Have you ever spent time wondering why your website doesn’t earn you the leads and customers you’d hoped for when you launched it? Given up because it all seems too complicated to unravel? Well, here’s some advice that’s not just effective…it’s simple!
Website strategist Dianna Huff says that a recently published B2B Web Usability Report “surprised” her. Among the findings: the role played by two common site elements — “Contact Us” and “About Us” — can be crucial in holding visitors and converting them to live prospects.
Significant numbers (high as 55%) of survey respondents said that inadequate “contact” or “about” made them feel as if their time had been wasted and often drove them away from a site. Obviously, Huff concluded, more attention to these web pages is in order.
Huff’s reaction is one of those “Duh!?!” moments. Asked directly, all of us are likely to say that “contact” and “about” are important, and virtually every website contains some version of them.
As part of AUMW’s ongoing effort to provide and disseminate useful, valuable information about Content Marketing, we publish reviews of articles that have stimulated our thinking.
This post reviews an article by Dianna Huff on Content Marketing Institute: Why 55% of Potential B2B Buyers Might Not Trust Your Website Content.
But, like me, you’ve undoubtedly experienced frustration on sites where it’s a chore just to find the “contact” and “about” information, and equal or greater frustration with sites that provide too little “contact” or “about” substance.
Examples:
- “Contact” information that’s limited to a generic email form or — maybe worse — an “800” number that you just know will connect you with one of those digital answering systems we all love to hate.
- “About” information that offers a one- or two-sentence summary of the business or organization’s essential mission, but no “where we came from,” “how we got here,” or “who we are.”
Fortunately, the remedy is obvious, and it’s manageable, even by small-to-medium-sized organizations: First, review your “Contact” and “About” website data. (You do have them, right?!?) Think about what you can do to make them more accessible and useful and inviting to your site visitors. Then beef them up.
Here are three “Where’s the beef?” items to consider:
- Make them prominent. Nobody wants to waste time searching for contact information or information about your organization. Put multiple links in places where they’ll be seen and easily clicked.
- Make them personal. Really take some time and tell your “about us” story; answer the “where from,” the “how,” and the “who” questions I mentioned above. And don’t shy away from specifics or even a humorous anecdote. Add bios of key personnel and include recent, friendly photos.
- Make them complete. For “contact,” a generic “800” number or a stock “mission statement” won’t invite people to engage with you. Instead, provide names and personal emails and phone numbers whenever possible. And make sure to include a street address, so people don’t conclude you’re a “virtual company.”
Final Thought
One final thought that applies to every element of your website: don’t file it and forget it. A productive website is a living document, so tend it like one. Establish metrics that will allow you to measure your site’s performance. And revisit your site often — yes, even that “take-me-for-granted” “Contact Us” and “About Us” information — to look for ways to improve it.
