Your Digital Presence Is More Important Now Than Ever
As you make plans for 2023, now is an excellent time to refresh your website. No matter how active your company is on LinkedIn and other social media channels, your company’s website still makes a powerful impression of your brand when potential customers begin researching vendors who can supply certain products or services.
Think about your own experiences in researching vendors. What features pique your interest? Or evoke a sense of trust? It should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway: all websites today should render well across all devices: desktop, mobile, tablets. Visitors should expect a great user experience accessing your website on any device.
Myself? I look first at the graphics, including colors, images, and headlines. Is the company stuck in the past or up-to-date on modern marketing? What’s their brand promise?
Then, I look for an About page. What’s the company’s story? How many years has the company been in business? Is the About page copy all about them? Or does the copy about their background and experience make it clear how they are uniquely qualified to provide the services I need?
Next, I read the bios of the leadership team. Do their leaders have diverse backgrounds and experiences? Do the bios provide clues about the workplace culture?
Where is the company located? Will the company’s location affect my ability to work with them?
Customer testimonials, reviews, or case studies also matter, because I want to be able to believe the claims they make on their website are backed up in real life.
Does the branding of the company’s website match the branding on their social media channels?
Does the company have a YouTube channel? If so, how is it used? What type of content is delivered through the videos?
Other Questions
Of course, the way I personally look at a website isn’t important if I am not in the demographic you are striving to reach. Multiple media channels exist because different people gather information in so many different ways. So others may evaluate a website differently than I do.
Still, if your website hasn’t been updated in awhile, try to imagine that you are looking at the site as a first-time visitor. Try to study the website through the eyes of a person who would be your ideal customer.
Consider the following, when evaluating your website with a critical eye:
- How does your website look compared to your competitors’ websites?
- Do the visuals and text reflect your company’s current culture and values?
- Is the language understandable and free of the jargon used by industry insiders?
- Does it fully describe the range of products and services you currently offer?
- Does the page about your executive team feature updated photos and bios?
- Do your linked social media pages present a similar look and messaging?
- Is your website optimized to be easily found through online searches?
- Has your blog been updated recently? Have you refreshed older blog posts to keep them relevant to the needs of customers today?
- Does your website integrate with online storefronts through which customers can place orders directly without consulting a salesperson?
- Does your website include an online chat feature so you can respond directly to customer questions?
Your website is a cornerstone of your brand marketing. If you haven’t updated your branding in the last 3 years, consider refreshing your brand before updating your website.
If you are planning to sell you company in the near future, updated branding and a modern website can improve your company’s value in the eyes of potential buyers. Call me at 561-543-2323 and I will explain more about the value of an updated brand and website when selling your business.
RECOMMENDED READING
Six Good Reasons to Update Your Branding