How do I make my website work for me?

Our chapter’s resident expert on advertising and marketing, Alan Yarnoff, shares his thoughts on today’s fastest growing business segment.

The first thing you must do is to look at your site with critical eyes by addressing the key elements that lead to a successful and profitable presentation.

Have you set business goals, do you have a realistic target market and do you have quantifiable objectives and budgets?

Did you take the lead in the direction your site will take, or did the developer make the vital decisions? Remember, you know your business and what it takes to be successful; they know how to create the look.

Is your site search engine friendly? There is nothing worse than getting a potential client come to the site and then leave empty handed.

Have you been up-dating your site? It’s extremely important to keep the site fresh and newsworthy. Web consumers are always looking for new information and are prone to move off the site quickly if they feel are getting the same story over and over.

Does the site have a call to action? The site is your dialogue with your customer so you need to communicate clearly what you want them to do, such as, “buy now” - “save” - “free” or “don’t wait, act now. “

Does your site include testimonials from satisfied customers? This adds a point of trust to what you are selling and a real human element to the presentation. And if you don’t have a “tell a friend” link, don’t hesitate to add one. Like testimonials, word of mouth is an important marketing tool and the “tell a friend” link is a good way to accomplish this goal.

And lastly, you must know what the site is delivering. It’s absolutely imperative that you keep a close eye on the sites performance and to act accordingly if the goals you set are not met.

Richard Strug
Greater Princeton Area SCORE (Chapter 631)
Serving Mercer and Middlesex Counties