
Give yourself a quick website analysis
Marketing SuganoShare
This past week CharTec hosted the first Academy of 2016, and what was really interesting to us was that most of our marketing sessions were redirected to chats regarding effective websites.
In fact, we had a record number of attendees schedule 30-minute sessions during Academy with our Marketing Director and Account Manager to receive a brief analysis of their company’s website. To us, this isn’t just an indicator that websites are an area of concern for our members; it’s a large, flashing neon sign pointing straight towards the digital storefront.
Because of this, we plan to create more educational material centered on effective websites—from Academy sessions and whitepapers to webinars and useful tools. And let’s start right here, right now, with this very blog. Here’s a simple rundown of how to give yourself a quick website analysis.
Homepage
Everything starts with the homepage. It’s your first impression, and because of this, it’s incredibly important that your homepage isn’t confusing, annoying, or outdated.
Look at the first major headline. Do you even have one? Or is it a glob of text hosted on multiple sliders? And if you do have a headline, what does it say about your company?
In less than 10 words, you should say exactly what it is your business does—not how great you do it or how fabulous your staff is. What do you do for your clients? What problem do you solve? If you aren’t sure how to do this, then take a look at Buffer’s website or the website of payment processor, Square.
This is Buffer’s headline: A better way to social media.
This is Square’s headline: Start selling today.
Simple. Straightforward. Customer focused. And… impactful. That is the key.
Now, obviously there’s a lot more to a homepage than just the first headline, and we plan to dig into that in future whitepapers. But, to get you started, you need to look for three important things:
- Is your homepage mobile friendly?
- Do you have noticeable call to actions?
- Are your services clearly displayed?