By Gabriel Shaoolian, from ‘Net Features – http://bit.ly/1zbIU0P
Businesses that have finally finished their new websites are generally really excited to see what kind of sales they will generate. However, just because a website is done and looks “awesome” doesn’t necessarily mean a company is going to get positive return on investment (ROI) out of it. A truly “awesome” website is not so much defined by its stunning design as its stunning results, and even the prettiest website is useless to a business owner if it isn’t generating ROI.
If you’re out of ideas for how to take your website to a level where it is sure to provide any business with the ROI they are looking for, try putting these three strategies to work:
1. Make Sure Your Website Has Concise Messaging and Calls to Action
A website can be visually gorgeous, but if it is missing clear messaging and a prominent call to action, it is sure to have trouble producing the kind of ROI you would like. In order to solve this issue, write your copy with the expectation that people aren’t going to read all of it. Try and give them the most important parts of what they need to know in a short value proposition, and then provide a clear and compelling call to action that makes them want to act. Get to the point quickly so that people don’t get bored or annoyed with your website and leave before converting.
Note that this holds true for both B2C and B2B businesses – even if you are a well-known or a niche luxury brand does not mean that you are exempt from these rules. Don’t make people do extra work to buy your products or services.
2. Use Email Retargeting to Build Loyalty and Brand Uniformity Across Multiple Channels
Now that you have an awesome website in place that looks great, features great copy, and has people converting, it is time to create brand loyalty and repeat customers so that your website can reach as many people as many times as possible. A great way to do this is to use email marketing through things like newsletters that highlight resources on your website that get people coming back and then eventually converting with your business.
However, if you want to take this one step further, a great option is to use email retargeting to target users that have already been to your website looking for specific products or services. You can segment this traffic with your email marketing efforts so that people are not only hearing from your business and aren’t forgetting who you are, but are also getting emails that are related to the specific products, features, or information they previously came to your website looking for.
Furthermore, by formatting these emails using design elements that are similar to your website like color schemes, fonts, and CTA copy, you can leverage email marketing in conjunction with your website to make a coherent brand identity across multiple platforms that your audience will recognize as belonging to your business.
3. A/B Test Changes to Your Website
Even when your website is performing well, it is important to make changes to keep your website fresh and engaging for your audience. A/B testing these changes is extremely important. Just because something looks great doesn’t necessarily mean that it will perform as you like or need it to. In order to truly know what will work and what won’t, you need to collect data about how the two variations perform with your audience. Don’t simply rely on your own opinions or the opinions of your team members. While they are certainly the right place to start when making changes to a site, you need to see how audiences will respond and if it will have positive or negative implications for your website’s overall ROI.
In my company’s early days, we thought that it might be a good strategy to get rid of online request a quote buttons in order to try and attract new, bigger, businesses. Luckily, we A/B tested the change, and found that over two months the amount of new business we brought in dropped almost 66 percent. If we had not tested this change and just relied on our gut instincts we would have missed out on an enormous amount of business during that period.
Look Past Design
While a stunning design that leaves audiences impressed with your business is certainly one of the most important and memorable parts of any website, don’t let it cloud your understanding of your website as a whole. Design is important, yes, but it takes more than a pretty website to provide positive ROI that can actually start to help your bottom line. Check your messaging, use email and retargeting to its full potential, and A/B test major changes to your website and you will be well on your way to creating a truly “awesome” website.
