What kind of first impression do you create, when people find you online?
I often follow links from Twitter and Facebook to small business websites and blogs. A lot of the time, these sites look amateur, dated or both. No matter how good the actual services offered by these businesses are, their shoddy Internet presence means most people won’t take them seriously! Prospective clients arrive, see a low quality site and instantly build a negative initial impression of that person or business.
Mixed messages
When we say one thing and then do something else, we create what’s called a mixed message. Mixed messages create confusion, which is the fastest way to lose business or miss a sale. One of the oldest sayings in marketing is:
“A confused mind always says NO!”
In other words, if someone is asked to make a buying decision when they are confused, they will typically say “no!” and just keep things as they are. If you promise people a solid, professional service, your website or blog needs to look solid and professional too. If they find a site that looks cheap or unprofessional, you are giving your prospective clients a mixed message, which creates confusion and loses you business.
First impressions count
First impressions are extremely important in marketing and business generally. You need to ensure that when someone arrives at your website, they see something which gives a great account of you and your services and positions you in their mind as a professional. Your site should confirm your promises. It should clearly show that you have a professional attitude to business. If it doesn’t, it will be costing you a fortune in missed business and opportunities.
Depending on which survey you read between 85% and 95% of people, will visit the site of a potential vendor, before deciding to do business with them. This means it’s extremely important that what they find when they arrive at YOUR site, inspires them to feel confident about you and your services.
How I resolved this problem
I resolved this problem, by building this site using something called Headway. It allowed me to build a site myself, even though I know nothing about code or web designing. You can see a video of Headway in action, using this affiliate link. Since moving this site to Headway, I have been able to improve my online presence and have total control over the look and feel of this site. It’s one of the best commercial investments I ever made and it cost peanuts (about the same as a game for my son’s xbox!)
Alternatively, you can hire a web designer and commission them to build you a site. If you take that route, I suggest you find a site you love the look and feel of and find out who designed it.
The bottom line: Anyone can have a professional looking website or blog, regardless of their budget. There’s just no need to lose all that potential business. This is really important, if you are serious about your marketing results and the image of your business!