Did you know your website might be losing you a lot of money?
Your site is usually the first place a new potential client or customer will learn about you. It’s your initial connection point – an introduction to your business, the problems you solve, the products you sell, and the results you deliver.
However, there are 10 common mistakes I see on business websites that cause the biz to lose money over time. See if you’re making any of these costly mistakes…
1. You aren’t collecting email addys of your ideal customers.
If you don’t have a way to collect email addresses of your visitors… how are you going to follow up with people who might become your ideal customers?
2. You don’t offer an irresistible free gift.
Your website or landing page should offer an irresistible free gift, such as a report or ebook with valuable information, in exchange for someone’s email address.
And no, “Join our newsletter” doesn’t count as a free gift. It’s not compelling enough. Too vague.
Not having a compelling free gift is the main reason why people don’t sign up to your email list.
3. You have a free gift, but it could be better, or fine-tuned, or tweaked.
Tweaking the language of your free gift’s title, description, positioning, and/or the offer itself can make a huge in whether people actually opt in…or close the page and never return. It can also make a difference in whether you’re getting the right people onto your list, or the wrong people.
4. Your site is fancy and beautiful, but it’s not focused on making it easy for people to buy.
It doesn’t matter how fancy or beautifully designed your site is…if you’re making it difficult for people to buy, you’ll have low or no sales.
5. You overemphasize your credentials and the letters behind your name…but not your story.
I was just having a conversation with someone about this…no one cares about your long list of credentials, certifications, degrees, or letters behind your name. No one cares if you’re wearing a white lab coat, exerting “authority,” or if you’ve been on ABC, CBC, Fox News, etc.
However, people DO care about the story of why and how you created your business. So tell the story of who you are (on your About page and/or Home page) and how this relates to helping your audience. No one can resist a good story.
6. Your site isn’t designed with busy or “dumb” users in mind.
Before I started my biz, I worked in online customer service for 4.5 years. Man, we dealt with some DUMB people. We’d get asked the same questions over and over again. Eventually I realized it was the company’s fault that we were constantly getting asked the same dumb questions…because the company hadn’t made the answers readily available on their website.
I consider my years in customer service as “million dollar lessons” in how to keep things simple, so that even the “not-so-bright” people can understand and figure out where to get the information they need.
If your site is set up like a complicated maze, so that even the most intelligent people can’t figure out where to find the information they want… game over. Lack of simplicity and clarity are losing you money. People are busy…they don’t want to waste time trying to figure out how to navigate your site.
7. There’s no pictures or videos of you, the owner.
Companies used to get away with hiding behind an impersonal website…not anymore. Pictures of you and your family, or whoever is involved in the business (even your dog) are a must!
Pictures make things more personal and interesting. This allows people connect with you on a human level.
8. Your content isn’t MEI’ing (motivating, educating, or inspiring) anyone.
Stop hiring $30/hr writers to write generic “filler content” on your blog. It doesn’t work. No one reads that shit, or cares. Your blog needs to have articles that literally change people’s lives… based on what changed YOUR life. Think: truthful, real, raw content.
9. Your store page is poorly organized, difficult to use, and/or confusing to navigate.
Again, assume all visitors to your site are either pressed for time, or “dumb.” The last thing they want to do is waste 10 minutes trying to figure how to add the products they want to their shopping cart. Or they’re literally of average intelligence and need things simplified to the max.
Make it easy for people to give you their money!
10. You haven’t set up a funnel yet.
If you haven’t set up a funnel… you’re living in a cave! You’re probably losing a ton of money, because you’re doing ALL of the mistakes above…and you don’t even realize it.
To remedy this, I created my Anti-Marketing Jumpstart Kit, which helps you set up a basic funnel for your business. I will personally work with you to create a solid funnel that brings you new leads, opt-ins, and sales. I’ll look at your current site to see where you’re losing money – and determine which tweaks/changes/edits can result in significantly more profits for you.
Stop losing money on your website… click here to get started.
Talk soon,
Michelle
Michelle Lopez Boggs is a copywriter, copywriting mentor, and author of "The Anti-Marketing Manifesto: How to Sell Without Being a Sellout." She's helped her clients sell millions of dollars' worth of products and services online by using the MEI(S) principle — motivate, educate, and inspire, and sell. 