Struggling with finding and signing the right fit clients you really want to work with?
I’m betting your website has something to do with it.
I’m betting your website is actually turning those high value clients away.
Yep!
But before I dig into the details let me address a really dangerous myth out there among fractionals, business owners and trusted advisors that says: my website doesn’t matter that much. I’m building my business through networking, thought leadership, Linked In.
Whoa! Let’s take a look at that!
- 97% of clients’ purchasing decisions are influenced by the service provider’s website, according to a survey by RainToday.com.
- Only 3% of buyers say a provider’s website has no influence on their purchase decision.
- 74% of buyers report that the service provider’s website holds at least “some influence” over their ultimate decision to buy services from the provider, says Hubspot. This represents a 23% increase in the importance of websites compared to 2005.
- On average, 70% of the buying decision is made online before someone contacts a business for the first time, says a recent Google survey.
Getting a bit worried? Good. You should be.
Now let’s take a look at the five critical Dos and Don’ts professional service firms, fractionals and trusted advisors need to make their websites effective sales and business development tools.
- DON’T say It’s all about me. Your website is talking about you when it should be talking directly to your ideal client prospect. Here’s the test. Take a look at the first panel of your website. Does the image represent what you do, your industry or your company? Does your first line of text start with your name? Whoops! You have framed the conversation about you not your client.
- DO. Have a hero image and content (first panel of website) that makes your ideal client think about themselves. Call to them and show them you know who they are and what they need.
- DON’T offer outdated content. Website content needs to stay fresh and relevant to give your visitors the impression you are on top of your game and can help them get there too. The Big One – Your blog. Got a blog on your site? Is that content more than six months old? If so, your prospects are seeing you as out of date and will look for an advisor who clearly demonstrates they understand the most current trends and issues in their industry.
- Publish a new blog at least once a month. DO refresh your home page and key service pages once a quarter. Revisit and update older content to ensure its accuracy, relevance, and alignment with current SEO best practices. This can include adding new information, optimizing for relevant keywords, or refreshing visuals.
- DON’T overwhelm visitors with text. People coming to your website are looking for specifics to help them decide if you are the right service partner for them. They are not there for an afternoon read with a cuppa tea. Nothing gests higher bounce rate than lengthy pages of text with tiny thumbnail stock photos or worse no photos at all.
- DO replace text with images and visuals and especially these days videos. The new rule of thumb ratio of text to visuals is 70/30. That is 70% visuals and 30% text. Make your text scannable. Break up lengthy text blocks with visuals, headings, bullet points, and other formatting elements to improve scannability and make content easier to digest. Turn complex information into infographics.
- DON’T let your visitors figure out what you want them to do by presenting information with no clear offer or Call to Action. Providing a good value message without a clear Call to Action is like telling people you’ve got a great dinner planned for them and never inviting them to sit down and enjoy it.
- DO Include Clear Calls to Action (CTAs): Prompt visitors to take the next step, whether it’s scheduling a consultation, downloading a resource, or subscribing to your newsletter. Make CTAs prominent and compelling. Give them an incentive to take action.
- DON’T forget to optimize for a mobile experience. When was the last time you checked your website on your phone or tablet? How do it look? More importantly how did it feel? Welcoming? Energic? Knowledgeable? Or dull, lifeless and confusing? Don’t forget that over 60% of website traffic comes from mobile devices and 92.3% of internet users access the internet using a mobile phone, says the research firm Statista.
- DO Optimize for Mobile: Ensure that your website is mobile-responsive and provides a seamless experience across different devices and screen sizes. Use Responsive Design: Consider how visuals and text will adapt to different screen sizes and devices and that visuals and text are optimized for best viewing across various devices.
At Octain we always try to walk our talk. So please look around here and let us know if we are living the advice we just gave you.
Want to do a review of your own website? Download our checklist here.