One one thousand
Two one thou…
Times up!
That’s how much time it takes for someone to judge your brand once they
land on your website.
Are you proud of your company’s website? On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate it? If it’s anything below an 8, it’s probably time for an overhaul.
True, you may run an industrial B2B company, but you’re still selling to human beings who trust their gut reactions and have high expectations of websites.
A dated website, or one that isn’t up to industry or commercial standards, gives a poor first impression. Given that websites are one of the first places people land when researching products you manufacture and sell, you shouldn’t underestimate their importance.
Below are six attributes your website must possess for your brand to be perceived as a top contender in your industry.
First, your website must be visually appealing. DIY website designs rarely look professional, and although you or someone on your staff has the knowledge to build a DIY site, they will not have the design skills unless they are a professional web designer.
Additionally, don’t sell your products short in their presentation. They need — ahem, deserve — to be professionally photographed. Your website must also be well organized so that your audience can quickly find the information they need.
Second, provide meaningful, relevant and timely content that speaks directly to your buyers’ interests and needs, as well as how your products and services solve their problems. Make sure to address the needs of all of your visitor personas — product users, maintenance staff, specifiers, purchasing departments, etc. Whether you reach them through articles posted in a blog, white papers, videos, infographics, etc., visitors expect your website to be much more than an online catalog of your products and services.
As you develop a content marketing strategy, you will use tools like a content budget. A content budget assigns mindshare to each of your target audiences. It will help you maintain a healthy content balance that meets all of your visitors’ needs.
Third, a modern website will have unique landing pages. Landing pages are specifically created for people who visit your site as a result of marketing campaigns you run online through email and social media. The specific purpose of a landing page is to increase the conversion rates of your marketing campaigns, lowering your cost per acquisition.
Fourth, include links to your active social media channels, such as LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. These are the places where people are researching your brand and your products, and having conversations about them. (If you do not have an active social media presence, or if you started one a while ago but never got around to feeding it with high-quality content, I urge you to get back in the game.)
Fifth, an SEO (search engine optimization) strategy will be critical. Without it, your brand will be nearly invisible unless somebody deliberately types your URL into a browser. In other words, if your site isn’t properly optimized, you are missing out on a lot of sales opportunities from people looking for your products. A well-executed SEO strategy ensures that you are using the language your prospects use when researching products and solutions in your industry. It will help bring visitors to your site at their time of need.
And sixth, your site needs to be adaptive and responsive on mobile devices. If your site doesn’t display or function properly on mobile, the user experience will be frustrating, and prime prospects may completely dismiss your brand.
Your website must be kept current and meet industry standards, just like the products you manufacture and sell. If you’re not proud of your website, I urge you to do something about it soon. It is the most important marketing tool you have, and a poor or tepid first impression will cost you sales.
Of course, if you would like some guidance and support with building a better website for your company, let’s connect.