Top 5 Signs That Your Website Sucks
By John Metzler © 2009

Small business owners may not have the resources to invest
heavily in their web presence and finding solutions to problems
can be like finding a needle in a haystack. You know
something's wrong but don't have the faintest idea how to fix
it. Is it a technical issue? Are your ads not performing well?
Don't know what kind of traffic you're getting? Website
problems can fall into a myriad of categories. So if you think
your website sucks, a) it probably does, and b) you should read
on.

1. You Aren't Getting Traffic

You're excited about the big, expensive job the design team
just finished on your site. It looks like a million bucks! Well
it's a shame it isn't making you a darn cent. Just because it
exists doesn't mean people know about it. Announce it to the
world by submitting it to reputable directories and sharing your
useful content with others on social bookmarking sites (you do
have useful content, don't you? If not, I'll cover this
later). You can even do some link exchanges -- provided the
sites you exchange with are reputable -- just to get your site
crawled early on. Further optimize it for search engines by
following good SEO practices, building quality content and
generating inbound links from other sites. Once you do that,
you'll need to monitor progress with web analytics software.
Google Analytics is free and it has a slick interface. And we
know you like pretty things seeing as how you broke the bank on
your web site design.

If you're looking for high ROI, invest your own time in
learning search engine marketing. Better yet hire a qualified
SEO firm if you have the budget for it. Don't settle for
quick-fix promotional ideas. Build long-term exposure and a
solid reputation by attaining high rankings, keeping
email/newsletter lists, targeted ad placement and social media
participation.

2. You Have Worthless Content

What defines worthless content? Without knowing what topic your
web site covers it's tough to say, but if you have nothing that
sets you apart from your top competitors then I'd say you
aren't in good shape. If you don't know what kind of content
people are looking for on the Internet today, take a peek at
what's popular on social bookmarking sites. Observe some of the
story titles on the front page of Digg.com:

"Guinness Stout Beef Stew Recipe for St. Patrick's Day"
"In Move to Digital TV, Confusion Is in the Air"
"Kim Jong-Il Interprets Sunrise As Act Of War"
"Automatic bacon dispenser?"
"The 5 Best Obama Photomosaics on Flickr"

Words I would use to describe these topics, in order, are:
seasonal, informative, satirical, comical, and trendy. This
information is popular because it's appealing in its uniqueness
and is relevant to today's market. To set yourself apart from
your competition, you need to get creative. If you're the kind
of person who had trouble painting by numbers, then hire someone
creative. Professional copy writers can be well worth the
investment. Create free tools your customers will want to use;
write funny or interesting commentary in a blog about your
industry; put a new spin on a traditional product or service or
offer seasonal discounts. Create a comprehensive F.A.Q. on your
site that covers topics your competitors don't.

Take the time to beef up your content. Be innovative - don't be
afraid to think outside the box. Use the top competitor in your
field as a measuring stick.

3. You Have No Call-to-Action

Poor promotional language can have a sabotaging effect if
visitors aren't drawn to your conversion pages. A conversion
page is any page that acts as the final step in a visitor
submitting a form, making direct contact or purchasing a product
online. Obscuring those pages or confusing the visitor on where
to go next can make them leave your site. Internet users have a
short attention span - give them a clear direction when
navigating your web site.

Use your web analytics software again to find out what pages
visitors are landing on first. If your home page gets the most
traffic, make sure there are clear links to your sub-topics. If
inner pages are your most popular landing pages, find out if the
traffic is targeted. Once you know the type of visitor and the
specific page they land on, then you can start marketing your
content more accurately.

The bottom line is to always make clear why, and how, visitors
can buy your product. Don't get too cute with multiple steps,
options or convoluted language.

4. You're Getting Traffic But No Sales

Are you sure the traffic is relevant? If you're running a
pay-per-click campaign, ensure your ads are geo-targeted
properly and your ad text or landing pages appeal to your
customers. For organic search engine placement, have you done
keyword research and analysis before optimizing your content?
Look at your web stats and see where your visitors are coming
from. What keywords were they searching for when they landed on
your site? Are the referring sites relevant to your industry or
topic? How much time does the visitor spend on each page? Sales
won't come if your visitors aren't interested in what you're
selling. This is why preliminary keyword analysis is so
important to search engine marketing.

If you're running ads, it's always good practice to experiment
with different ad campaigns. If you put all your eggs in one
basket you run the risk of losing out on potential revenue.
Elements of your ads that you can change are:

- ad text
- landing page
- specific network your ads are shown across
- topics on which you focus the campaign
- geo-locations targeted

Remember, it doesn't pay to skimp on initial product/market
research and analysis.

5. You're Getting Relevant Traffic But No Sales

This problem could signal a technical error or navigation
problem with your site. Make sure you thoroughly test all
functionalities on various web browsers and systems. Submit test
forms. Do a link check to spot possible broken links. Is your
web hosting service reliable?

If you've ruled out technical issues as the cause then turn
your attention to the content and customer base. Has your market
taken a downturn? Can the lack of sales be attributed to the
poor economy? Have you fallen behind your competition in product
quality, selection or pricing? Does your web site's navigation
system confuse users? Your web site is the first line of contact
between the business and potential customer, but it's not the
only step you need to worry about. Telephone operators or online
payment systems can present their own issues.

This is moving away from web site problems but if any part of
the sales process takes place away from the site, investigate
those areas of your business as well.

If you're pulling out your hair over a problem with your site
and these tips still haven't helped, feel free to post a
comment and I'll personally have a peek at your site.
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With eight years in the search engine marketing industry, John
Metzler of FreshPromo knows what works and what doesn't
regarding website success. His strong grasp on visitor usability
and analysis, along with a highly-skilled SEO perspective, can
be seen through his professional SEO services
(http://www.freshpromo.ca/). Read the FreshPromo blog
(http://www.freshpromo.ca/seo_blog.html) for more free tips
and commentary.
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Copyright © 2009 Jayde Online, Inc.  All Rights Reserved.