Are you wasting your money on your irrelevant website?
Why do professionals create websites? When I ask my students and clients this question, I always get the following answer: “Because everyone has their days. You just need to build your confidence.
But then I ask: “How does a website build trust?” I often find a moment of silence with this question. It seems like the need to build a website is so obvious that no one thinks WHY they need to spend thousands of hours and dollars.
There are many reasons to create a website, but the best websites are developed with a clear purpose. Amazon’s goal was to become the world’s largest online retailer. eBay’s goal was to become the world’s most popular online auction house. As a service professional, you may have different goals, but the important thing is to provide value.
What is the purpose of your website?
GOAL #1 – Attract new customers
Oh my God! The answer is often obvious and not obvious. What does this mean? First, define what a ‘customer’ is. Is this person a one-time or long-term subscriber to your service? Or someone who buys the product you sell? Or someone who purchased something from one of your partners?
Each type of customer should be addressed differently on your website. You don’t sell your services like you sell MP3s for your television. So if your goal is to attract new customers, define what “customer” means to you.
GOAL #2 – Create Reliability and Reproducibility
In my coaching and teaching, I emphasize the Internet’s ability to maintain credibility and bring you business and more people. These are important goals, but I don’t think they should be your primary goal. The best way to build credibility for your business is to provide relevant, useful and engaging content to your visitors. I believe the best way to be seen again is to spread this information through as many channels as possible.