We’ve all heard the advice that every business these days needs a website; if nothing else but as a digital business card that tells people how to contact you. But if all your website does is tell people what you do and how they can contact you, you’re missing out.
Your website can (and should be) your online sales office. It can do much more than simply tell people who you are, it can start potential clients on the journey to becoming a customer. It can also turn people off-in the same way a rude sales assistant may put off a customer, a badly designed website may make people assume what you do isn’t high quality, either.
In this article, we’ll guide you through what you need to do to make your website do some of the hard work for you and start winning you clients. While we’re going to be using examples for homebuilders in this article, the principles apply to any business.
3 Tips to Ensure Your Website Works for You (Not Against You)
1. Make Sure Everything is Up-to-Date
Don’t skip over this point! You may think you keep everything up-to-date on your website, but do you really? Does it take you a week or two to make changes?There’s a difference between making updating your website a priority when something changes and getting around to it in the next week or so.
Remember that your website is a sales office that’s open 24/7-that’s powerful, but that also means you can’t afford to put off simple updates. When you sell a lot in anew community, make sure you update your website as soon as possible or you may end up with disappointed potential customers.
Similarly, if the pricing of something changes, get it updated ASAP. Whether someone’s looking to buy a home or a coffee table, they’ll have a budget in mind that may not be flexible. If they ask about a home that has increased in price and they can’t afford it, they’re at best going to feel annoyed and embarrassed at worst.
2. Be User-Friendly
The user experience (UX) your website offers will directly impact how a website visitor thinks about your company. If your user interface (UI) is clunky and outdated or they can’t find the information they’re looking for, they’ll think your business operates the same way. Remember, first impressions matter, and that goes online as well as off.
If you’re not sure how your website is performing when it comes to UX or UI, or you are aware it doesn’t match the outstanding customer experience your company offers, we can help. We’re experts in UX and UI design and can ensure your website gives users the seamless experience they’re looking for. (Click here to find out more.)
3. Be Upfront with the Information You Provide
Try to provide as much information as you can on your website that will help a potential customer decide whether or not they’re interested in buying from you. This is not about telling them everything all in one go (which can be overwhelming), but thinking strategically about the questions and answers your clients typically have before they buy from you.
If you are constantly getting emails about the same things, it may be information worth making available on your site. What you don’t want to do is make people feel like you’re only withholding information to get them to contact you. For example, withholding a price for properties you’re selling and asking people to reach out to find out.
If you don’t want to put a single guide price, put a range. Suggesting that a property of their desired type either starts at $350,000 or ranges from $350,000-$450,000 will give people the information they need to decide whether or not they are in a position to buy. Adding information like this also shows you have nothing to hide, which will make you more trustworthy.
There are a lot of factors that go into ensuring your website is the ideal 24/7 online sales office, but if you get these 3 right, you’ll find your website creates more leads and helps potential customers trust you well before they ever make contact with you.If you need a little extra help getting your website to that point, we’d be glad to help.
