key word here is “best,” because including not-so-professional samples could work against your goal of building trust. Having a portfolio helps customers visualize your solution to their problem.
Testimonials. If you would like to include testimonials, make sure they are authentic, true and possibly verifiable. Giving visitors an opportunity to contact your past customers (assuming they give you permission) scores you one more trust point.
Reviews. Whether positive or negative, the reviews are one of the variables your website visitors may rely on before making a purchase decision. Prospects want to hear from your customers, so that they know what to expect before doing business with you.
3. Answering your customers’ questions
FAQ. Another golden rule to remember: the first response people give when they are confused is NO. Online, a visitor’s NO translates into exiting your website. Keeping that in mind, make sure you answer your potential customers’ questions. Use the content throughout your website, as well as a FAQ page to address any anticipated questions such as:
- How can your service or product benefit me?
- How do I find out the cost?
- Why should I choose you over other companies?
- Is there any guarantee or return policy?
