The most important thing you can do when marketing your business on the Internet is creating a "home base" where people can learn about you and what you do. A great website should be the centerpiece of your digital marketing and all of your efforts should lead back to this site.
Just like you update the decorations and front facing aspects of your physical location as the years pass, you should also make sure that your website is updated and gives a true reflection of what your business is all about.
One of the big mistakes that Brick and Mortar business owners make is thinking that Social Media sites like Facebook have replaced the need for a business website. While it's true that your Facebook Page is extremely important, your website is still the first place people look for when they want to get more info on your business from the internet.
You have to make sure that your website, at the bare minimum, has the core components that it needs to give people what they came for. At the same time, you have to make sure your website makes a great impression every time someone visits it.
Let's talk about the 9 things every brick-and-mortar website must have.
#1: A Professional and Current Appearance.
It's not enough to just have a website these days. You have to have one that looks good and is easy to navigate.
There is nothing worse than having a website that looks like it was designed in 1995 and hasn't been touched since. Having an outdated website telegraphs that you and your staff don't pay attention to details and don't care about staying current. Whether it's fair or not, this can shift the way they think that you operate inside of your business as well.
It's important that you have a professional design your site to be easy to navigate and to look current. It's also extremely important that you have someone who makes sure that your site loads quickly and does weekly check-ins on your website's health (hackers are always coming up with new ways to do damage so it's key that you have a pro monitoring things for you.)
#2: A Peek Inside Your Location/s.
Simply put, people want to know what the inside of your business looks like before they ever decide to step foot inside of it in real life. Giving them this window into your physical location goes a long way to helping them make the decision to do business with you.
#3: Pictures of You and Your Staff.
People want to know who they will be dealing with when they decide to do business with you. It's important for them to see your face and the faces of the people they'll be dealing with once they come in. Putting your staff's pictures on your website is a critical component to converting casual website visitors into paying customers.
#4: A Contact Page with Your Hours and Address.
The number one reason that people will visit your website is to figure out what your hours are, how to contact your business, and how to get to your Physical Location.
#5: Menu of Services or Products.
Having a page that describes your main services or products is a huge part of converting people into customers. A little bit of detail on what someone gets when they spend their hard earned money with you goes a long way.
#6: A Link to Your Facebook Page.
Today's consumers typically don't just look at your website when they are deciding whether or not to do business with you. Statistics show that consumers are overwhelmingly also using Facebook to look for your business.
Linking people to your Facebook page from your website instantly gives them a way to learn more about your business without them having to look for it themselves. (we talk about why Facebook Pages are such an important piece of your marketing puzzle here.)
#7: Content that Proves Your Expertise.
One of the most important parts of a great website (but most overlooked) is a piece of content that shows that you really know your craft. This content is usually educational in nature and may take the form of a blog post, email download, or digital book.
We create these for our clients (because they usually don't have time to do it themselves) and this very page is an example of the kind of content that proves your expertise in your field. We have a website, but this piece of content is the kind of thing that really helps people understand what we do and how we can help them.
#8: Onboarding Documents.
This one doesn't apply to every business but is vitally important to those that it does. If you run a business that requires people to have an exam, take a test, or apply for credit, it's important to share those documents on your website.
This helps your potential customer prepare before they ever walk through the door. It also helps your staff point potential customers to essential documents when they are on the phone with them.
A great example of this would be a Chiropractic clinic having their "new patient health history" forms on their website so that new customers could fill them out before their visit.
#9: An Always Visible Call to Action.
No matter what page of your website someone happens to be on, they need a link to immediately start the process of doing business with you.
This could be as simple as a link that says "call us now" (remember that a large percentage of people visiting your website will be viewing it on their mobile phones).
Watch Below:
The Core Elements of a Website that Makes You Money.
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