The majority of startup companies and small businesses either hire a website creator or find a friend to create their website for little or nothing. The company they hire or the person they have to create the website have little or no knowledge of marketing.
Why does your website exist, or why will it exist?
First and most important businesses want people who have an interest in their product or service to find their website. Then every business wants a visitor to the website to do something. Many believe people will become buyers just because they reached their website.
Search engine optimization
Each page of your website gives you the opportunity to optimize for different keywords. Search engines do not give you more clout if every page uses the same keywords. Learn which other words people search to find similar products or services. You want the most monthly searches for those words with the least competition possible.
The truth
The majority of people who find your website will not buy on a first visit. Knowing this, do you have any idea how they are going to find your website when they have made a buying decision? Unless you have reached people through social media, or a search engine, chances are they won’t find your website again.
Important to remember
A second search or even searches on social media will bring up your competition. Have your pages given them a reason to keep searching until they find your website? Believe me this has gotten harder when you consider more searches are done on mobile devices than on computers. Mobile capable and mobile friendly are two very different things. Is each page of your website mobile friendly?
Marketing’s role
Marketing is convincing visitors that you are the solution to the situation in which they find themselves. Do you have enough value on each page for them to want to know more? You must remember that not everyone is going to land on your home page. This is especially true if search engine optimization is done correctly.
Website pages
Each page of your website gives an opportunity to show people you are the solution to their situation. What pain are you going to ease, or how is your product or service going to increase their pleasure? How are you showing them that you have the best solution? Each page should also be set up so a visitor can simply do what it is you want them to do.
Call to action
This pertains to what do you want a visitor to do? Of course you must have a way for those who have already made a buying decision to reach your product or service page. On top of that you want to convince them to give you a way to contact them again.
The money is in the list
Think about what was written above. The majority of visitors to any non-sales page of your website are searching for information. They want to know you have a solution to the situation in which you find themselves. Their first visit is to find out everything they can about your solution. It is going to take 7 to 10 exposures to your business before they make a buying decision (as a general rule). To reach them again, you want their name and email address on your list.
List building adds value
How much value is your business going to have if you ever decide to sell? Would it not have more value if you have a list of returning buyers and interested parties? Do you have an opt in button or box on every page that isn’t a sales page?