Platform

New Website
 by James Kemp

Why You Might Need a New Website (And Why You Might Not)

Have you looked at your website analytics lately?

Does your website have much traffic?

Is it bringing you new customers?

More importantly, is it bringing you any ROI?

If your answer to these questions is “NO,” sit down and think. Why did you create a website in the first place when it’s not doing it’s job?

Your website is your business’ 24-hour ambassador.

It’s a platform to convey your messages, to your target audience, to engage prospects and move them closer to your brand.

If it’s not doing it’s job, it’s a tell-tale sign. Rethink your digital strategy.

Starting, of course, with assessing your website.

What are the signs that you need to look into?

1. Your website design looks outdated

You may have heard of this popular adage: “first impressions last a lifetime.” This does not only refer to people. It also refers to design.

According to a study, it only takes 1/1oth of a millisecond to form an opinion about a person. Similar to this, it only takes 50 milliseconds for a web visitor to form an opinion about your website.

What will your visitors think if they see a static website with an outdated design?

They may think you’re not that serious about your business, right?

Keep in mind that having a fresh and responsive website with a good visual design is the gateway to more leads. Web visitors who keep coming back to your site can later turn into paying customers.

2. Your site is NOT mobile-friendly

This is very relevant this year, since Google will release another update that will prioritise mobile-friendly websites on the searches. On the other hand, “G” will penalise sites that are NOT mobile-friendly.

It would be wise for you to know if your site is mobile-friendly through this link: https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/

There’s a good reason why Google is pushing for this update. It’s obvious that mobile devices are now prevalent. People all over the world used them to browse the web. Any type of business that has a website should adapt. Otherwise, you will be left out in the searches.

3. Your site is navigationally challenged

A website should provide a good user experience by having sleek and well-planned navigation. Your visitors must easily find the information they need on your site because this builds credibility on your part.

Having a site with bad navigation can be a huge deterrent to your visitors. They may even go to your competitors when they’re disappointed with your current website.

If your site is difficult to navigate, there are key parts of your website that you can improve.

According to an eye-tracking study from MST, there are website sections that drew the most interest from viewers. These are as follows:

  • The institution’s logo. Users spent about 6.48 seconds focused on this area before moving on.
  • The main navigation menu. Almost as popular as the logo, subjects spent an average of 6.44 seconds viewing the menu.
  • The search box, where users focused for just over 6 seconds.
  • Social networking links to sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Users spent about 5.95 seconds viewing these areas.
  • The site’s main image, where users’ eyes fixated for an average of 5.94 seconds.
  • The site’s written content, where users spent about 5.59 seconds.
  • The bottom of a website, where users spent about 5.25 seconds.

4. Your site isn’t interactive enough

In today’s marketing arena, it’s NOT just about what you have and what you think your prospects’ want and need. It’s more about engaging them. That is why your visitors must have the option to comment on your content, or to give a direct feedback.

If your site is all one way, then you’re NOT connecting with your audience. You must get a dialogue going by giving them the option to respond, express and ask questions.

5. Your site’s search engine ranking is dropping

Although this is a very technical subject to delve into, it’s essential that you are visible online. This means that you are on the first page of the SERPs.

Google, Yahoo and Bing implements standards every site admin should follow. When a site fails to adhere to the rules, then its rankings will surely plummet.

If you think your site is no longer listed on the top three pages of the SERPs, then it’s time to update or change your site entirely.

6. The content on your site (web copy and image) is no longer aimed at your target audience

There will come a time when your site is no longer relevant to your market. You have to adapt to the situation or risk getting left behind. In order to cope up with this situation, your site must have a new look and content that your prospects need.

Posting new content is a good starting point. If you don’t have a blog, it’s a good time to start.

Updating your current site is not only about changing the design. Your web copy and images also needs updating. The aim here is to persuade your site visitors to stay and look around. Your blog’s aim, on the other hand is to engage your customers and leads so they will continue to patronise your business.

