You could probably very easily make a list of all the content and functionality you’d like to have on your site. A whole page full of “Wouldn’t it be cool if….s”, but what really is your website all about?
It is easy from an internal perspective to get caught up on what you would like your website to do, and how you would like it to be navigated. However, at the end of the day, your website’s core focus should be serving the needs of your customers. Below I’ve outlined the top 3 reasons customers usually visit websites.
1 – Information
Don’t know how late the store is open? Check their website. Don’t know where they are located? Check the website. Does that company perform that service too? Check their website.
You get the idea. Websites serve as a repository of information for the outside world. It should be your primary objective to make sure that visitors to your website can find the answer they are looking for easily. It may be a good idea to sit down and brainstorm all the main pieces of information that your customers would want to find on your site, and then make sure to put them on there.
2 – Contact
The age of the phonebook is officially over. Your customers, especially in the younger generations, are going to be using your website to find and contact you. Depending on your organization and industry, your visitors will want to either call the phone number listed on your website, or they will email you via a contact form.
I recommend checking out your site and ensuring that contact information is easy to navigate to. If you don’t already have one, a contact form is a standard function of a website nowadays as well. If a visitor has a quick question, they have become accustomed to filling out an online form for an answer.
3 – Validation
If a customer has heard of a company and their service offerings, but wants to double check to make sure they are what they are looking for, they often times will visit their site. The more professional and well thought out the website, the better feeling the visitor is going to have towards your organization. Your website, in essence, becomes your first impression with that customer.
