Why Isn’t My Website Bringing New Clients?
You have a website that you are pretty happy with – you spent a lot of time on it and like the way it looks. But, it isn’t generating the phone calls, emails, or new clients you need. You’re wondering what’s going on, and what you can do to change that.
I’ve worked with a lot business owners who’ve gone through the process of hiring a web designer and building a website, only to not get the results they expected. Why aren’t customers beating down their door? Unfortunately, just having a great-looking website isn’t enough to generate new clients.
Here are the top 7 reasons your website may not be bringing you new clients and what you can do:
1 – Potential customers can’t find your website. If your website doesn’t have search engine optimization (SEO) incorporated into its text and tags, people who are searching for your products or services probably can’t find them online. For example, an online searcher might type in “home care help for seniors in Marin” to find someone to help her aging mother on an ongoing basis. If you offer that service, and your website doesn’t show up but your competitor’s does, you’ll never get that phone call.
A good way to check your online presence is to do some online searches yourself and see where you come up in search engine results. If you are a dentist, type in “dentist” and the name of your city. If you are a dentist who performs same day crowns, type in “same day crowns” and the name of your city. Be sure to take into consideration that Google brings up any website higher for you, if you’ve looked at that website more than a few times. This is called “personalization.” What you can do to get around that is use someone else’s computer, and not login to any of your accounts, like Gmail, so that you can truly search anonymously. If your website isn’t coming up in one of the top three search results, it’s likely that potential customers can’t find you.
2 – Your website doesn’t display your phone number prominently. Especially with smart phones, it’s important to have your phone number at the top of every web page. Otherwise, online searchers may not be able to find your contact information easily and will click away from your website in frustration.
3 – Your website doesn’t tell your visitors what makes you stand out from everyone else. It’s important that all of your website’s pages showcase your expertise, but the home page is the most important one. If visitors come to your website and don’t “get” what you offer and how you can solve their problems more effectively than anyone else, they won’t bother to contact you. If you aren’t stating your case on your website quickly and clearly, you may want to seek out a professional writer.
4 – Your website is outdated, unattractive or not professional looking. Your photographs, text, and website layout all need to work together to say, “I am an exceptional professional who runs a business you can trust. You want to work with me.” Websites need a design refresh about every three years to stay fresh and current. How current is yours?
5 – It’s hard for someone to find what they need on your website. If your website is hard to navigate, and an online searcher can’t easily see what you offer and how you’ll solve their problem, they’re likely to give up. Work with a professional to get your top line navigation clear, and have separate pages for each of your primary services.
6 – Your website content is out of date. If your website content no longer reflects what you do, or if the last time you’ve written and posted a blog was over 6 months ago, what you are saying to visitors is, “I don’t pay attention to my website, or my business.” Instead, make sure your website is up-to-date with your most current business offerings. If you haven’t posted a blog lately, you may want to hide it for now, until you have time to keep it current.
7- There’s no clear call to action. What would you like your website visitors to do? Would you like them to call you? Drop by your showroom? Are you offering a free consultation? Your website needs to let them know what their next step is, and then make it easy for them to take it.
Conclusion: I invite you to take a look at your website against the above list. Note where you can make improvements so that you can start getting those phone calls.
If you would like a professional review of your website and online presence, I offer a complimentary 30 minute strategy session. I would love to hear from you.
Carolyn Kohler is an SEO writer who specializes in helping businesses get found online. Her company is Website Wordsmith, and she is located in the San Francisco Bay Area.
