Radically Improve Your Online Presence To Make Your Website Into A Lead Generation Machine That Works On Auto-Pilot

"Over 75% of the websites online are stale, dated and un-interesting, not to mention the content is unappealing and irrelevant", says Soumil of LastMileProfits.com a web design firm in Plano

That's good news and bad news.

Its bad news if you have a website that is not performing as you would have initially hoped for. However this is easy to fix. Just don't have your teenager try to "wing it". Get it done professionally.

What's worse is that if the website looks dull and cluttered, people will form an impression about your business based on any/all of their interactions with your business.

For online prospects, your website is generally the first point of contact and you know what they say about "First Impressions."

First Impressions count, so make a deliberate effort to improve your potential clients first experience.

Here is the good news: Due to recent advances in technology and user interfaces, a good looking, impressionable website does not have to cost tens of thousands of dollars any more. For a fraction of what it used to cost, you can now sport a fresh looking website to engage your prospects online.

There are certain "Key Performance Impact Elements" that need to be on every website in order to provide a good experience.

As a professional website designer from Plano, I want you to answer these questions before we get into image enhancement part.

Question 1:

When your prospects and clients search for you online, do they find you or will they find your competitors?

Having a website that cannot be found using keyword phrases is like having a huge store on a street that no one visits.

What good will it do to the store if they spend a lot of money to improve their in-store customer experience, when they don't have a predictable and scale-able way of attracting new clients?

Question 2:

When your prospects and clients find your site, do they find what they are looking for easily and effortlessly?

A lot of tech companies are guilty of over-complicating the end-user experience. Infact the classic example is Microsoft.com

If you were to look for an solution to a windows problem, you will have tough time finding the solution through the site's search function.

People generally use Google.com to search inside (site:Microsoft.com "your keyword phrase") Microsoft site to get to information that they were seeking.

If a technology giant like Microsoft is guilty of this, what can be said about smaller mom-n-pop websites?

Question 3:

Does your content provide valid and effective answers to your clients questions and does your content meet/exceed their expectation?

Lets face it, there are a lot of spammy sites out there and most of them are just not worth trudging through.

I am sure you have heard the phrase, "Its not what you say, its how you say it?"

Same thing applies to your sites content. Having the content on the website is one thing, but having it organized in a way that it is designed to answer/address your clients questions is something totally different

If you haven't fared well in these three questions, don't fret. There is help available, but you need to fix these major foundational issues before getting all fancy. Infact, I will tell you this, "Fancy sites are way over-rated". A simple yet functional site beats a fancy and unusable site hands-down all day long.

Recent studies have indicated that people form an opinion of a website in seven seconds, and will decide within that time frame whether to browse within your site or now in those SEVEN precious seconds.

Solution:

1. Your home page needs to be simple, clean, fresh and fast.

2. Your home page needs to be able to attract attention. It should not be dull and boring looking. (typically a good video placed strategically can help)

3. The site needs to have a clearly stated message that is easy to find and understand.

4. A professional looking site has to have a clean web-design and sitemap

5. If your site is more than a few pages (and it should be growing with content regularly) have a clearly designed search field. Think about Google.com or Facebook.com. They are #1 and #2 sites and their search field is pretty prominent on their webpages.

6. For a small business it is vital to have their NAP info (almost) on every single page. NAP = Name, address/map and phone number. If you want you can also add your email contact form on the contact us page.

7. The look, feel and flow of your site should enhance your BRAND identity.

8. If you are running any specials or promotions there should be a clearly defined space that is consistent thru out the site. Once again, think about Google. Their revenue model is enhanced by all the advertising that happens on their pages. They are always in a fixed location. Top of the page, right margin and at the bottom of the page. Also note that they don't have any ads on their home page, but almost every other page that Google shows you is designed to generate revenue - consistently, effortlessly and predictably.

9. Video is a true differentiator. More than 60% of all online traffic is Video traffic and this trend is only getting stronger. Well made professional looking videos (30 seconds to 3 minutes max) spread thruout your site can truly enhance your end users online experience. Think about it. Would you rather read the news or would you watch the news. Infact all major newspaper websites (LATIMES.com, WSJ.com...etc) all have videos typically on their first page to engage the users who come to their site.

10. And last but by no measure the least, Quality Matters. Think about if you were in the clients shoes who came to your website, what type of experience would you want to have? Have good quality content laid out in a simple format is not that hard to do. When thinking website fancy, think LESS IS MORE. The simpler you keep your website, the more effective your online presence will be. Once again think Google. How complex is their website? Then think about Yahoo and MSN during their prime years? Google was elegantly simple and fought hard to keep it that way.

Ofcourse there are several other factors that will come into play, but these are the ten pillars to lay down your foundation, upon which other things can grow.