In the digital age, the creation and distribution of a website is done by small-to-large businesses and teenagers to industry experts. There are about 700 million websites on the internet, according to Marketing Profs, and just like most things that are mass produced or done by many people, the quality of those websites range from abysmal to outstanding. As users, most of us use only a handful of these websites daily – demonstrating the power of consumer loyalty.
Marketing Grader has spent time analyzing the quality of millions of websites, and has found that a huge percentage, 72 percent in fact, have received a quality grade of 59 out of 100 or below. This means that 72 percent of websites are failing to attract new visitors, are not properly optimized for lead generation and are not providing rich, information content. While websites have been around for over 20 years now, a vast majority of them are still failing to provide the ideal balance of attractiveness and function. This is troubling, as a company’s website should act as the organization’s greatest salesperson and cheerleader in one. The whole purpose of a website is to attract visitors, achieve lead generation and provide users with rich, entertaining and informational content. As a result, a failing grade is simply unacceptable in this digital time and marketers must focus their attention on boosting not just one component of a website like its appearance, but the total package, like its appearance, function, search engine optimization and programming.
Marketing staffing agencies who are looking to fill positions with qualified candidates want professionals who understand the difference between a successful and failing website and have a history of improving the quality of a business’ web presence.
So, what are signs that your website may be failing?
Lack of quality content
A website should not act as a simple brochure advertising the services and products provided by the company. No, a website offers a company the ability to create a much more complete picture of what it is trying to achieve, why the business is succeeding and its leaders’ thoughts on key trends impacting the industry. If a company has built a beautiful website that is optimized for search and testing, but fails to provide a much more complete picture of the corporation, then the marketing team is failing. Content needs to be added to a website to make it a worthwhile destination for visitors. Video, writing and images should provide a website with both entertaining and informative content to boost the value of the website.
Built for the corporate image, not the customer
A website is where most companies are trying to direct current and potential customers. However, too often it is filled with the corporate jargon that is less likely to attract a customer as more speak to someone who is already employed at the organization or in the industry. Create a website that fits the needs of every stakeholder in the company. A customer is not looking for news about how great the company is, they are much more likely searching for a product, service, entertainment or to solve a problem. As a result, a high-quality website makes it easier for customers to navigate the platform to find the information they desire.
For marketers who are in the middle of redesigning a website, it could be beneficial to consider what the primary goals of the site are and how best to make that happen – all through the creative use of the website.
For more information on why your website might be failing, click here.
