Canned Content Only Puts a Lid on Leads
Great websites come in “ones”, not hundreds or thousands. So why do so many small businesses buy a packaged web solution with their content all ready created, some design choices (nasty ones), and “Search Engine Tools”? I would rank their most common reasons as:
1. Price point
2. Turn-key with content & design
3. They don’t know any better
The first reason is easy to understand to a point. Every business and organization should be financially responsible and how great does a $100 set-up fee and $20 a month look compared to thousands of dollars for a custom solution? They think it’s priceless, but really it’s costly. These businesses range from Real Estate/Mortgage to Lawyers to Car Dealerships. They launch their shiny new pre-packaged site and join 50 or 100 or 1,000 other sites, saying the same thing and looking the same way. Instead of saying, “Here is what we do different to earn your business” they scream “At least we have a website that tells you nothing different that a bunch of others.” Search Engines could care else about these sites, they already have indexed thousands of pages with this content. Other sites? Not many see value in linking to you and your stale content. All these pieces result in few leads developed, converting only those that were seeking you out in the first place.
So what should these businesses do?
The first step is realizing the value in doing things correctly, even at small level. Here is what I recommend to those weighing out a fabulous 100 page pre-packaged website vs. a 5 page custom site.
1. A basic, clean and professional design is better than anything. Create, shoot or buy one good image (pro photographer) to build your image around. A simple layout makes it easier for users to both understand your site and use your site.
2. If you have very little creativity, hire a free lancer that does! Using a web savvy copywriter is the best bang for your buck. A good copywriter will interview your staff, find the key components to telling your story, give it some energy and also have some understanding of search engines and keywords. The bonus: Good copy can also be used or tweaked for print materials.
3. Answer the top ten. If your website does not answer the top ten questions you get from a prospective client on the phone or in person, your going to loose out when a potential client is comparing you or trying to get a feel for you. Sounds simple, but most websites fail this test.
So small business owners and decision makers, keep these points in mind and consider my parting point. What equation sounds better to you, little money for no leads or some money for more leads?