Know-How Exchange : Website Critique

https://www.valpak.com/advertise/ looks to be a placeholder or site map. While it may be good for SEO, it's not something that would encourage a visitor to stay and learn more. The zip code request is located below the scroll - which means people are unlikely to notice/interact with it.

https://www.valpakaustintexas.com/ type size is too small (especially below the phone # to call today). The banner (GIF) has a lot of wasted space to its right. As a minimum, put the phone # in the banner area. Add an RSS link to the page (link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"...), not just a widget in the bottom left.

Since you have both testimonials and case studies, showcase one on your home page.

National ad sales site is way too noisy/busy for humans to deal with. Lacks focus. No clear benefit on page.

Local page (Austin) much better. Jay's comment about better utilization of header is right on. I'd probably also delete the headline text: "Direct Mail by Valpak of Austin" so you can focus singlemindedly on your benefit promise. The logo already tells that it's Valpak of Austin; you don't need to repeat it -- especially in valuable headline space.

Also, in the three "learn more" boxes, instead of focusing on YOUR products, why not focus on your CUSTOMERS' NEEDS. Any prospective customers who get to your website are trying to solve a problem THEY have, not pursuing "I wonder what kinds of products Valpak of Austin has?"

And, as a former (and very satisfied) Valpak user, I would also urge that you feature a testimonial or two on the homepage. Valpak is a real resource to its customers and actively helps them use direct marketing more effectively, but I don't see anything like that on the homepage. I'm guessing that any of your regular advertisers would have something good to say about the product and service. Why not use that to reassure prospects that they don't need to be the experts themselves?

David,

I think Valpak is pretty well-known so my thought would be to dump most of the look and go with 3 buttons

Big header: I'M considering VALPAK because

Button 1: My current program is drawing nothing
Button 2: I need a better targeted program
Button 3: I just want to know some pricing


I'm of the opinion that you get people clicking sooner rather than later.

The Austin site: Pretty much the same. Too busy for me though many would argue that more should be on the landing page.

Michael

Lot of good feedback so far; I'll try not to reiterate too many points:

Both sites:
- Real benefit for businesses needs to be front and centered. So on each, change the main headline to something benefit-focused "Reach local customers and drive sales."

National Site:
- The design needs to change so that your text is text (instead of part of the image). This should help clear up SEO, legibility and page speed issues.
- Remove "Year of You" headline
- Move action (Contact Us) to top right of body; I would also make the language of this stronger by stating what the visitor will receive by completing action.
- What is purpose of zip code entry? I can't see that it adds any customization to the experience. Get rid of it.
- Social media links should be greatly limited or removed completely. They just get in the way of the action you want the visitor to take.
- move body text to left side, so reader will flow naturally from headline.

Austin Site:
- Much better! there are still some tweeks I would suggest:
- Main image (cut up valpack mailer) is taking up space and is confusing. Consider using image of consumer interacting with valpack mailer instead.
- Consider switching to two-column layout with horizontal navigation; this would move your main image up into the banner or as an image within the body. This would also allow you to make your main headline more prominent.
- The action you're driving people to (get pricing) is much stronger, and I like having the form on the page, instead of just having a button that links to a form page. However, is there any way to decrease the space the form requires, and set it off from the rest of the content more (maybe give it a blue background)?

All the best!

Valpak has such great recognition from both sides of the buying decision. I question why you're looking to "fix something that isn't broke" and "need help fast"? Yes - we can / should always try to improve, but what haven't you told us about your greater objective? Why do you need to generate (more) advertising leads (beyond the obvious)?

Valpak attracts generally certain industries (local dining, home repair, personal services, and some regional / national offers). Are you looking to broaden your market appeal, or revamp the Valpak image? Why are you (Austin TX) looking at the corporate site too?

In-A-Nutshell: The sites are too broad-brushed, have too many words and pages that don't say much. They don't guide a visitor to their solution. They don't address WIIFM for the client's industry, have no offers, and are filled with generalizations of the direct mail industry - not what is Valpak performance and how is it better than competitors = my ROI.

3000 points isn't a reason to provide accurate, yet mis-directed advise if we don't clearly understand what you're really looking to accomplish. Its very common for a marketing / advertising client to ask for a solution to a (their) poorly-developed problem statement and objectives.

coupon man,

There's always a kind of tension between getting the highest organic search engine ranking and being persuasive and meaningful to humans. You said, though, that your PRIMARY site objective is "to generate advertising sales leads."

I guess that raises the issue of how people find your site. Is it mostly through organic search, or is it because you're advertising it in your own marketing campaign? If through search, what keywords are they using? If through your own marketing efforts, what are you promising them (i.e., what's the offer)?

If you're attracting them with your own advertising, maybe you need a landing path approach, rather than sending them to your home page ... which is pretty generic ... That is, it is more like a portal to all the [other] information on your site.

Karen: I don't understand why you would recommend that he combine Media Kits with Press Room. Media Kits are for prospective advertisers. Press Room is for ... well, for the press. (Separate question: Does anyone use 'Press Room' stuff?)

I wouldn't hide the Media Kit by putting it under something so unrelated. Prospective advertisers often come to the site just to get the Media Kit. I wouldn't make it hard for them to find it.

What am I missing?

In both cases, there is too much fluff up top (IMHO). Neither comes out and says why someone would want to buy ad space (or should someone not know Valapak, what it is).

For https://www.valpak.com/advertise/, I would move the box that starts with "46% of consumers...." to the top. On my screen, this doesn't even show up when I open the page (I have to scroll down). But what I do see if small text that is too wordy and kind of hard to get through. I'd prefer the bullet points.

For https://www.valpakaustintexas.com/, the graphic of the paper cut out people and the logo at top takes too much space up. On my computer, I don't see anything on the initial screen below "Get More New Customers". But a lot of the meat of why someone would want to use Valpak is below that. Takes them being interested enough in what they see up top to page down to find it. Better to have the key points visible when they first open the page.

I'm going to comment on corporate site. From there I went to my local contact. I clicked "pricing". This is a place to make a strong value statement. How instead of doing your own mailing, compiling your list, etc etc, the graphic shown just isn't dramatic enough.

I also think on each local page -- the contact info of the agent should be repeated. If any of these pages inspires me to pick up the phone, that info should be there to make it easier. There is a form on the "contact us" page-- but if someone should just want to pick up the phone, that info should be right there, as soon as you peaked my interest.