Every week as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wednesday on Twitter from 8-9 pm ET. This is excerpted from my recent interview with @LynnWhite. Lynn White, a sucker for gadgets since middle school, now has an MBA and is the Principal Designer of Lynn White Designs. Lynn has made it her mission to empower female entrepreneurs to embrace the techie side of their businesses and to be true to themselves in their brands. More info at http://techgoneglam.com/
SmallBizLady: Why is it important for a small business website to have a goal?
Lynn White: Your website goal allows you to determine the layout, what to focus on, and what to bring to the forefront. A small business owner who has a website goal of building an email list, will have a different looking website than a small business owner whose goal is to book more speaking engagements. Websites that have no true goal have a tendency to try to focus on everything for fear of losing out, but what happens is that your website visitors become confused because they aren’t sure what to do, which results in visitors leaving; a confused mind doesn’t buy.
When I am working with a client, two of the questions I ask them are, “What is the first thing you want your website visitors to do when they arrive at your website?” The next question is, “What is the second thing you want your website visitors to do when they arrive at your website?” Most have never thought about these two important questions; they want to discuss the prettiness of the website, but that should come later and so together, we work through these two questions to get to the answers.
SmallBizLady: Should a small business owner’s website represent them or their brand?
Lynn White: A small business website should represent both. More and more, especially now that we have social media, people are looking to connect with people, regardless of whether you are a large corporation or a small business. This is one of the areas I think small businesses really have an advantage over large brands. As a small business, you are your brand. You are more likely to interact with your customers and clients on a day to day basis which helps with market research and building your know, like and trust factor.
I see all too often, small business owners trying to create a presence with their website which isn’t reality. One of the biggest things I see is small businesses trying to appear as if they are a larger company than one they really are. I also see, especially with women entrepreneurs, that they do not want their personality to appear on their website because they feel if it does, they will not be hired or colleagues will not want to work with them. When I hear this, I ask – what is going to happen when they meet you in person and realize you, nor your company is what you have said? You are doing more harm and killing your credibility by presenting yourself in a manner in which you are not. Be who you are; be true to yourself and to your brand. Your clients will appreciate that; anyone can hide behind a computer, but when you come out from behind your computer, there should be no difference between your online and offline presence.
SmallBizLady: Isn’t it better for a small business website to show they provide services to everyone rather than niche? Doesn’t niching hurt a business?
Lynn White: Absolutely not! This is a common fear among small business owners. It is thought that if you focus on one specific group of people, you will alienate everyone else, which is not the case. While your products and services may be used by everyone, do you really want to work with everyone? The answer is most likely “no”.
Niching your products or services allows you to focus your marketing, making it easier for you and your audience. How? If you know you are talking to a specific group of people, a group you know very well and are familiar with, it becomes very easy for you to discuss what you do and the benefits you can provide to that group. It’s easier for your audience, your website visitors, because you are speaking their language and they know you “get” them, making it easier for them to find someone to work with who can solve their problem – which is you.
Having a website that speaks to everyone hurts you because in the end, you end up talking to no one. Your web copy is very generic, the functionality of your site is generic, and your layout and site are generic because you don’t know who you are talking to or who you are trying to reach. When visiting your website, your visitors will feel as if you don’t know them, aren’t speaking to them and that you are not able to solve their problems and so they will leave.
As a Web Designer and Techie Coach, my target market is women, but that doesn’t stop men from contacting me, even though my website look, feel, design, and copy are designed to attract female clients. If you have not chosen a target market and/or a niche market, I strongly recommend doing so.
SmallBizLady: How important is it to let your website visitors know what you want them to do while on your website?
Lynn White: Very important. CTAs, known as call to actions, help to guide your website visitors through your website and let them know what you want them to do; I equate CTAs to driving directions on your website. Every page on your website should have a CTA, whether it’s to schedule a consultation with you, fill out your contact form, or buy a product or service.
Those call to actions need to stand out on your page; this can be done with bolding, italics, text decoration, or images. Don’t make the mistake of assuming that while on your services page that your website visitors will know they should go to your contact page to schedule a consultation.
SmallBizLady: As long as a small business’ website tells what they do and who they are, isn’t that enough?
Lynn White: The days of informational websites and websites that are strictly brochures are gone. Your prospects expect much more than that from your website. Your website visitors need to be able to interact with you. Your website needs to have a life, a pulse and adding various functionalities to your website can do just that.
Being able to purchase products and services from your website and having a free offer that requires your website visitors to enter their contact information are 2 examples. Remember to keep it simple for your visitors.
SmallBizLady: Is website copy just as important as the design of your website?
