Your website is the unsung hero in your marketing mix. Always on, it stands there waiting to be perused by your future customers. Welcoming them in, and giving them the information they need to know to make the wisest of decisions – to choose you. Are you giving your website the attention it deserves?
“57%—that’s how far the average B2B buyer is through the purchase decision before engaging a supplier sales rep.12%—that’s how much of your customer’s total mindshare you as a supplier have across the entire B2B purchase path.”
Open 24/7
Your customers are going to your website and your competitors’ websites. They are researching everything before they fill out a form. In fact, according to Triblio‘s research 45% of buyers have been on your website multiple times over 90 days before filling out a single form. I’ve seen this with our clients’ customers. When you look back at the journey of those who convert, multiple people in their company have gone to the website numerous times over the 3 – 9 months it typically takes to close a deal. Significantly more times than prospects who don’t convert.
Website visits are a signal. In fact, according to Triblio, accounts with 2 or more unique visitors convert more often than those with just a single visitor, which makes sense considering buying committees in enterprises. Knowing that multiple stakeholders are visiting your website makes it all the more important to pay attention to web messaging. Remember, your website is open for business 24/7, not just to your known leads but also to unknown key decision makers and influencers.
That means your website needs to be easy-to-navigate, and have the right, updated information that best reflects your value proposition and benefits while meshing with what your customer is looking for. Sounds simple, right? Then why are so many company websites a hot mess?
Get your website messaging right
Make sure your writer is working directly with the decision maker - and there is only one decision maker. Click To TweetThat individual has to have the authority to make all final decisions on messaging. That means if the CEO assigns someone to review, edit, and approve copy, the CEO can’t come later and say it’s all wrong. In other words, website messaging typically needs to be led by someone in the C-Suite with the authority to back up the opinion. Our most successful messaging projects have been the writer working directly with the CEO, in collaboration with our content strategist. The strategist makes sure the tone is where it needs to be and the CTAs are focused, the writer gets the messaging right, and the CEO makes sure all key points are hit.
Opinions from thought leaders
“Let’s say that a person can find your website easily, have you optimized the user experience, so they can gather the information they need easily and quickly? Is the content you are providing them relevant and does it enhance the user’s perception of your service? Are you leading them to the conversion end-point with click through actions? If you do not have an active campaign for search engine optimization, search engine marketing, conversion rate optimization and content based marketing, then the answer to these questions maybe a No. Yes, you have a website, but are you utilizing it to its full potential? In today’s information driven world, to edge out the competition and increase your conversion rates, it’s essential to have a well optimized website.”
– Arin Adamson, Head of Web Development, Digital Reach Agency
“Your website is really the only place you can control your buyer’s experience. By getting them there, you’re then able to cultivate their experience and create a clear path to KPI conversions (because we know the path to enterprise sales is a long one). Making the most out of the website visit is critical to both grab their attention and their information to ensure that you can nurture them along their path to purchase.”
“If your website copy is trying to appeal to multiple buyers, you’re doomed to have a confusing, ineffective message. That’s why it’s important to define clear paths for your different audience segments, so you can tailor your copy for each of them, without confusing the other users on your site.”
“On your website, you have the ability to control your message and the buyer’s experience. The first impression they have on your website can make or break the sale, no matter how many emails you send them for a personalized demo of your product. Make the most of your real estate, and check your analytics to tweak performance when necessary.”
– Berrak Sarikaya
Clarity of vision
Designing by committee rarely works out well. While writers work better in teams to produce a quality product, designers typically prefer to work alone. The same goes with the group that judges the website. If a single person is executing a vision, then the website has a higher chance of achieving that vision. If the website has to appease all opinions, well, it will likely end up as something that satisfies everyone, while pleasing no one. Bland. Uninspiring. Just as a single decision maker is crucial for copy, it’s important for design as well. It doesn’t need to be the same individual, and often isn’t. Writers who ache over every syllable rarely lose sleep over design, and vice versa. Leave everyone to their strengths, and trust your team to execute.
Your future customers visiting your website will thank you.