Is it expensive to get a new website?

Not anymore. In fact, new site templates are more mobile-friendly, easy to update and more customisable than older versions. You can regularly update the information of your site or adjust it based on the needs and wants of your target market.

Always remember, your audience and search engines respond best to new and changing content.

If you’re planning to get a new website that converts, then speak to James first and book in a free 30 minute strategy session.

You can also download our FREE EBOOK to know how you can grow your business using The Growth Engine.

 

 

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Business
 by James Kemp

More than a Website: How to Create a 24/7 Engine for your Business

You have to own your online platform if you want to call the shots and control the growth of your business.

At Growth HQ, we decided do stop using the word ‘website’ when we describe what we built for our clients. For our clients, a website is not enough. Many of our clients have been burnt before. They have had websites built for them and spent up in a big way only to find that their sexy new site does nothing other than look pretty. There’s no ROI and there’s no traction.

Now we don’t want to discriminate against pretty, but it really is what’s on the inside that counts. It’s about laying down the foundations and building a skyscraper one level at a time. Building the tallest skyscraper in town takes time, but when it’s built, you have the best view across the land. You then just need to maintain your property to keep it top notch.

How can your business stand out from the rest online?

How can you dominate the competition via online marketing?

The definition of an engine is:

“a machine with moving parts that converts power into motion”

We build Growth Engines, not websites.

A Growth Engine is an adaptable and scalable platform that allows you to feed it with fuel over and over again.

As a business owner, you want a platform that is high performing, consistent and gives you a ROI.

This all starts with your prospects. Who are they and what makes them tick? What are their needs and what problems are they trying to solve? How can you help them?

Once you know what your prospects value most, you can focus on building a platform that will feed you leads and nurture them into paying customers.

Business

7 Steps to Building Your Very Own Growth Engine

  1. Product – How do you create a product that stands above the rest? By making sure it serves the needs of the marketplace. Your product is nothing if your target customers don’t need it (or think they don’t need it) and don’t understand it.
  1. Persona – The new way of marketing online is to pick one group of customers and focus on their needs and wants. Kiwi business owners try to do too much. As a nation, when it comes to business we say yes too much. Because we are a small country, we think we have to do it all and please everyone. This is an outdated approach. New Zealand has grown up and we haven’t noticed. It’s time to think micro rather than macro and niche down. Focus on one type and others will be attracted organically. This approach means that you can provide clear and direct messages. You get inside the heads of your prospects and you give them what they want.

In order for this to work, you must be clear on who your target market is. Then you focus on them and only them and provide solutions to their problems.

When you focus on a buyer persona, you tailor and direct everything in the business – from product development to marketing and delivery.

  1. Platform – The third step is to create a platform that you own and control. You will communicate with your audience via your Growth Engine. It must provide valuable content that your prospects and customers are looking for. In short, it’s your platform that will build strong relationships and convert leads into paying customers.
  1. Attract – After identifying your buyer persona – you now attract that group of people. You do this simply, by producing content that solves their problems. In addition, you choose the right channels to distribute and promote the content through (this is where social media comes in).
  1. Capture – Now you have traffic and loads of it. You are giving away valuable content but you want something back in return, their email address. The best way to get this is through direct response marketing. You offer a freebie like a guide, book or software in return for their email address. You now have permission to start a beautiful relationship.
  1. Nurture – The next essential step is to nurture your relationships, so no kissing on the first date. Keep adding value to their lives. Keep communicating until they are ready to take the next step. Always be there for them.
  1. Conversion – This step focuses on converting prospects into paying customers. You must determine which offer will most likely make the sale. Keep in mind though that you need to craft an offer that matches the different stages of the buying cycle. Timing is crucial to conversion since you need to build a strong foundation. You can only focus on conversion when you have done everything else. Build your foundations first and your skyscraper will follow.

Successful real estate agency, Apartment Specialists built a Growth Engine and went from $0 – $1 million. Want to get your own Growth Engine? Download our FREE book.

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