Lynn White: Yes. Most of the time, your website is the first time your prospects will be introduced to you. Not only do you need a well-designed site, but your web copy needs to sell you and your services because you aren’t there to do so.
Your web copy should present the problems and struggles your target market is having and show them how your product or service is going to be the answer and end their struggles. It has to be compelling enough to make them push your buy button, fill out your contact form, or inquire about your services by picking up the phone or sending you an email.
SmallBizLady: Is mobile really that big of a deal for small business websites?
Lynn White: Mobile has been around for such a long time, but there are many business owners who still do not have a mobile version of their website. Having a website that is mobile friendly is no longer enough. Consumers are accessing websites using mobile devices more than they are using laptops or desktops and these numbers will only continue to increase.
When it comes to the mobile version of your website, you must remember your site is being viewed on a small 3”-5” screen, usually a smartphone. For those who use WordPress, the platform I use to design my client’s websites, or are thinking about using WordPress, there are responsive themes and WordPress itself is now responsive, meaning the theme will sense the size of the device the website is being viewed on and adjust itself accordingly. There are also WordPress plugins which will take care of the mobile element of your site. If you do not have a mobile version of your website, I suggest getting one immediately.
SmallBizLady: How can small business owners keep their website visitors returning?
Lynn White: One of the best ways to keep website visitors retuning to your website is to have a blog. Regardless of the service or product you offer, blogging is one of the best ways to keep the content on your website fresh, making your website visitors and search engines happy.
The more your target market returns to your website, the more they will get to know you, the more you build credibility, the more they trust you, and the greater the likelihood they buy from you. Blogging means the content on your website is changing and this also means that not only will your audience return again and again, so will search engines, which will assist in increasing your placement on the SERP (Search Engine Results Page).
SmallBizLady: How can small business owners benefit from using analytics and why does this contribute to the failure of their website?
Lynn White: With anything you do in your business, you want to make sure you are tracking what you are doing and the results of those efforts. It doesn’t provide much value to you or your audience to continue to do something if it isn’t working and the only way to know if it is working is by tracking and analyzing the results.
I know there are many small business websites that do not use any type of analytics on their website. Analytics gives you a way to let you know what your visitors like and don’t like, what content is popular and what isn’t, how traffic is coming to your website, who is coming to your website and much more. On the most basic level, small businesses should add Google Analytics to their website. It costs you nothing, but can save you a lot of time and money.
Another way to analyze your website is to use a heatmap. Heatmaps allow you to see how your website visitors are using your website. It’s like looking over their shoulder while they are on your website. You are able to see what they click, where they don’t click, how far down the page they are scrolling, the pattern they follow when viewing your site and much more. Knowing this can help you to make website adjustments such as moving content around, adding or removing pages, and is great for A/B testing-does a button work better or just a link, for example.
SmallBizLady: At what point can the need to have a website that is different cause harm to a small business website?
Lynn White: There are many websites out there, so I understand the strong desire to be different, but there are certain website conventions, no matter how much you may not like them, your website visitors will have a better experience if you stick to them.
Some of them are to have a contact page and at the very least, have your contact information on every page, making hyperlinks stand out, which can be done by underlining or a different color, and staying away from the cute names of your products or services.
If you make it too difficult for your audience to figure out, they will leave out of pure frustration because they can’t figure out how to use your website.
SmallBizLady: Is it bad to have music on your website?
Lynn White: Many times when music is on a website, it immediately begins to play. If your audience is viewing your site in a place they shouldn’t such as work, church, or a wedding, when that music begins to play, they’re going to immediately scramble to close their browser, hoping no one heard. In a matter of a few seconds, you have managed to lose a potential client.
If music is going to be on your website, your visitors should have the option to hit the play button. This same thought should be applied to videos; videos should play if the website visitor wants them to play. Music is used to create a mood the small business owner wants their audience to have, but there are other ways to create that same mood without having music or videos immediately playing on your site.
SmallBizLady: Are there any other small business website failures you would like to share with us before we end?
Lynn White: Yes. The last one I would like to mention is navigation. Your navigation should be clear, easy to read with links that actually work. Oftentimes, I see websites with menu items in their navigation which are broken, leading to 404 error pages. It is also common to see a navigation bar that has too many menu items or their drop down menu items have drop down menu items. Your navigation should be clear, concise, and easy for your website visitors to find what they need.
If you found this interview helpful, join us on Wednesdays 8-9 pm ET; follow @SmallBizChat on Twitter. Here’s how to participate in #SmallBizChat: http://bit.ly/S797e
For more tips on how start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com.
The post Why Small Business Websites Fail appeared first on SucceedAsYourOwnBoss.com.
