Over the past few years there has been a significant rise in social spaces that have taken some of the traffic and focus away from having a great website. There is value in that Facebook page or Twitter feed, yes, but at the end of the day, all roads lead to your website. Whether you are building a new email campaign or tweeting or pinning or whatever else kids these days are doing (don’t worry, I’m not that old), your website is the epicenter. This is where the focus of all your traffic should lead.
Why? It’s the only place you have complete control. You are not at the mercy of changing functionality or even privacy statements. You can control exactly what the site looks like, how it works, what is said – it’s all yours.
Many I believe still look at their website as an online brochure that they’ve checked off their to-do list. This is incredibly unfortunate. Your site has the power to be the very best salesperson you have. It works 24 x 7, can reach people you never were able to, and doesn’t need healthcare.
10 signs you’re thinking about your website all wrong (in true David Letterman fashion):
- You have no idea how to update anything on your own site (“I have a cousin who helps me”)
- You don’t take the time to really figure out how it works / how it’s built (“I let the young kids do that”)
- You are not entirely sure what each of your pages say (“That was before my time”)
- You saw something cool on someone’s site and want yours to do that for no other reason (“It just needs to be more cool”)
- You value the shiny over the sure (“This is what all the cool sites are doing these days”)
- You look for the low cost, quick win approach (“I just need to drive more traffic”)
- You opt for hiring another human rather than investing in your online world (“We need more headcount”)
- You have pages and pages of content but not sure why or what it does for you (“Check out how many hits we have!”)
- You’re not sure the ROI of your website (“I’ve received zero leads from my website, I think”)
- Even YOU don’t go to your website very often (“I checked it out a while ago”)
At the risk of sounding overly snarky, I’m sure the list above resonates with some. You don’t have to pay big money to dominate online, you just need to change the thinking behind your approach. You are sitting on one of the most valuable tools for your business. I believe those who invest in their digital and online presence will be the dominant players still in business in the future. Your online space will never replace the human touch you bring to your business, but businesses that want to scale must tap in to the power of their website even if it does mean a change in thinking.
Photo credit: 12023825@N04
