MC Blog: Rate Your Web Site

Yesterday someone linked me to their web site where she had posted a very good article. The content of the article was great but the site itself had much to desire. Hard to read, boring design, not very good overall content. On a scale of one to ten it was maybe a four.

At a talk I gave last week I spoke about "web sites that look like crap." The thing about these crappy sites is that they are usually owner designed. And because the owner put in umpteen hours on the site, they are very proud of it - because after all, they had never designed anything before in their lives. Sadly, it shows.

So how do you know if you have a crappy web site? Take this quiz:

1. On the Home page is there an initial compelling message that stands out? Some call this your "Value Proposition." It's about what your clients get, not about what you do. "How to Give Presentations That Excite and Motivate Your Audiences" works. "Presentation Skills Training" doesn't. Score yourself from one (bad) to ten (great).

2. Does the design of your web site, get this response from people: "That's a really nice website, who's your designer?" Or do you get few to no positive comments? Score from ten to one depending on the response from others (not yourself). 

3. Do you have a page that talks all about "Our Clients" and their challenges and needs? If not, why not? They want to know if you understand who they are. Remember they are interested in themselves, not you! Ten for a great page about your clients. Zero if you don't have a client page.

4. Do you have a "Free Stuff" page with lots of juicy morsels of valuable content? Remember, on the web, the first thing people are looking for is free stuff. Give it to them!! Ten for a ton of good free stuff. Zero if you have none.

5. Do you have an eZine that you sign up people for on the site? Believe it or not, this is the number one purpose for your web site. No kidding. If you don't capture the name and email of visitors do you think they'll ever return? Keep hoping. Ten if you have an eZine and lots of new subscribers. Minus ten if you don't even have an eZine.

6. Do you have an "Our Services" page that answers, most, if not all the questions a prospect might have about your services? They are not psychic. You gotta tell them. A bullet pointed list of services is less than useless. Ten if your service write-ups are highly descriptive and value-packed. One if you service info is a generic paragraph or two.

7. Do you have a page with a bunch of very good, highly credible, and very persuasive Case Studies that relate real client successes? Give yourself one point for every case study you have.

8. Is your "About Us" navigation button near the bottom of the navigation list? If so, you get an extra five points. If it's near the top, deduct five. This is the least visited of all pages. Remember, they ain't so interested in you. Add points - up to ten more if you have a very personable bio (and picture) on this page that shows you're an intelligent, credible, nice human being, not a boring stuffed shirt.

9. On the "Contact Us" page, do you have nothing more than your phone number or a form? If so, deduct five points. If you tell them what happens when they contact you and how you start to work with clients, and you make it safe and friendly to contact you, give yourself a ten.

10. Do you have a Blog, either within your web site, or as a direct link to it from your home page? If you have one and post to it at least five times a week, give yourself ten points. No blog gets a zero, and lower points for posts that are few and far between.

OK, what did you score? (Some people might be in minus territory!)

Despite all the excitement about social media, the centerpiece of your marketing is your web site. And if it's a piece of crap, it's hurting you more than helping you. I don't know about you, but if I'm looking at doing business with someone and they have a crappy site, it's all over; they don't get a chance. But if the site is great, the odds are tipped in their favor.

This is one of those things you have complete control over. Don't put this on a back burner, planning to get around to it someday. In the current economy you need to stand out, look and act professionally, and give people the information they are looking for on your site. Anything less is self-inflicted business suicide.

Learn how you can get a much better site (that scores a ton of points and attracts scores of clients) at this link: www.actionplan.com/wstk.html

Cheers,

Robert Middleton

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Comments

[Free Stuff Online]

not everyone showcases your stuff correctly

[Internet Marketing]

Greetings.
This is perhaps a useful intro to an introduction on internet website (re-)evaluations. I would add several items to this list, including "navigation." The primary issue which negates most such howto's is that every audience may differ. What is satisfactory and even excellent for one audience may not do the trick for another. I would like to see this list expounded on, in great detail.

[Barry Harrison]

Get a twitter evaluation of your site:
Tell me, in 140 characters or less, why your site's worth looking at. I'll tell you, in 140 characters or less, if I agree with you.
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