It’s 2023 and your prospective manufacturing clients have specific expectations about what they want to see on your website. This post aims to provide insights into what users expect today when they look for information.
1 – “Good enough” is no longer good enough. I’m sorry to say that your website from 2011, 2015, or even 2019 is no longer “good enough.” Websites that are over 4 years old may not have been built on a mobile friendly platform. Prospects expect a good viewing experience on whichever device they are using. desktop computer, tablet, or cell phone.
Check every photo or graphic and make sure they are crisp and readable. I recently visited a solar energy broker and the graphics on the page were blurry. That didn’t inspire confidence in his business expertise. If you have an ecommerce website poor product photos will impact sales.
2 – If your website copy hasn’t been reviewed or possibly updated in the past two years it’s time for a review. We can assume that your business hasn’t stood still during that time, so why would all of the content still be current, relevant, or complete? The same concept applies to the images on your website. Do you sell the same services or products as you did two years or more ago? Google dislikes static websites, which is another reason to update copy and grow content.
3 – Less is not more when it comes to website copy. Many business owners or CEO’s prefer websites with the minimal amount of copy they can get away with having on a page. However that is the exact opposite of what is required to get ranked highly in Google’s search index. Of course there is more to search engine optimization that copy on a page, however that copy has become a core element of SEO.
A great deal of the buying process takes place before a prospect reaches out to you. I heard that there is only room for one thought leader in an industry, make sure it is you!
4 – Strong calls to action are needed to get site visitors to take action. The buttons you want them to click should have clear messages and then lead to an easy to use form or landing page.
Also, people don’t read a website like a book, so it’s important to guide them thorough the website toward the pages you want them to visit. I see many About Us pages that have no link to go to Services or Products pages. That is a lost opportunity and then requires the user to select pages from the dropdown menu themselves. And, Google likes internal hyperlinks so use them to move people throughout your website.
5 – If you don’t have a frequently asked questions (FAQ) page with compelling questions and answers that link to other sections of the website then you are missing a great sales opportunity. You want to ask the questions that you want your prospects to be asking themselves, and then guide them toward your solutions to their questions or problems.
6 – Your website forms should have fields that are easy to use and large. Mobile website forms with small, narrow fields are a nightmare for people with fat fingers.
7 – Make it easy for people who want to do business with you to contact you. Post your phone number at the top right corner of the website, provide clear information on a Contact Us page, etc.
8 – Avoid confusing website navigation or that requires many clicks to get to the information of interest. Review your bounce rate in Google Analytics. If it’s high (above 50%) that means either that people don’t like what they see when they get to your website so they leave from the initial page they landed or you aren’t attracting the correct traffic.
9 – Make the website about your potential clients and not merely about you. People want to work with companies who “get” them. Help them to identify and solve their concerns or problems.
10 – Hire a marketing agency to drive traffic to your website, otherwise the website is a stranded asset. The days of “we get our business from word of mouth” are over. Even word of mouth referrals will go to your website to check it out.
It’s the people who don’t know your business or who aren’t a referral who will fuel your company’s growth.
Eric Jacobson
Business Growth Consultant
IQnection
215-345-5424 X7215