Website Hell

We have been through the Cabbage Patch doll craze, the American Girl doll craze, the IPod and you name it craze. And yes many companies are now going through the Website Craze. They MUST have a website or else! And in jumping into this craze, many companies are getting severely burnt by unscrupulous web developers or web developer charlatans.


Many companies that have spent thousands of dollars on websites are still sitting and waiting for the world to discover them. The Build it and they will come craze has long been shattered for many a company. And then what do they do? They get roped into more expenditures on so called Search Engine Optimization. There are many good Web developers and SEO experts but just as with any business, it is the few crooks that are ruining it for the entire industry. Go to any business conference or networking meeting and you are surely going to hear many people asking, Who is doing your SEO? It has become the mantra of the 21st century, SEO, Search Engine Optimization.


So you spend $5000 or more for a website no one finds and than another several thousand doing that all important SEO. AND IF YOU ARE LUCKY, VERY LUCKY, YOU MAY GET AN ORDER. MAYBE.

But wait, what about that website? How SHOULD it be designed to take advantage of basic marketing, how SHOULD it be designed to attract customers and make them want, yes you heard right, make them WANT to purchase something from us? Have you been to the L. L. Bean or Amazon website lately? Lets face it, if they have what you are looking for, you want to purchase it from them. And the history of these websites proves that out. So how do we do that with YOUR website, it is an art and few practice it well.


So what's wrong with your website? Simply put, just because you have one does not mean you can forget basic concepts, Marketing 101. If I have a store, online or brick and mortar, what will PERSUADE them to come and find me? Will they come if I am selling ice in the winter, more than likely NO. Will they come if I have a restaurant without air-conditioning in the peak of the summer? I think you know the answer. But wait, what if I offer something very special that they can not get elsewhere, and what if I provide a dining experience very special, maybe in the food, decor. Well , maybe I then will have a fighting chance.

The point is, just because you have a website you mustn't ignore basic marketing. It is one thing to get people to find your website. But it is quite another to get them to purchase from it. Conversions (purchases) are the thing that pays the bills.


On your website you have to do almost the same type of thing you would do in your store. Can you attract a first purchase with a special? A unique product? A unique design ? Maybe it's your pricing or your exceptional guarantee of their satisfaction.

In conclusion, getting people to find your website is a science, but getting people to purchase from your website is an art, an art as old as Marketing itself. And some of the basic marketing concepts have not changed much in 1000 years or more. Learn them and you will greatly improve your conversion rate.