Why Websites Fail

Unless you have an ecommerce site you have a website for one PRIMARY reason.

To generate leads.

More specifically, to generate leads that someone in sales will follow-up with.

With that in mind, here are a few thoughts on why websites fail.

Designed To Impress

Sure, your website should present your company professionally and visually it should be appealing, but too often business owners get hung up in the "look" instead of a website that (1) focuses on results (i.e. inquiries) and (2) search engine placement (i.e. top ranked positions for the searches your potential clients are using to search).

Finding a balance between what someone wants and what will actually work is often the biggest challenge for someone like me. Often web designers will just cave to the business owner and do what they want and what they ask. The results are disastrous.

Recently, someone contacted me about the poor results they were getting from their website. They had invested close to $10,000.00 and they weren't getting any inquiries. Add insult to injury: their website had been online for months and it was almost impossible to find at Google, Yahoo!, or MSN.

They assured me it was "a great website" and "I designed it myself…"

Then why were they calling me?

Unless you have the in-the-trenches experience and fairly extensive Internet marketing training you should leave your website design to experts. Yes, it should reflect your company, who you are, where you are, what you do, but a competent designer will ask dozens of questions about your company, understand the answers to these questions, and then collaborate with you to design a website that delivers RESULTS and creates a great return-on-investment for you.

You Think Your Website Will Close The Sale

This is a very common misunderstanding -- websites will not and do not close sales. They are no substitute for people-to-people sales and they never will be.

People still want to buy from people and if you think your website is a substitute for a talented sales professional who will promptly follow-up on inquiries and talk on the phone with people you're in for a big disappointment.

Your website is a great tool to communicate information about your company; who you are, what you do, why you are different, your unique value proposition, benefits and value.

If you communicate these things effectively with the right design, with the right words, and with a compelling call-to-action you'll convert a visitor into an inquiry either by phone or your online/web-based form.

You Don't Have A Compelling Call-To-Action

If you want more inquiries from your website, assuming you have good quality traffic, you'll have to create a compelling call-to-action.

Don't assume people will search for your inquiry form. Visually, if you present an online inquiry form that is highly visible you're communicating "hey, fill in this form for more information."

In other words, in addition to a highly effective and very visible call-to-action you should keep your inquiry form front-and-center. If you don't have a strong call-to-action at your website you're not going to get the best results possible.

Poor Follow-Up

If someone took the time to read through your website and make an inquiry you'll have a much better chance of connecting with them and actually closing a sale if you follow-up with them immediately. I'm talking the same day or EVEN WITHIN AN HOUR of getting their inquiry. If you want to absolutely blow away someone and impress them -- follow-up on their inquiry immediately.

I asked one of my clients to call people back as soon as they received an inquiry. Two things happened immediately. First, they actually got in touch with people who had made inquiries because they were still near their computers and phones. I'm talking IMMEDIATE follow-up here. Secondly, the people who made the inquiry said things like "Wow, thanks for the quick follow-up…" and "I've made a bunch of inquiries and you're the first person to follow-up…"

The third thing that happened: they closed 30% more sales the first 30 days -- just by following up with people IMMEDIATELY.

Follow-ups after 24 hours are virtually useless, in my experience and based on conversations with thousands of clients.

Chris Jaeger
 (866) 652-7791 x 701