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Why Your Website Doesn’t Make Sales

Most businesses know that they need to be online; a brick and mortar shopfront is no longer enough. Many owners have rushed to get a website up and running, spending thousands of dollars in the process, and then wonder why they don’t see a return on their investment.

First, it must be acknowledged that a business owner is a specialist in their sector. Website design and marketing is a specialist niche in its own right. Owners need to receive the right advice from those who know what they are doing.

Unfortunately, this is not always the case. There are several common themes which explain poor website performance.

1. You Are Not Providing Value

Possibly the most crucial role of your website is to provide potential customers with information that helps them to make a decision or purchase. A website that only includes information on your business and contact information is unlikely to rank well on search engines, and customers will not see it.

It’s good practice to have a blog, where you can post news and useful stories and comments regularly. Search engines are more likely to reward you for posting valuable information by moving you higher up the rankings. Customers will also return to a website that has helped them.

2. No-One Knows it Exists

The old saying of ‘build it and they will come’ does not apply to a website. People need to know your site is there and why they should look at it. With the myriad of choices on the internet, you need to give them compelling reasons to come to you.

If you are producing content, then don’t only post it on your site, spread it across social media with hashtags. Interact with others who post like-minded articles and share their information in return for them sharing yours. If your products are photogenic, then post them along with exciting stories. People love to read articles that show personality, let them see yours.

3. What Are People Searching For?

Posting fresh and engaging content is a must. However, it won’t be of benefit if no-one is searching for that kind of information. It’s essential to understand keyword research and include the terms in your articles.

Don’t overuse your keywords either, as search engines will punish you and customers will find it too much like a sales pitch. Effective search engine optimization, otherwise known as SEO is the key to moving up the search engine rankings as quickly as possible.

Naturally add in words that are popular search terms. These phrases change regularly, so it’s not very easy to stay on top of which keywords need to be in each article. Over time, the work will have been worth it, as you build up a reputation as an authority in your sector.

The aim is to have people come to you, rather than continually having to chase new business.

4. It’s too Expensive to Get Changes Made

Many business owners will have paid thousands of dollars to a web design agency, only to find they need them to make every small change, and that it is expensive to do. Using tools like WordPress, allow you to build a site quickly and easily, and update it with just a few mouse clicks. You can add widgets to give valuable insights and help to attract new clients.

Always ask to see how you can update your site before handing over any money. It can save thousands in the long-term.

Final Thoughts

Owners can be surprised when they have invested heavily to get a great looking website, only to find it stagnates and provides no benefit to sales. It’s vital to get the right advice at the outset. Promote your site at every opportunity and interact online with similar businesses. Businesses who nurture their online sales processes now will reap the benefits in the future.

Tribulant Software

I am the owner at Tribulant Software and I have a great passion for WordPress, development, blogging and the Internet in general. Building useful plugins to improve WordPress’ functionality is my goal.