Keep your Web site current to connect with more customers
4 Dec, 2006 By: Griffin Davis LM Direct!More potential customers than ever are searching the Web for professionals like you. Once they get to your site, you have about 30 seconds of their attention to convince them to consider your business further. Keeping your site current with regular text and photo updates can help connect more quickly with Web-browsing potential clients and convince them that your business is the one to call.
Here are three simple Web site update techniques that may help you get the most from your company’s Web site.
1. Use text to attract “seasonal needs” customers
Consumers searching on the Web are won over by the same things that attract any customer: trust that the business understands their needs and trust that the business can meet their needs with an appropriate service. But Web consumers are different in that they are active consumers of marketing. They are choosing to search now, because they have a need now. Use this to your advantage.
If you know that during certain times of year your clients have particular needs or concerns, make that connection with a seasonally appropriate headline or a reference in the body of the text on your home page. That means, depending on what services you offer, that you might want to highlight fertilization in the spring, irrigation in the summer, leaf and other debris pick up in the fall and snow plowing or holiday lighting in the winter.
Consider adding a tagline on your homepage that speaks directly to that need during that season. If potential customers look at your site and quickly see that you address a top concern of theirs, you have a better chance of landing them as a client.
2. Keep your site current with seasonal photos
If your business service area undergoes noticeable seasonal changes, you have an opportunity to use photos on your site to give your business an edge. Let’s take a look at summer cola advertising as an example of how this technique is used. The big two cola companies launch summer advertising pushes in late May. The ads almost invariably have a major dose of summer-themed images – beaches, sunshine, people in shorts and so on. The reason: they want people to consider their products in the context of the season. Cola consumers’ needs have not changed, but the ad firms know that more people will buy a product or service that appears to be seasonally relevant.
The same holds true for your customers. If it's July and they compare two Web sites that are substantially similar, except one has a picture of service van in a winter setting and one has a picture of the van in bright sunshine with green grass and lush trees in the background, which business looks more current, more “right now?” The business that looks more “right now” tends to win on the Web.
3) Reference recent industry events or special training
If you or your staff have just completed a new training certification or if you recently spoke at an industry or professional association event, find a way to highlight this appearance on your site. This could take the form of a note from the owner on the About Us page referencing something he or she learned at the event or a photo of the employee with a caption about the training.
With this technique, make sure your reference is concise, clearly identify the date and absolutely make certain you take the reference down no later than a year after posting it.
The ability to keep Web marketing current is one of the reasons why it is an effective, efficient tool at stimulating customers and landing new business. These three proven techniques can work to your advantage if you are looking to improve your Web site’s performance. I recommend them as a second step after you ensure your web site meets today’s basic standards for professionalism. But if you are ready, regular and thoughtful site updates can make the difference between having a good year and having a great one.
This article was written by Market Hardware’s Griffin Davis. Market Hardware specializes in building/renovating Web sites and managing Web marketing programs for small businesses, including the pest control industry. Reach Griffin at Griffin@MarketHardware.com or reach anyone on his Web expert team at 888-381-6925.
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