It’s hard for an author or speaker today to effectively promote their book or their speaking services without a website, even if they don’t do a lot of sales on-line. But many people think having a website is as simple as purchasing a pre-made template or hiring someone off Craig’s List.
There are a number of tests you should put your website through to make sure it is doing what it should, even if you don’t have a complicated or flashy website. Competition on the Internet can be fierce with the economy becoming more and more global and more people and companies using websites as part of their marketing strategy.
First impressions are key on the Internet. And that impression can last less than a minute as click happy page viewers come and go. How would you answer these questions about your website?
1. Do People Know Where They Are Right Away?
Does your logo have a visual meaning and describe your business? People will see before they read, so you need to grab their attention right away. Make sure you use a wide variety of pictures and images to convey the result people will get from using your services.
Words are important as well, though, so make sure your company name is clearly visible immediately and that you have a tagline that tells people what you do. Communicate immediately on every page with a strong title that tells them where they are and what they can expect.
Try to be unique on your website, but never be modest or assume your customer will sell themselves. Make sure your site communicates boldly what you can offer your future customers.
2. Have you checked out your computer on various viewing platforms and browsers?
In the world of computers, nothing is created equal. What looks great on Firefox might be a mess on Windows Explorer, and even on different versions of each. Don’t take anything for granted. Ask people you know and trust to view your website on at least 5 different monitor sizes, Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 operating systems, and on PC as well as MAC computers.
If your customers use mobile internet, you will want to check several phones as well, including iPhone and Blackberry. It can be surprising how different a site can look on different viewing platforms.
3. How functional is your website?
The most annoying thing a website visitor can experience is slow loading pages. In most cases, that potential customer clicks away before even seeing what you have to offer and becomes a former potential customer before you know it.
Make the effort to walk through your who site, page by page, as though you are your perfect customer. Do the pages load quickly enough? Do all links work and direct to the pages you want them to direct to? Do you see spelling errors or other grammatical problems? Is the contact information readily found on your website?
The ultimate goal of this Website Reality Test is to ensure that your potential customers are welcomed into your site rather than driven away. Make it easy for them to get around your site, find what they want (and what you’re selling) and become your customer.
Make sure to stop by ProfessionalSpeakerPromotionOnline.com to find many other resources for successfully promoting your professional speaker career online.
