Here’s a scenario that’s all too common – a new business owner sets up their web address, throws together some website pages with basic info and then sits back and waits for the tsunami ? of customers to roll in – sounds like it should work, right? They’ve got an excellent product and hard-working staff and now everyone on the whole World Wide Web should be able to find them. ?
But then … crickets. ? Radio silence. It’s like this website isn’t helping their bottom line at all! Why isn’t it working?? ?
Well, there are actually quite a few possibilities. You can catch up on all our thoughts on stuff like SEO, social media, advertising and content. But assuming that you’ve covered most of your bases there, if your sales still aren’t where you’d like them to be, you need to dive a bit deeper.
Optimizing your website engagement means you’re converting as many of your website visitors as possible into paying customers.
Which is exactly what we all want to do, right? #yesplease ?
There are two basic questions here:
- How are my customers finding me right now?
- Is my site thoughtfully designed to engage new customers?
So let’s take a minute and break these questions down!
Question One: How are visitors finding my website? ?
First things first – and this is a big deal – you need to know where your web traffic is coming from. ?
This is heavily dependent on the type of business you own.
- Are people clicking on a social media ad you ran?
- Are they searching for a specific service (i.e. “contractor” or “wedding cakes”)?
- Are they directly typing your company name into their search engine (likely if you get a lot of customers from referrals)?
If this all sounds overwhelming, fear not – Google is here to do the heavy data lifting for you. With Google Analytics, you can see a breakdown of visitor demographics, what’s driving them to your site and a ton of other helpful details in graphic format. Here’s an example:
If you’re interested in getting started with Google Analytics, we have a post that covers different types of web traffic in detail – you can check that out right here!
Why does the source of your web traffic even matter?
Knowing how your customers are finding you will help you focus your advertising budget and drive more visitors to your website. More traffic = more potential sales. You might be surprised to learn exactly where your business comes from!
Question Two: Is my website thoughtfully designed to engage new customers?
What does that even mean?? ?
This might not be something you’ve given much thought to.
(What, you don’t spend your free time nerding out over how each page of your website flows together and analyzing every teeny tiny detail?? ?)
Don’t worry – we get that. Most people don’t give the design of their website a whole lot of in-depth thought.
But when your website just isn’t giving you the results you want, it’s time to start asking those deeper questions.
Each element of your website should be designed to lead to another level of engagement and move that visitor who’s “just looking” toward making a purchase. Here are a few examples:
- Prompts to follow your company on social media
- Link to watch a video or download a resource
- Suggestions for other products the visitor might like
- Invitation to subscribe to emails or create an account
Details like these create multiple opportunities for a visitor to engage with you and your company and increase the likelihood that they will make that purchase.
Overwhelmed just thinking about all this?
Not to worry – unlike you, we can (and do) obsess about website design all day (and we actually like it ?), so we put together a fantastic Website Assessment Guide to help you out! It covers the five components of every truly successful website and we promise – it’s completely user-friendly – no mysterious techie jargon to sort through!
Maybe you’re looking for a more personalized solution?
It might be time for a redesign. Or, maybe you’d like to increase your site traffic and you’re not sure where to start. We can help with that! Send us an email, give us a call or meet us for coffee. ☕ Let’s talk!
