Does My Website Secretly Suck?

How to Spot the Hidden Flaws Holding Your Website Back.

Is your website falling short? Let’s break it down. I have a short answer and a longer answer for you.

Here’s the quick answer:

if your website is generating leads for your business, it is definitely doing its job. Could it be improved? Sure. But if your website is sending you leads from people who were unaware of your business prior to looking up your services online, then at the very least, it’s not terrible.

Here’s the longer answer:

Let’s take a step backwards. What is a good website? We need a reference to compare something to. A good website is a funnel. It’s a tool that will prompt new users through the Customer Journey (otherwise known as the sales funnel).

Ask anyone in sales “who are the best customers?”  And what do they all say? The best customers are the ones who are ready to buy. It takes a lot of energy and time to individually walk every prospective customer through the customer journey and answer all of their questions just for them to pause or even worse…ghost you!

An effective website, a good website, will do that for you and generate the right leads. It will be able to filter out the tire-kickers, and provide you with the customers who are ready to buy.

Now…How do you build a website that will do that? Another great question - and another short answer and longer one.

So, how do you build a website that will optimize the customer journey?

Here’s the short answer:

Knowing your audience. Running tests. Tracking results. Making changes. Effective follow-up.

Here’s the longer answer:

Let’s back up again and put ourselves into the mind of a customer. They have both a:

  • Felt need

  • Pain point

that they need to address. That’s the whole reason they’re searching online in the first place! They’re looking for a business that can do what you can do. 

Now here’s where your years of experience really matter. You already know what is most important to your customers. You could pause right now and rattle off five or six of the most common questions that they ask you. And those questions will often reflect the expectations they have, how they see your brand, and how serious they are about buying.

Beyond that, you know what the things are about your business that really WOW them. Maybe you have the best turnaround time or a really personal customer experience, or maybe your business of operation shows well. Whatever it is, you know it. 

But if the only time your customers hear your answers to their questions is once they reach out to you, then you’ve already lost the majority of them. And if the only customers who get to see your WOW features are the ones who walk into your store, then you’ve lost the majority of them again.

I live by the basic principle that if some people are saying it, many more are thinking it -and the same applies to business.

When a customer walks into your store, they should ideally know your “WOW factors” already.

To create a good website, you need to think like a marketer and map out the most important questions to your target audience. Then, you need to provide the right prompts with the right messaging that will lead them to the right pages that provide the right information and the right next steps. 

Prompts -> Messaging -> Pages -> Information -> Next Steps

Now, let’s take a second. Realistically, most business owners don’t have the time to run all these tests and invest all this time into improving their websites. And hey, you may be receiving leads from new customers from your website already - and that’s great!

But…how good of a job is it really doing?

You know the drill. I have a short answer and a long answer for you.

Is my website actually doing its job?

Here’s the short answer:

Maybe - there are a lot of factors that come into play here. If you’re not sure, let’s work together. Hire me for a one-time website audit. We’ll meet virtually. I’ll set up your website to begin tracking the right metrics. We’ll meet virtually a month later and I’ll present it all to you.

Yes, this is a sales pitch. Is it working?

Hey, look! I’m a real person!

Here’s the longer answer:

Here are the tools I use to help determine a website’s efficiency and effectiveness:

  1. G4 Analytics 

  2. Google Search Console

Yep, that’s it (at least for an audit). These are free applications put forward by Google and they help you track the success metrics of your website. 

A Quick Peek At G4 Analytics

On G4 Analytics, look at the “Key” pages on your website (all pages should play a role on your website, but think “homepage”, “product pages”, and “contact pages” for starters).

Using this tool, you can see how your customers engage with your website, including their:

  • Time on Page

  • Engagement Rate

  • Conversion Rate

And then (this is a little more complicated but super important) check out the Path Exploration tool.

The path exploration tool allows you to see how users are moving through your website pages.

Using this tool, you can check out the paths users are taking when they arrive on your website, and whether or not they’re moving from one intended page to the next.

A Quick Peek at Google Search Console

Google Search Console is another cool tool, and it will show you what your customers are searching for on Google to find you, and whether you’re trending positively or negatively for the right keywords.

This video is a great beginner’s guide for Google Search Console.

Google Search Console is an absolutely essential tool for businesses looking to enhance their website's performance. It provides valuable insights into how your site appears in Google search results, including which keywords drive traffic and how users interact with your content.

With features to monitor site “health,” identify technical issues, and track page performance, it can help you pinpoint areas in need of improvement. By addressing errors, optimizing pages, and understanding user behaviour, you can use this tool to boost your search rankings, improve user experience, and ultimately drive more traffic to your website

Not Sure Your Website Is Hitting the Mark? Let’s Fix That Together.

At Two Birds Marketing, we specialize in helping local businesses improve their online presence through search engine optimization, social media marketing and website design. We’ve been at it for almost a decade and are committed to helping other small businesses in our community thrive.