Taking Out Trash – A Web Designers View of Successful Businesses
Web Designer Insight on the Internet Throughout the Years
One thing we can say for sure as a company that started back in 2006 is we embraced change. The internet back then was just gaining momentum and becoming a place where you can find information. As it grew, businesses began to learn that the old brick and mortar method of thinking was starting to go out of the window. Internet companies were slowly taking away the business of small mom and pop shops and also many small businesses. In retrospect what was really happening is that companies were centralizing and consolidating their products and services and offering them online cheaper and faster than you can get them locally. The reason is because the local companies would have to carry so much inventory that it stressed out their overhead and they were finding out that they couldn’t carry all of the options the people wanted all under one roof. With that said, these businesses were beginning to battle a bigger hurdle with those companies using the Internet to broadcast a variety of products and services without having to carry any inventory. What companies were doing was making connections with distributors and becoming a hub for sales that was much easier for the online consumer. There was a time where people needed to touch and feel what they are buying. Another phenomenon that was happening is that people would go to the local stores, figure out what they want and then hunt around online for the best price. In most cases they can save on tax and those companies can pass on the savings to the customer due to their low operating costs, not to mention free shipping, customer satisfaction and returns with no questions asked.
What We Learned by Interviewing Businesses
Now why are we as web designers mentioning all of this. The reason is that we have dealt with several hundred businesses and had meetings with over a thousand. During these discussions we have heard all the horror stories, success stories and struggles that business owners have. We have also discussed financials and client base. We have seen businesses fail, we have seen businesses succeed, we have seen businesses go from small to large and large to small and we have seen start-ups become million dollar companies. This is precious information that a web designer can use to help business owners willing to beat the odds and flourish on the Internet. In our experience those business owners that resisted change or were not willing to listen or learn to the reality that was unfolding before their eyes are continuing to struggle. Brick and mortar thinking is not how businesses are succeeding. We don’t mean the ones that have an actual building, we mean the ones that are not thinking outside of their building. Opening themselves up to a larger market by embracing the Internet is what separates them from failure. If you think about it, when a family of 4 is driving to a broadway show in their city, 3/4 of them have their heads in their mobile devices. That means all the billboards you invested in are probably being missed most of the time except by the driver if they are paying attention. That type of marketing is the opposite of what really brings in the bacon. When someone wants a product or service the first thing they do is hop on the internet. 9 times out of 10 they are not searching Google for the name of your company because they may have saw it on a billboard or a newspaper. They are searching Google for the product or service you may offer. Now if your business is not embracing the Internet how on earth do you expect to succeed. Again, old school marketing is not working anymore. It is intrusive and not in front of your audience when it needs to be.
How to Anticipate What Your Clients Want
As a web design company, it is our job to align your market with your customers so when they are good and ready to search for the products and services you offer you better rank high on Google wether it is natural search through SEO or paid search using Pay per Click. On top of that you need to be broadcasting your message on Social Media such as Facebook, Twitter, Linked-In and others that compliment your industry. When we design websites we take all of these avenues into consideration when we anticipate a potential customer arriving at your website. We think of everything possible to get inside their head to make sure we answer their question before they ask it., solve their problem before they know it and guide them towards what they are looking for gracefully. Knowing your visitors mindset prior to them landing on your site is the key to converting those visitors to potential clients.
Does Your Website Have a Pulse?
The bottom line is that people are sick and tired of being interrupted by traditional marketing methods that they learned how to tune marketers out. People are information maniacs and they scour the Internet for solutions to their problems or answers to their questions. Once their sights are set on what it is they want, the next logical thing to do is purchase or inquire about the product or service they seek. Now as web designers, we have adapted to these changes and new trends so that we can get our customers in the spotlight of their audience. Does your website have a pulse? Our job is to build your website to be an affective tool that speaks volumes to your visitors and makes their mouth water for more. If your site is built where your customers enjoy your culture and story they will share and broadcast their experience with others and the inertia is exponential. Having this power and knowledge is crucial to the success of your business.
Why Business Owners are Struggling, We Have Heard It All!
One of the main reasons Wallfrog has free consultations with our clients is to learn about their business, pain points, struggles and challenges they may have. Our number one problem business owners are having is that they are jealous of their competitors. Now why is that? Because they are probably all over the Internet, Social Media and in normal conversation. They are shouting their success with a megaphone and the people we often speak with want to be them. In order to do that they have suck it up and start to talk about their business through content on the Internet. We keep saying, embrace the Internet. The next issue is the money it takes to do what their competitors are doing. They get frustrated when they hear the cost of what it takes to do the right thing in order to keep up with their competition let alone pass them out. The reason they don’t have any money is because their competitors took their business away from them overnight and they keep spending money on old marketing methods. We are still not sure why businesses decide to take the wrong path or continue to resist change. What we do know is that those businesses who listen to a web designer who is in the trenches watching and taking notes of the successful companies and amplifying the results tenfold are winning the rat race.
Web Designers Know What Works and What Doesn’t, We Are In The Trenches
The reality of most sites is this. Your parents think it’s nice and after a few months of it you get board of looking at the same colors, fonts and menus. At some point you start thinking that maybe the look and feel is not as good as another site. There are a ton of reasons why business owners think that new design 9 months ago needs a face lift. The truth is that most of the problem is the content and the message. You go on your website every day looking at it through the eyes of a business owner. Your customers on the other hand look at the website through the eyes of a buyer. Two completely different views of what a website should be. We as web designers time and time again see business owners pointing out the reason why their business is tanking but the real reason is that they are not engaging. Your visitors are looking for information, plain and simple. In most cases your website looks perfectly fine. What you should really do is rethink the concept of your website. With 60% of Internet search being mobile if your website is not responsive, people are simply going to skip to the website that is. You lose once again. Here are some things to consider or take away from all of this.
If You DO Anything at All, Do These Simple Things
Make Your Website Responsive
Add a Blog
Create Compelling Content
Integrate Calls-to-Action
Focus on Where the Action Is (Google & Social Media)
Track Your Progress
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