You want more sales and more visitors to your website. You want people hungry enough for your product to eat right out of your hand. As you sleep, you dream of your email list growing and growing, with an email open rate larger than your biggest competitor. You have everything you need to achieve this: The website, the perfect opt-in, a killer logo, and a high-demand product. Everything.
Or doooo you?
If your traffic is non-existent and your numbers on Google Analytics are making you cry, you need to find out why and quickly. Based on past clients who have struggled with this very issue, we have compiled the top 5 reasons why no one is visiting your website, and what you can do to turn things around.
1) Your Branding Lacks Character
Branding is often misunderstood. Ask someone about their brand, and you might hear them talk about their logo. This is because the traditional definition of branding is based on the color, shape, size, and font used to create a logo.
But my friends, branding is so much more.
While the logo is certainly a crucial element of your brand, it isn’t the end all, be all. Branding is about character. It's about how you are able to control the way people think and feel when they see your logo or hear your company’s name. That means when they visit your site, they need to be pulled in by your message and your mission. They should be moved by what they see and the work you do. One should know within seven seconds (max) of landing on your homepage what it is you do and how you do it. If this isn’t happening, your branding may be out of sync; maybe even non-existent.
Clear, crisp branding makes you stand out like the expert you are. If you were to visit a website that lacked appeal versus a website that pulled you in with plenty of appeal, which site would you further peruse?
Get clear on your branding and invest in the change. Understanding that it's a “planned” feeling. What do people think and feel when they hear your business name? The sharper you look and the more you can make people feel and identify with your brand, the more traffic you’ll see.
2) You’re Not Blogging
I saw that eye roll. I see it quite often actually. Business owners think blogging is for the birds. Some are under the misconception that blogging is a complete and total waste of time.
This is not the case.
What if I told you that a single blog post could be your ticket to a sale?
Blogging is a highly-encouraged form of inbound marketing that uses targeted content. Targeted content is the kind of content Internet users seek when they sit at their desk to do a search. For example, if someone Googles the term: "need website visitors," Google will send out a bunch of bots to find legitimate, purposeful content that matches that search.
By writing blog posts with targeted content, you’re essentially opening the door to your website to invite people in. The more you blog, the wider you open the door and the more you become BFF’s with Google. And who wouldn’t want Google as their BFF in business?!
3) Your Website is Clunky
Think about the way you navigate a website when you land on it. You see the homepage first, look for the menu bar second, and click on your desired location third. Sometimes you might see an image you want to click on, so you head over to it. Other times an opt-in might distract you, so you sign up for the offer and move on.
No matter where you go or what you might get distracted by, the website you land on should be navigable at all times from all angles. It should be easy to look at and easy to search.
If your website is poorly designed, doesn’t load quickly, or gets people lost almost immediately, you’re compromising one of the most important pieces of your business.
The truth is you have approximately 7 seconds (no more, probably less) to grab the attention of your visitor or they’re gone. They’ll zip back out into cyberspace and find a different website that is user-friendly, easy to navigate, and doesn’t look like a 5th grader built it.
Your website is most often your first impression. If it’s clunky, your visitors will think the work you deliver is clunky, too.
If you want to generate leads online, or you want more online sales, it may be time to consider a website redesign. For more details on web design take a look at "Web Design Made Simple: A Step-by-Step Guide."
4) You’re Not Sharing on Social Media
Social media can be a bear. With so many social channels to choose from, it can be overwhelming for some. As a result, we resist sharing and eventually give up because we think it does no good.
I encourage you to not give up.
Creating a presence on social media takes time. But even if you have a small following, sharing and engaging with others is the secret sauce to your success. Start by choosing three social channels that resonate with the work you do. Decide to put a few hours a week into posting your content. But coupled with this, decide to like, share, and comment on the content of others.
Make friends. Play nice. Build relationships. If you stick to this strategy, you’ll soon discover that many people out there are on your side and happy to share your content. Before you know it, your Google Analytics numbers will increase, and so will your sales.
5) You’re Using the Wrong Keywords
Keywords are tricky. We get it. Over the past ten years or so, the use of keywords in web content has changed. Site builders used to use a method now dubbed as "keyword stuffing," where they would stuff the same word (or series of words) over and over again into as much content as possible all over the site.
Google won’t let you pull this stunt anymore. That’s why using long-tail keywords to help narrow down a search is where it’s at. This is because these keywords are associated with more qualified traffic.
For example, thousands of search options will pop up if you use the words “cake maker.” But if someone is searching for a cake maker in Virginia, using keywords in blog posts like “cake maker in Virginia” will knock other prospects out of the way and shoot you to the top of a Google search.
Using keyword research tools is helpful, too. Don’t go it alone. You want to get this right, right? Right.
If you think you’ve got the above five reasons licked, something else might be going on. Download our quick-read eBook, 3 Reasons Why Your Website Isn’t Generating Sales, and dig in. Sometimes the smallest thing can keep you from being the biggest influencer on the web.
In the meantime, what kind of changes have you made to your site that has helped increase your sales? What's helped you with generating leads online?
On the flip side, why do you think visitors aren't coming to your website?
