Written By: Wendy Ogryzek, June Bachman, and Teresa Mitchell ~
10/12/2009
Is your website scarring your customers? Here is our short list of ghoulishness that scares customers!
Haunts
Hauntingly Phone Numberless Pages:
- Your phone number should be included on every page of your site.
Hauntingly Addressless Pages:
- If you are working from your home and have elected not to post your business address (your home address) on your site, consider how this omission is perceived by your site visitors. Rethink your decision to exclude your business address from your website by asking yourself how do you perceive the legitimacy of a business with no address.
Hauntingly Dated Information:
- It’s Hallow’s Eve and you still have Valentine’s Day specials posted on your site. Keep your sales and specials current, fresh and relevant to the time and season.
Hauntingly Irritating Background Noise:
- While you might love having your favorite songs humming in the background with no way to mute them, this could be a source of irritation for your site visitors.
Hauntingly Obvious Formatting and Grammar Errors:
- Painstakingly proof your website copy. Fix simple spelling mistakes or obvious punctuation errors.
Haunted Houses
Typically, it’s dark in haunted houses and there are no well-lit exit signs or escape routes posted . . . you must continue to go forward and it’s scary in there.
To minimize your clients’ fears:
- Clearly post your exit signs.
- Clearly use familiar labels such as “About Us” instead of the catchy “Who."
- Clearly tell your visitors where they are, where home is and where you want them to go next.
Masks
Take your mask off so your clients can see the real you, the legitimate business that you are and give your site visitors a reason to return to your site. For example, if you are a contractor:
- Take your Bob the Builder mask off and capture some recent and relevant real life images of you cutting, nailing or installing. Take pictures of you doing what you do!
- Tell me what a hipped roof is, where and why it is used. Develop a comprehensive FAQs page!
- Wax eloquently about why your favorite client, favorite tool, favorite wood or favorite project is your favorite. Tell me what distinguishes them from the norm!
- Save your clients a trip to the library. Tell me what you know!
Cobwebs
Cobwebs make your site appear haunted, wickedly dated and irrelevant.
Outdated design:
Is it fresh and current or is it haunted with an image best pared with a mullet and 90s rock?
- Schedule an appointment with both your barber and web designer today!
Outdated dates:
Is your website screaming “dated and neglected”?
- If the last visible dates on your site (copyright, press releases, blog posts) were made when animated gifs and flashing blue lights were the rage stop neglecting your website!
Outdated links:
Nothing screams “cobwebs” more than a link to a webpage that no longer exists.
- Sweep broken links out of the corners of your site!
Outdated content:
Have you given your site visitors a reason to return to your site? No, seriously, what have you shared in words and pictures that would compel us to return to your haunted site?
- Remove the cobwebs with relevant, interesting, inspiring, technically correct information that compels visitors to return.
Get on your broom and ride! There’s no time like Hallow’s Eve to sweep the ghouls and goblins out of your space . . . especially with the holidays just around the corner!
