3 Reasons Why Your Website Isn’t Growing Your Business
It is SO frustrating when you have limited capital and you choose to invest in a website for your business because, well, you need a website for your business.
So you pay a web designer a lot of money, you get really excited about launching your new website because it makes your business legit, and then…crickets.
No visitors.
No leads.
No sales.
Maybe a few, but not as many as you were expecting.
So Why Is This Happening?
It’s probably multifactorial.
In other words, it’s not due to just ONE thing that’s gone wrong, but because of multiple things going wrong at the same time.
While there are many possibilities and no quick fixes, I’ll cover 3 major reasons why your professional website isn’t growing your business and provide some solutions.
1. Problem: You didn’t do things in the right order.
In your haste to get your website, you went out and hired a web designer.
He or she built you a beautiful website! You spent nights and weekends poring over the colors and fonts. All your friends told you how much they love your website. You might have even paid extra for a logo. You believed this website made you look professional and would therefore lead to sales.
I hate to be the one to tell you this, but it doesn’t. Your customers aren’t making purchasing decisions based on how pretty your website is or how eye-catching and clever your logo might be.
The right colors and logos, while they are important to a degree, don’t lead to sales as much as having a clear brand message for your business and conveying it properly on your website.
Solution: Niche down, create a clear brand message for your business, and convey it properly on your website.
The first thing you SHOULD have done is create a clear brand message for your business.
In other words, figure out who your niche is and craft a message that speaks directly to them.
It is the MESSAGE on your website that matters most, not the aesthetic.
Niching down is important because it makes creating content 1,000x easier. If you aren’t talking to someone specific, then you aren’t talking to anyone, meaning no one will hear you.
Hey, I’m a web designer, not a copywriter, and even I will tell you…if you’re going to invest money in something important for your new business, invest in someone who has experience writing effective copy for your website BEFORE you hire a web designer.
If they are good, they will not only help you with the copy, but they will help you determine your audience and how to talk to them. If you’re ready to hire someone to help you, I recommend choosing a Certified StoryBrand Guide.
Without this vital information, how will you know what “words” you should put on your website?
This is the value of a good copywriter—they can articulate this for you.
So many web designers have YOU tell THEM what the words on your website will be but don’t provide any guidance in choosing your words carefully because it’s not in their wheelhouse. In other words, they aren’t using a proven strategy.
If a web designer is ready to jump right in and start building your website without this information, find a new web designer.
To learn more about how to properly convey your message on your website, read 7 key elements of an effective landing page. People interact with websites in a predictable way, and these key elements work!
If you aren’t ready or don’t have the capital to invest in a copywriter, I’ve created a Free Guide to Writing Website Copy which is an excellent start.
2. