How do you like our web site?
Businesses frequently want an evaluation of their web site. They want and need to know how it compares to the competition. Equally important, is that most of them will be getting this assessment from the business development viewpoint for this first time. This is usually very complimentary to existing outlook of the web site developer and any search engine optimization (SEO) that has taken place.
The aggregated view of small to medium sized businesses shows that more than 60% of them are disappointed with their web sites.
Many people say they aren’t really sure what their web site does for them. Moreover, they showed striking similarities in “how” they got their web sites going.
Most web sites were bought from the outside by web developers or creative professionals or developed internally, frequently with little or no prospect or demand side information. Many used the web-site-in-a-box approach. The needs of the business were only occasionally included. In one instance, a seller of web site development gave away “quick content” to acquire the business.
Three Uncommon Steps for Accelerated Web Site Performance
More importantly, companies disappointed with their webs site’s business contribution excluded consistently three important steps creating the site:
Establish communication relationships with the market:
- Customer needs:
- Understand the market first
- Do not put-up content and push it out
- Communicate the “Do-Fors” that you provide
- Develop the web site’s business missions, specific purposes:
- What problems will the site help you overcome?
- What parts of the business should it accelerate
- Testing and Tuning
- Test with people who fit the your target customers
- Take the results from this testing and fine tune the site
Real Examples of Web site Business Missions
- Reduce time-to-market and time-to-revenue
- Qualified lead generator
- Expand product and service reach while reducing our costs
- Target a previously unreachable customer
- Allow partners to more easily do business with us
- Establish or increase credibility
Uncommon Steps in Action
A five year old high growth financial services firm was getting little or no value from their web site. Site support costs were up, contribution down. The company developed a better understanding of the markets they served. Prospects did not want to read about specifications but how the financial services being offered could solve their problems (within 30 seconds to three minutes).
The owners established their web site missions to be:
- Solving problems for prospects (what I call the Do-Fors)
- Company credibility
- Provide employees with an access anywhere sales presentation.
The results showed a 25% increase in clients reached in the following six months. The cost to reach these new clients has decreased by 10%. The site now serves the company as a two-way qualification tool and a distribution channel.
How can you use the three uncommon steps?
Think about the specific missions of your web site for solving problems and accelerating the business. How will the relationship between your prospects needs and web site be established? Use the three uncommon steps and measure the results and let me know how it worked out!
