Know-How Exchange : Website Critique

Are you taking Google PPC traffic to your home page?

There's a lot to say. If you're driving traffic to the home page I don't find it engaging enough to say: pick up the phone and call. You're website is very basic and does not emphasize differentiating points, why your company and not others.

Dear shorgan378.

Compare the following sites to yours.

www.avispl.com/ -

www.meetingtomorrow.com/

What do these sites have that your site lacks? What do they do that you do not do?

I'm not suggesting you should copy these sites, but what I am suggesting is that you find a model in your category that works and that you do as much as you can to emulate its strengths and remove as many of the weaknesses of your current site as possible.

Your site's black background, it's lack of a logo, it's lack of engaging (and typo free) copy, and its initial impression that—for many people—fails to portray a professional, up-to-date, state-of-the-art feeling of high-tech expertise is going to deter a significant number of otherwise likely clients.

I know this sounds harsh, but trust me on this.

You site must EXUDE professionalism. It must INSTANTLY give the impression that you know what you're doing (I know you DO know what you're doing, but your web site's initial impression says otherwise).

As for Google, check the keywords you're using. Do they match the keywords that people are looking for in your niche, in your region? If not, change them. Do you have those top searched for keywords sprinkled throughout your web site's copy?

If not, rewrite your copy so that it's keyword rich. Your site must be EVERYTHING about the things your clients are looking for.

I hope this helps.

Gary Bloomer
Wilmington, DE, USA

This is a question that should be asked to the service that designed your web site. There are many factors that need to be built into the site that work in harmony to convert visitors to callers. In addition, you AdWords campaign should relate to the web site content. That being said:

1. No offer presented
2. No personality - no staff, capabilities / equipment, case studies of how you solved a company's needs
3. No guarantee, payment methods
4. No landing page
5. PO box says small time
6. What is your area served, why are you better than the competition, why are Color Washers the next topic after Main Page instead of after Services, etc.

I could go on but you get the idea. Call if you wish more detail. Have a great weekend.

Bob

shorgan378,

Garry has proffered some excellent advice in his response to you. Speaking from someone who is outside the USA I would like to offer a few tips that may help you move your website forward.

A few questions you should as yourself to start.

How big is your company?
What is the geographical area that you work in?
Who are your customers?
Why do they need to use your services?
What types of events do your customers hire your equipment for?

You have to remember that the vast majority of your customers would like to have something special at their events to give their visitors a Wow factor. so you have to show them through your website how they can achieve this.

Your current website is built for you and you are not the user. Your customers on the other hand do not care much about you at this stage because they are only interested in their needs. Your job with your website is to show them that you can satisfy their needs by demonstrating you understand what they are looking for.

Research your customers and determine what they are looking for. Give examples of their situations with your solutions on your website talking about them and their situations. They will, in turn, empathise with your site because it answers their questions.

Customer engagement is an important part of the site design and I would recommend that if you are serious about making your website generate income for your business you stop pushing people to your website until it is fully user centric.

What you are currently spending on Adwords should be better invested in the redevelopment of the site and SEO.

I have written a book on the subject of Internet Marketing How to get a Website that Works for Your Business available form Amazon.

Good luck with your website

Nigel T Packer

It doesn't appear that you're tracking organic traffic (using a free tool like Google Analytics). That'll tell you what people are searching for and that they've found you based on the searches.

Your website shouldn't simply be a brochure (which tells people about your services) - it should be the start of a conversation about their business and how your offerings make a difference. For example: do you offer same-day service (great for a backup A/V position), recording/transcription, or a money-back guarantee?

Tell me about who you've helped. Let me see testimonials from satisfied customers. Let me know that you've taken great care of organizations that are much more picky than mine, and satisfied them.

shorgan: On your Color Washer page you have written "to get the look your after" - some prospects will be put off by such blatant grammatical errors.

Either "to get the look you are after" OR "to get the look you're after" would be acceptable.

That's just one small detail but but you need to get all the details right to get the prospect's confidence.

On the same page: "Capable of producing millions of different color combinations depending on what type of mood you are looking to create". How does the number of color combinations depend on the mood I want to create? I sound picky, I know, but I think you mean to say "Capable of producing millions of different color combinations to help you create that special mood or ambience".

ChrisB