Five signs your website needs improving

It's not enough to simply have a website these days. If you've spent time and money on having a site developed for your business, it should have a clear purpose. In the early days it was just about having a presence online but now, as with all marketing activities, website owners need to see measurable results for their investment.

So how do you know if your website is working? Here are 5 signs that you may have a problem with your website:

1. You're not getting enquiries

Often the first alarm bell for website owners is a lack of enquiries. If you know where your leads come from and see that your website is not the lead-generation machine you hoped, you need to change something (and if you don't know where your leads are coming from, start asking!). Before you assign all blame to your website, it's important to note that an enquiry may come from another marketing channel but could have been influenced by your website earlier in the decision making process so don't be too quick to write off your site. However, if you haven't seen an increase in email enquiries or forms, it could be time to improve your website.

2. No one can find you online

One reason for low levels of enquiries could simply be that people can't find you online when they search for the products or services you offer. It’s no good only appearing in Google for your company name (unless you're a big brand), you need to make sure your website has been built to be search engine friendly, with the right content to pull your audience in when they search for certain keywords. If you aren't appearing on the first two pages of Google for your main products or services, you need to review your website urgently.

3. Your website visitors aren't hanging around

If you have Google Analytics installed on your website, you should be able to see how much traffic your website is attracting, from where and for how long those visitors are staying on each page of your website. These statistics can give you incredible insight in your audience's behaviour as well as showing you which areas of your website are stronger and weaker than others. If people are finding your site but leaving as quickly as they arrive, you need to review your landing page design and content urgently because something is putting them off.

4. People are confused about what you do

Have you noticed that people always ask the same questions when they contact you? Are they misunderstanding what you offer or what you do as a business? If that's the case you need to change your website content, images or design. Ask others outside of your business for honest feedback on your website. Get them to tell you what is they think you do. Sometimes being so close to your business can mean you can’t see your website from an external perspective.

5. You're not mobile friendly

Over a quarter of web usage is now through smart phones and tablets. If your website isn't mobile friendly you could be losing valuable business opportunities. By having a responsive website, people will be able to view your business on smaller sized screens easily (don't underestimate how much a non-responsive website can put mobile users off your business).

Curious to look into why your website isn’t doing what you need it to? Check out our services, or call us today! We can advise on the various options available including website redesign, SEO, PPC, app development and copywriting.

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Image credit: Bill Bertram