Do you get the business you want through your website? If you’re like many business owners, you’d probably like some more customers to arrive through yours. So, what’s going wrong as of now?

You may scare customers away or attract the wrong type of customer. With this in mind, here are a few reasons why this might happen and what you can do about it:

1.      Your design turns visitors off. For most businesses, this means the overall aesthetic of your site looks outdated or your site is hosted on one of those build-a-website-for-free domains.  Your visitors are savvy: they’ll know if a professional did not design your website. Likewise, if professional or firm does perform the work, customers take notice and are much more likely to buy. 

2.      You wrote the copy yourself or tasked one of your staff members with doing so. Perhaps you or your staff can make some words flow together well, but that’s not enough to convince visitors to buy. To encourage them to make that phone call or provide an online contact, you must motivate them by communicating the benefits you provide and why you offer the best solution to their problem. For example, if your home page reads, “Welcome to Our Company” or “Our Company’s Mission is…,” you can rest assured this will not motivate your visitors. This is precisely why a professional copywriter is so valuable.

3.      You don’t target a specific niche market. Which pain points does your ideal customer experience? Your website must show how you solve the problem of a well-defined market.  Indeed, if you speak to everyone, you sell to no one. 

4.      You lack proof or social proof. From a marketing perspective, people are much more likely to buy when they have “proof” that something works. On a website, this means highlighting accolades such as your BBB rating or awards you’ve won. You can also point to the breadth of your social media followers or include a script that displays your most recent online reviews from platforms such as Google, Yelp, Angi, and others. Testimonials work as well, especially when you include the first and last name of a customer who discusses in detail the specific result you achieved—such as boosting their sales by 58.5%. The more specific, tangible, and verifiable you are, the better.

5.      You don’t establish a USP. A “unique sales proposition” is how your solution to your market’s problem differs from that of your competitors. Many niches are filled with tough competition, and if you lack a USP, you’re forced to compete purely on price—or pray your competitors go under (eek!). Create a USP around your customer’s pain points. If you find your competitors have poor customer service, develop a 5-star customer service guarantee or offer unhappy customers their money back. The possibilities are limited by only your imagination.

Now That’s a Ton of Work…

It’s tempting to take your website for granted. However, you can rest assured your market is look for you online—no matter which type of business you own. 

The more you put into it, the more you get out of it.  If your website isn’t converting the way you want it to, follow and implement these tips to watch your site (and conversions!) change for the better.