If one or more of these symptoms is true in your case then it’s high time to take action. It’s so easy to forget about your website but it’s not ‘set and forget’ – you need to constantly update and maintain your website so it remains effective in attracting and keeping customers.
With the super affordable business website packages available from PogoStick Web Services, clients save hundreds by using the included content management system to add their own content. It makes it a lot more affordable than most websites available in New Zealand (in fact, we stand by our claim of having the cheapest website package in the country!) but it does require a little extra motivation to get the project done. So if you have one of these great value websites but you feel like it’s not quite there yet see if the following symptoms are familiar and, if they are, take action to follow through on finishing or upgrading your business website.
1 – It’s not finished
You know the feeling. You got excited about having your own website. You started with a bang but that quickly turned into a fizzle – you got distracted with other things and your motivation went off the boil. Now you just can’t face doing the work to get your website up to scratch – it all just seems too much of a chore! How can you power through to the finish line and have a website you’re happy with?
Solution: Set a finish date and stick to it! Go one step further and tell your customers you’ll be launching your new website in x number of weeks. Write a list of what needs to be done and start ticking them off. Enlist some help. If content needs to be written delegate to someone else in the business or take advantage of our copywriting service.
2 – You don’t like the look of it
Style can be a subjective thing; what looks great to one person might be an eyesore to someone else. The fact is, if you’re not happy with the look of it then you’ll be less motivated to work on it or to promote it to your customers. At the same time, it’s worth taking the advice of someone who isn’t emotionally invested in it, someone who can be objective about how it looks, particularly in comparison with other professional websites within your industry. Be prepared to let go of some cherished flashing rainbow graphics in order to meet what’s commonly accepted among most modern websites (unless your business persona is all about being different!).
Solution: Websites are not set in concrete. Unlike a house where it’s major work to change to a different style with PogoStick websites there are literally thousands of different looks available and changing colours, fonts, images and other styles does not have to be a major project. In most cases you’ll need us to make the changes and the best way is to provide us with the specific changes you want (and we can provide a quote) as well as (if you have them available) links to similar websites that showcase the style you want.
3 – It hasn’t been updated for more than six months
This is a common trap that even big company websites fall into. To see what we mean just look at their blog and you might see a flurry of posts to start with that slowed to a trickle and now seems completely abandoned. Social media channels (such as Facebook and Twitter accounts) also suffer the same disinterest. Other pages, such as current specials or promotions, may also bear traces of tumbleweed that tell the visitor the lights are on but no one’s home. It’s a bad look for any website and gives a bad impression of your business in general.
Solution: Think about how you can use your website as a tool to communicate with your customers in real time. Do you regularly have announcements you would like to share with customers? Change of store hours? New products? New promotions? Perhaps online only specials (extend this to Facebook and Twitter fans)? Remember blog posts don’t have to be long – something short yet interesting and relevant to your customers is just as effective. If you don’t already have a blog setup on your website get in touch and find out how easy it is!
4 – You still have an ‘under construction’ page
As far as business website no-no’s go this is right up there (second only to not having a website at all!). It’s all very well wanting to launch with everything ‘just right’ but if you get too pedantic it’s possible your website will be in a perpetual holding pattern, and that’s bad for business. And please, this isn’t the 90s so no more of those ‘under construction’ animated gifs!
Solution: When we build a new website our clients can request a ‘website coming soon’ page to hide their site while it’s being put together, however in most cases it’s really not necessary. There’s very little chance anyone (apart from you) will see the website and unless your sharing government secrets there’s problem no harm if someone did. Keep in mind too that website’s are designed to evolve over time, so the initial look and feel can be changed within days or weeks. It’s better to have something to show your customers your ‘on the net’ than a boring ‘under construction’ page with no end date in sight!
5 – It’s using placeholder text
Placeholder text can either appear as words along the lines of ‘something something coming soon…’ or the beloved lorem ipsum used by graphic designers for decades as dummy text. It’s acceptable for the first week or two but after that it just looks bad. Really bad. Particularly if you have pages of the stuff. Fine for someone who reads Latin but for the rest of us it just looks like the website owner is MIA.
Solution: If you’re having trouble coming up with the words for your website consider the following questions: Do you really need the page or text? The less said the better. Websites should get to the point – fast. How much information do your customers really need (or want)? It’s quite likely you could put it in bullet point format instead of trying to craft it into a paragraph. Could an image be used to convey your message instead? A picture equals a thousand words, and a great picture even more. There are lots of free stock image websites that can help you out. If you get stuck with the writing then perhaps consider our copywriting service as an alternative option.
So take the time to review your business website and give it the TLC it needs. A ‘coat of paint’ or some fresh content can make all the difference! Of course, we’re here to help should you need any expert advice.