Know-How Exchange : Website Critique

The site looks OK, a little dated maybe, and could sure use the help of a gifted designer. But rather than go into the details of layout, fonts, images, etc., which many of my very talented colleagues surely will, I would prefer to address the problem on a macro level.

You didn't specify the volume of visitors to your web site. Yours could be a problem of generating enough traffic, or one of converting the traffic you already get into buyers, and these are two different challenges.

For the first challenge, you, like everyone else, simply need more traffic. There are many ways to accomplish this. Paid-search (PPC) advertising is the fastest and most simple. Google is made for novices and you can be up and generating visitors in a few hours. Also, implementing a social media strategy is almost free and can drive large amounts of traffic. Set up Facebook and Twitter accounts and use them. There are many articles on the web on these subjects including some great information right here on the MarketingProfs web site.

The second challenge is to convert the maximum amount of visitors to customers. Start with good web analytic software so that you can see the paths that visitors follow, where they are going, and where you are losing them. Then you can test and tweak your site using all the advice below (from others) to make sure you are on the right path.

Lastly, like most merchants, you should create different personas for your customers (includes prospects). Leather goods are purchase by a very diverse group of buyers for very different reasons (e.g. to look chic versus rugged versus sexy versus bad-ass, etc). You should segment your offering and appeal to each of these groups in a different manner.

Best of Luck, JohnnyB.
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Thank you for your quick response Johnny.

The site on average attracts a few hundred visitors per week. Most visitors arrive via organic search or PPC. We do have a Twitter and Facebook presence and have been continually engaging with potential clients.

I do like your suggestion to create different personas.

Did you happen navigate around the site? Did you find the site easy, or difficult to navigate?

Jodi, thank you for the honest response. It's exactly what I was looking for. My client does work with a marketing company who is supposed to help with the overall message on the website. We've been going back and forth discussing many of your points.

Your response has been very helpful. thank you.

I agree with Jodi.

Great resellers, online and brick-and-mortar, connect with their customers.

Go to your local Harley store, or go to the mall and venture inside a Disney store, then a Holister store, and a few others. They create environments that resonate with their target audience. It validates who their customers are and reinforces the feeling that the customer has come to the right place - you need to do the same with your web site.

JohnnyB

Thank you everyone for your comments. I have sent all your feedback to my client.

The folks here have given you great input and certainly things you should consider. I think you main problem is the number of visits. If you only have a few hundred a week, you are not likely to get many sales.

Yes the site is a little hokey, the copy is not compelling, but if nobody sees it doesn't matter. I would focus on traffic first and then make other changes.

Also noting that the question is closed, I agree with everything that has been said, but, to be very frank - I can find leather jackets of what would appear to be similar quality for considerably less. That would be a big reason you're not selling - if somebody is going to spend $325 they're going to want to try it on and really feel how nice the leather is.

Good Luck!

CVN