Web designs do more while websites do less

In general, the web is getting prettier, website designs are fancier, and it’s easier than ever to get a nice website up and running on the Internet. But, I’ve noticed a counterproductive trend for most businesses, and consumers, by the way, that websites are doing a lot less (productive things).

I probably need to tease that thought out a bit…

I’m running into a lot of potential clients that have websites that are really fancy, aesthetically pleasing, but have little to no web traffic (i.e., visitors, customers, and prospects) and don’t generate a single lead or revenue for their company.

What is going on?

Here is a comment I got from a marketing director I talked to yesterday:

“Well, I’m much more concerned about how it functions that whether it will generate web traffic.”

Here is another one:

“I don’t want to generate any sales leads with the website. Then I would be on the hook for the quality of the leads.”

This is dangerous thinking. A website (and a marketing director) that doesn’t support sales isn’t a sustainable position.

You must create a platform that is aesthetically pleasing and informative for the primary purpose of engaging customers to inquire about your products and services. This platform must attract an audience and then acquire their ongoing interest in your business.

Please, take a look at your website and do this quick review:

1. Look at Google Analytics. How is your traffic? Where is it coming from? What are people landing on and exiting from? You don’t have Google Analytics installed? That needs to be fixed, ASAP. Otherwise, you are flying blind with your web strategy.
2. Look at your website. Let’s start with the home page. What does it tell visitors to do? (Probably nothing). Is your contact information from and center? Do you give me an email address to reach you?
3. Look at your internal web pages. Now we’re getting down to the where the rubber really meets the road. Where are most of your visitors landing? It’s probably not your home page. Most websites experience about 90% of the visitors landing on an internal page, often the about page or blog post, not the home page. What do these pages tell visitors to do? Can they quickly find a way to contact you?
4. Look at your website on your smart phone or tablet. Is it usable? Can you quickly understand your products and services? Can you immediately contact–call–your company? Most websites are now experiencing 50–60% mobile traffic. Your website must be mobile responsive!
5. Look at your outcomes. Are you generating sales leads/revenue through your website? If not, why? What isn’t working? Not enough traffic? Not asking for the sale? These are important questions. Most websites simply are designed to generate sales.

After this quick review, you’ll get an immediate sense of whether your web design is standing still (just a pretty face) or moving your business forward (generating leads). I love beautiful websites, but the best websites are actually contributing to your business.