Does My Site Really Need This?

It seems intuitive that a feature, or application, should only be added to a website if it stands to benefit the user or the site owner (business owner) in some way. But in many cases, business owners want to add things because they’re thought of as new or impressive. The hope, I can only assume, is that the ‘new’ feature will be interpreted by customers as proof that the company is up to date with the latest and greatest technology, which translates into their own industry.

The problem with adding something to your site solely because it’s the trend is that it may not serve an actual purpose for your visitors. Moreover, the new feature may end up doing the opposite of what it was intended to do, which was to portray your business as current and knowledgeable.

The best example of this is a blog, or a latest news section. Frequently, business owners ask about starting a blog or adding a latest news application to their site so that it adds timeliness to their site. A blog can provide a great service to customers by providing detailed information related to your industry, although if you haven’t updated it in four months, that’s not exactly telling the visitor that you’re on top of things. Additionally, you’ve probably lost whatever following you once had, since those visitors are now going follow more dedicated bloggers. Similar rules apply to a company Twitter account.

There are numerous examples of superfluous add-ons for websites – RSS feeds and visit counters are also frequently misguided requests – and really, anything can be superfluous if it doesn’t meet the following criteria:

• The add-on solves a user’s or site owner’s problem (or both)
• The add-on is maintained relatively frequently (if applicable)
• The add-on flows with the rest of the website’s content so as not to obstruct or distract a user from making the intended action

It’s only natural to want the latest and greatest technology added to one’s site. But before you move forward with adding a new application, make sure you’ve considered the cost/benefit thoroughly and have considered the level of maintenance it requires.

Common Mistakes on B2B Websites – Part 3

In our business, we’re reviewing and improving B2B Websites every day.  I continue to be amazed at some of the issues that come up again and again.  For every site that gets it right, it seems that at least five completely miss the mark … leaving business on the table for their competitors to grab.  Perhaps the most common (and potentially fatal) flaw is poor navigation.

Common Mistake 3 – Poor Navigation

Let’s consider an illustration from the bricks and mortar retail environment.  Imagine entering your favorite

Common Mistakes on B2B Websites – Part 2

How many times have you visited a Website and struggled to understand the purpose of the site or how you might take a next step of engagement?  Perhaps it’s an issue of misguided content, poor navigation, a phone number that’s next to impossible to find, cumbersome contact forms, or more.  In too many cases, businesses make it difficult for their Website visitors to engage with them and suffer the consequences of poor online conversion.

Common Mistake 2 – Lack of Clear, Compelling Calls to Action

Throughout your Website, you need to do more than simply provide content; you need to guide your site visitors through a logical process toward a successful outcome.  Conversion doesn’t just happen – it needs to be strategically planned. 

Common Mistakes on B2B Websites – Part 1

One of the best ways to improve online marketing results (or results in most other areas of life for that matter) is to identify pitfalls that others have fallen into and avoid them.  With this in mind, over the next several weeks, I wanted to share some of the most common mistakes I have seen B2B businesses make online.  Some of the issues may sound elementary, but I have seen enough businesses miss these fundamentals to know that they merit review.

Common Mistake 1 – Lack of a clear, focused welcome statement

Too many B2B companies (and other types of businesses as well) make the mistake of writing their Web content as if it were print media.  Rather than clearly articulating what they offer, who they serve, and how to navigate their site efficiently, they emphasize empty statements of marketing “fluff.”  For example, the primary welcome statement