One of our biggest frustrations here at Sticky is seeing organisations pay little attention to their web presence. They run old, rarely updated websites that provide the user with little information and a generally poor experience. These organisations are finding it increasingly harder to compete and will be left behind unless they totally re-think (or start thinking about) online.
However, at the other end of the scale is the organisation who is enthusiastically online but is constantly thinking about a rebuild, or a new look, or an expensive new addition to their under-performing website. We see them all the time. I can think of a few examples where a site is going through its 2nd rebuild in as many years, when the original site was fine.
The thing is….if a website is under-performing the first thing everyone should look at are the real reasons why. In many cases its not the layout / design / format that necessarily needs work.
If the site isn’t getting enough traffic, the first thing you should look at is the quality of the content. Is it up to scratch? Does it really speak to the desired audience? Does it demand attention?
If the answer is NO to any of these then start improving and focusing your content NOW.
If you honestly think the content IS good enough then you need to address your traffic sources or and connections. Look at your web stats (surely you have web stats) and determine where the traffic is coming from.
Most under-performing websites get the bulk of their traffic from their URL (direct) or a Google search for their name. This means that most of your visitors already know of you and you are not using the web properly to grow your market.
If the majority of it is direct traffic then you need to bolster your search and referred traffic. You might need proper search engine optimisation, you might need to build your social networks.
Once again, if you don’t have many links coming into your site from other sources, there’s a very good chance your content is not working for you.
Finally, if your traffic IS at reasonable levels but you are not getting the sales or leads you desire / require then you need to quickly address your conversion strategies (you do have conversion strategies don’t you?).
Too many organisations think that a “Contact Us” page is a conversion strategy. Its not. Smart inbound marketers provide multiple opportunities for visitors to become customers. They’ll have conversion strategies littered throughout their website.
So, by all means, consider rebuilding your website, it might really need it. But before you do, re-think its content, connections and conversion.
