The modern working environment now has many things in which we need to keep updated. Showrooms for example. They have to be kept looking fresh and clean, with all the latest offerings your company might have to offer. This takes time, and money, but it has to be done. A showroom is your best chance at showing customers the very best of what you do. This I know is probably obvious to most people. But one thing which is not obvious but is just as important as a showroom is the company website. Not keeping this up to date can be very damaging.
I know this from personal experience with the company I work for. I was left in charge of the company website as I was deemed the most experienced person in the company when it came to anything online. So it was up to me to make sure the site was regularly updated. This unfortunately did not happen as often as I’d liked. Day to day business got in the way, as well as other online projects I was running and the site was rarely updated. But enough was enough. I had to really knuckle down, put my hand in my pocket, get the website revamped, giving me ultimate control of every aspect and really getting stuck in. It was money worth spending I can promise you that, and now I have full control over every aspect of the company website, I know I can keep it far more easily updated.
Why am I telling you this? Its because I see so many tired looking sites. So many sites with old, inaccurate and out of date information. Images of knackered old white conservatories. Limited image galleries. Your website is your online showroom. The place where people can sit on their arse at home, on the sofa or on the crapper, researching about where they should go for their new windows and doors. If they are reading something/looking at something half a decade old, that’s not going to entice them to come see you.
As much of a pain as it is, some time, every week, must be spent updating the company website to make sure that it is displaying the most accurate information and images as possible. Make it a little bit interactive too. The longer people spend on your website the more chance you have of them making a lead or asking for a call back.
Again, all this might seem very simple. But if you were to sample 100 of the industry’s installer websites, it would be a shocking eye opener as to how bad some of them are out there. If you are going to have an online presence, you have to do it right, and keep doing it right. Maybe it’s because most still don’t see it as a crucial part of the overall business plan. Maybe being online still seems like a novelty than a necessity. All those reading this will know this is very much the wrong way to think about business online.
Since I organised the revamp of the company website and took total control, web traffic has shot up, leads have shot up and the feedback from our customers about the website has been much more positive. So time and money well spent in this case!
