Today your website is just as, if not more important than your brick and mortar store!
Wait, more important you say?
Yes and here’s why. If someone is looking at your website and it isn’t simple and easy to understand, providing them with the information they want, then they might not come to your store.
How do I know this? Because I am guilty of it myself.
Recently my wife and I wanted to order from a local restaurant that we’ve been wanting to try if we were in the area.
Well we were. So we looked them up on our phone. First the hours of operation weren’t up to date, hate that.
Second, there wasn’t a menu to look at online!
So guess what? We didn’t order!
It happened again recently when I was looking up fence companies. A portion of our backyard fence had blown down in a storm and I was trying to get it replaced before our dog made her great escape.
Well the address was wrong on their website and Google because they moved recently. So I didn’t take the extra time to find them because I was so frustrated with what seems such a simple thing to do on their part. So I went somewhere else.
While these are some of the most basic of examples, this can apply to anyone with a brick and mortar store.
So it is essential that your website does these simple 3 things!
First, it must be easy for a new customer to get to your site and know who you are. Make the domain name easy to remember if possible. Make sure your logo and business name are across the top of the website. You want customers to know they are in the right place!
Second, Make it very clear what you do or offer. I can’t tell you how many times I have gone to a website and it didn’t have the information I was looking for. Or it was so hard to navigate through the site that I would get frustrated and leave.
So if you are a baker, make it clear what you offer and specialize in. If you are in construction, make it easy for me to see examples of your work. If you are starting a restaurant, make sure your menu is online.
Make it simple for people. Too often we neglect something this simple because we are so familiar with our website or processes and we don’t think of it from a first time user point of view.
Lastly, make it easy for me to contact you. Have an updated address, phone number and hours of operation. Make sure your voicemail message is clear and easy to understand so I can leave a message or at least want to call you back because it sounded welcoming.
So there you have it, the three things your website must accomplish to make it easy for your customers. Make it easy to see who you are, what you do or offer and how to contact you. And make it easy for people. The simpler and more obvious the better!
Making it easy for your customers to do business with you is the first step towards improving your business and increasing revenue.
Good Luck, Chris
Chris Galluccio is the Founder of www.ThoughtsWordsActions.com where he helps military, vets and military spouses achieve the security and freedom they deserve through their own businesses. To interact with Chris, visit his Facebook or Instagram @ThoughtsWordsActions_Official.
He is also retired military and currently a fine art photographer and creator of the “You Are Mona Lisa” Project. You can view his work at www.ChristopherGalluccio.com.
