Chances are, your company or brand has a website. That’s great! But is it effective? If you aren’t evaluating and updating your website frequently, it’s safe to say you’re likely missing opportunities to connect with existing customers and gain new ones.
Here are Two BIG Opportunities You May Be Missing:
1. Educating Your Target Audience and Differentiating Your Brand
Studies show that visitors only spend about 5.59 seconds looking at your site’s written content, and within the first 0.05 seconds, they’ve already formed an opinion about your site and whether they’ll stay or leave. So, it’s very important to know your audience
and give them what they’re looking for quickly.
We call this the “Blink Test.” Ask yourself this question: If someone came to your website for the first time, in the blink of an eye, would they be able to determine what your company offers, why they need it/why it’s better than a competitor, and how to get it?
Since there isn’t much time to grab the attention of a website visitor, it’s best to structure the content in a way that is easy to read and quick to understand.
The benefit you offer should be conveyed in the form of an eye-catching and informative headline. It should be quickly followed with a concise message that educates and differentiates your brand. Finally, it should end with a bold, eye catching Call To Action, or CTA. This is usually a button that users would click to contact you or buy the product.
A great example of a good messaging structure in action is evident on the Little Bear Produce website. This website passes the Blink Test because immediately the visitor knows what they offer, and provides an opportunity to contact them.
Another way of increasing your chances of passing the “Blink Test” is to ensure that when someone comes to your website, they instantly know where they are. The design of your site should be consistent with the designs on your social media channels, brochures, sales sheets, and all other marketing touchpoints.
Natural Delights Medjool Dates serves as a great example of brand consistency across platforms – from their packaging to their social media platform all the way to their new website.
2. Establish Trust with Potential Brand Enthusiasts
Websites are an opportunity to build trust with visitors. Just like any good relationship, the relationship between a brand and its customers is built on trust. When built properly, websites can be the building blocks of trust.
According to a recent study, 88% of website visitors are less likely to return to a website after a bad experience. A few factors that play a role into a bad experience on a website include:
- Website doesn’t work on mobile phones or tablets properly
- Slow load time
- Desired information not easily found
To figure out what your visitors are doing on your website, analytics can tell the story. The data points found via Google Analytics, or your preferred content management system, will give you a glimpse inside your visitors’ activities, which can help you make strategic updates to your site.
Don’t miss out on these opportunities. See how your website scores with our website scorecard here. If you aren’t sure what to do next, let us know! Our team can perform an affordable website audit and create a recommended strategy and actionable next steps for how could capitalize on these opportunities.
