Did you know that a customer forms an opinion of your website within the first 0.05 seconds of landing there? Which gives you only an instant to make an impact on your customer, or you risk losing them to a competitor.
Here are a few tips to make sure you use those 5 milliseconds wisely:
Make sure it’s easy to navigate
Finding your way around a clunky website is just plain annoying. People are time poor, so it’s vital that they can find what they came to your site for, simply and quickly. You can do this by ensuring the navigation bar is clear and easy to use. And remember, it’s always good to get fresh eyes, and an outsiders opinion too.
Make sure your contact details are easy to find Make sure your contact details can be quickly found, whether that be social links, a chat option, email address, phone number, contact form or physical location address. Some ideas could be:
Adding these into the footer
Having a clear “contact us” page (linked in the nav bar 😉)
Social platform links clearly in the header or footer
Relevant content
Read your website over from an outsiders point of view. Do they care that you started the business 20 years ago in your spare bedroom? Maybe; maybe not. Think about why it is a customer would visit your site, and make the information relevant to them. Make it clear why it is that they NEED your product or service over your competitors.
A clear offering
What exactly is it you can do for your customer? Think “what’s in it for me?”. That’s the golden question. Make it clear upfront what the benefit is you are giving your customer. Will it make their life easier? Improve their health? And clearly articulate this on your website.
FAQs
Would your site benefit by having some FAQs? Are people constantly asking you the same questions? Is it a product that people often have questions about, or would it help to have some additional information readily available if they need? If so, then these would be beneficial to include.
Consistent branding
Is your site easily distinguishable that it is you? Is it consistent? From colours and fonts, to logos and images? Or is it a mish-mash of everything? If there's no consistency, it doesn’t look good to a prospective customer. Clean, clear branding shows that you know who you are. And, if this isn’t something you have even thought about, you might want to look into creating some clear branding for your business.
And lastly, data! Data is key! Do you have an email subscription option? Or a pop up box? Now before you say, “but I have nothing to tell my customers, I don’t need that”, think again. It’s as simple as giving them a percentage off their first purchase, in return for them giving you their email address. Once you start collecting data, your options are (almost) endless. You can use this information to market to them, via google/social ads, email and more. Or set up lookalike audiences based on these current customers, to target prospective customers with similar demographics and behaviours as them. It is also good (if you don’t have an email marketing plan), to check in with your customers every so often . Emails help to keep you top of mind, and can give them updates such as new products/services, or important updates on your business (depending on the sort of business you have).
