What kind of website do you have? There are millions of domains, thousands of styles and designs and hundreds of platforms. I don’t mean nay of those. I mean, what is your website’s job? I want to talk at least two different kinds of occupations a website can have, from my perspective there’s the Business Card and the Salesperson. Which one is yours? Well let’s explore the qualities that define them and then you decide what your website is to you, and perhaps… what it could be.
The Business Card
Many websites are little more than an online business card. Ok, a very large business card with maybe a product list or menu attached. But still essentially no more or less than a 2 by 3.5 inch card that contains your vitals. Address, phone number, heart rate, allergies, ya know the basics.
You may list the location of your “business card” on your promotional materials your take-out menus, your mailers. You may even have submitted your site to Google’s local search so you show up on the map. But why do you have a website? So that people who are looking for you can find you? Well, if that’s the case, you my friend have a business card.
You have a website which only serves people who already want to find you. And right now it’s sitting there gathering dust in the world’s largest rolodex waiting for someone to seek out your name and come a’calling.
But what about all of the people who want to find someone LIKE you but don’t know your name? How are they going to find your business?
Have you ever dreamt of hiring someone whose entire job was strictly to promote your business and services all day? Well, your website wants to apply for the job. He or She doesn’t take lunch, doesn’t need vacation time, sick days, health care, coffee breaks or good office morale to function superbly. Oh and did I mention, he/she speaks multiple languages and will work around the clock without ever sleeping? I’d hire him. So why haven’t you?
The Sales Person
A good web site is out there pitching your business to everyone interested in what you have to offer. How? Search engines, referrals, social media. You name it. This guy can be out there singing your praises. Do you sell pizza? A well optimized salesperson website is out there vying for the attention of every person in your vicinity that has a craving for pizza. It’s like being inside a potential customer’s head at the precise moment that they want whatever you have to offer. Freaky, but extremely effective.
The salesperson website, answers questions, provides information, gathers feedback and projects an image of confidence to everyone it comes in contact with. It is the best face of your company at all times. It is constantly looking for new customers, new ways to reach people, new audiences for your products and services.
The major difference between a business card website and a salesperson website, is actually pretty simple. It’s a way of thinking. It’s the difference between looking at a website as a place card that is taking up space on the net just for the sake of having something there, and looking at a website as the future of your business.
The major benefit of the salesperson site is it’s out reach, it doesn’t sit at home all dressed up on a Friday night waiting for the boys to call, it puts itself out there. There are a few ways to do that. One way is to join the rankings race. And it is a race, because when you rank high in a search engine like Google for a popular Keyword phrase, it can easily translate to hundreds or even thousands of visitors to your site, A DAY. Imagine that. It sounds great, but because it’s so competitive trying to achieve rankings can be intimidating. But with help from people who know what they are doing, it’s not so bad.
In order to upgrade a business card to a salesperson, it will take some time, effort and planning. It may also take professional help. The thing is, Google has over 200 factors they take into account when ranking. Now, you can go out and research them, or you can enlist the assistance of someone with intimate knowledge of the search landscape. Either way, the active pursuit of search engine rankings is the first step to converting your site to a salesperson. See it’s not enough just to accurately describe who you are and what you do; a site needs to be intentionally structured to rank well within search engines. It all begins, very simply, with conscious intention.
Once you change the way you see your website, the world of possibilities on the web will be open to you. With the right marketing, creativity and a few smart technical decisions, you can put your new salesperson to work bringing in new business.
