Is your website preventing sales?

In a sense, the Internet has gone full circle over the past 40 years. (Yes, 40 years! A global network called the “Internet” was born in the 70s but smaller, similarly intentioned networks such as ARPANET had been around for a decade before that.)

Back then, researchers used the networks for very specific purposes. While I’m sure it was fun, it was hardly a playground. It was for very serious work.

Then, it went public. Millions of people found themselves online and we were introduced to flashing smiley faces and home-grown websites, some of which were—and, maybe, still are— pretty, well, unusual. People had fun experimenting and “surfing” just for the entertainment value.

While it can still offer its share of entertainment (think www.youtube.com), for businesses— and, specifically for a business’s clients—it has become a tool with a very specific purpose: getting information.

Research tells us that when potential clients visit your website, they are not looking for entertainment, wild and wacky graphics or great gobs of information about your corporate history. They want straight facts about you, your products and what you can do for them. They want information and plain language.

And they want it now.

Are you helping them achieve their goals?

Take a good, hard look at your website. Are visitors able to find information quickly and easily or is your site filled with fluff and stuff about you that they don’t care about? Does it give them clear choices or do they struggle to even find the contact information?

Presumably, your products and services help meet your customers’ needs. You website should, too.