Your Website Is Where Traffic And Leads Converge So Make It Amazing
Having a website is better than not having one, but it’s not like the Yellow Pages, where just ‘showing’ means you ‘place.’ Design, copy, and content feed engagements that feed even more traffic to the best websites.
There is nothing that compares to the Internet, in terms of providing a visibility in a search-driven world.
There are a few common misconceptions we find with websites.
Myth: Just having a website is enough.
Fact: It’s not. The Internet isn’t like the phone book, where you pay or make an uninspired site, and get the same visibility as everybody else. The traffic ‘wins’ are not distributed in a socialistic way; it’s a meritocracy, where those who have bothered to exert effort and be excellent get favored by search engines in terms of visibility.
Myth: Your website isn’t your business. It’s not you; it doesn’t matter if is just looks average.
Fact: Right or wrong. Just as with your personal appearance, people make inferences about the quality of the work you do (or your product) on the basis of how you choose to represent yourself. This isn’t fair – there are great companies with mediocre websites. But a) they would be helped by a better site, and b) we’d bet there are other market factors (like being the only tire shop in the area) that are protecting them.
Myth: If my technical SEO is on-point, I don’t need more than a brochure on the Internet to be discovered in search.
Fact: SEO almost isn’t a ‘thing’ anymore with search algorithms growing so complex, and more and more AI and behavioral data and signals impacting search rank. Search ranking is all based on functional signals: your traffic and engagement, what people get from a visit to your site, and what they do on your site. Search algorithms are forgiving about virtually every technical ‘best practice’ besides page load speed, next to visitor behaviors and engagement – which are functions of usability, copy and content. Paradoxically, Google only loves you after people are already discovering your site. Yes, you get better Page Rank and SERP based on your traffic and bounce and engagement rates.
A better website is no substitute for a mediocre product or being unpopular, but it will attract more traffic, lower bounce rates, and better engagement analytics. These lead to better search rank. It’s not fair – this circular logic – but it’s how things work.
If you are using your website as a stepping stone or validator (versus an on-board point or ‘funnel top’), you’re doing a disservice to your business. In almost every case, you could be getting more business with a better site. So, make your website exceptional.
Look at your website from a buyer’s perspective. Make it engaging and helpful. Create content. Use your imagination to think of questions people in your demographic have.
Spend the money. Take the time. Take time with your information organization and flow. Make your website be easy and fun to use, and make sense.
Again, it’s the only platform that allows others to find you.
