At Brendly, we create websites, but in addition, we are also a marketing agency. We regularly receive marketing requests from potential clients because their online marketing is not working properly. Often it is not the effort or the marketing goals, but the problem lies with the website that is not working properly to get visitors excited and convert. Usually this is because the website is created first and only then the online marketing is thought about. This creates a discrepancy between the two parts.
How do you fix this? Below is a list of different reasons why your marketing may still not be working well through your current website. I also provide tips on how to solve this for each reason.
Website goals are not clear
Let’s start at the beginning. You want a Web site with a clear purpose. Do you want your Web site visitors to absorb a lot of knowledge or, on the contrary, to quickly move on to contacting you? First, formulate what your primary and secondary purpose of your Web site is. Then verify that the path to this goal is easy. Adjust your website structure and page design where necessary. Also, install a tool like Clarity to see exactly what your visitors are doing on your website (make sure you have a clear and correct cookie notice).
Target groups and purchase stages are unknown
Can your target audience find the right information that matches their stage of purchase? This is an extension of the previous point. But this goes more into what your target audience needs. Do you understand your target groups well and can you tell them well what makes you unique? For example, use the Story Brand Canvas to get your brand story in focus. Next, consider whether your website is clear enough. Don’t be afraid to kick in open doors, often your target audience needs that recognition to trust you.
Poor call to actions
Call to actions are important to drive visitors to the right place. Be clear in your text and encourage them to take action. Like “Contact us now” or “Order immediately.” Be clear and make it actionable. Good call to actions are like signposts at Schiphol Airport; they are clear and prompt them to follow.
Old design
An outdated design does not invite people to look further. People who are researching often open a number of different websites. Is your website outdated? Then chances are your tab will be closed quickly. Invest in a website that fits well with your brand experience and is timeless. That way your website will last longer and you will attract more visitors across the virtual threshold.
A slow website
Perhaps the biggest “marketing killer” is a Web site that loads slowly. People have very little patience when searching online. If your website is too slow, it may be closed before everything has even loaded properly. Are you marketing and is this the case? Then it is very important to address this problem as soon as possible. Use a tool like Pingdom to check your website speed and get a list of optimizations.
Unclear navigation
A poorly functioning navigation causes visitors to get lost and they quickly leave. It is important for your visitor that your website has a good navigation so visitors can find their way quickly. Use not only your navigation, but also use logical links in the body text or call to actions in logical places. Go through your website to see if everything is clear and descriptive enough.
No unique landing pages
If you are doing specific campaigns on target groups or verticals, then landing pages that are fully aligned with them are very important. The transition from an advertisement to a landing page must be completely consistent in terms of content. This is how you really draw people across the threshold. Make the content specific and unique. Provide a logical call-to-action and optimize further on the basis of the above.
SEO and user-friendliness is substandard
Often a marketing effort an sich, but getting and keeping your website well findable is important for your website to succeed. The three pillars of SEO are: content, technology and authority. For each piece, I will briefly highlight them.
Content: Make sure your website is relevant on only a few topics, write good content for it and upload some new information regularly (through a blog). Go over each page in your website and determine which keyword/topic the page should be focused on. Update where necessary.
Technology: Is your website fast, mobile-friendly and laid out logically in terms of structure? These are important technical points to look at. You can ask a ChatGPT to perform a scan of your website’s technology. Update as needed.
Authority: This has to do with social-signals and backlinks. How well is your brand represented online beyond your own website and how many links to your website do you have? Check this out and submit to new websites to gather more links.
If the website meets these points, it will make your other marketing activities more effective. Specifically because you take into account a fast, accessible website that contains the right information.
Next steps:
With this knowledge in your pocket, now is the time to do a thorough analysis of the above points. Make a list of the points that fall short and get to work (or outsource it). Perhaps consider a new website if the list is really long; a new website would be a smarter investment. After optimizing, it is important to keep the website updated, schedule time for this on a monthly basis.
Hopefully this will help identify the biggest problems. A good website is critical to making your online marketing work.
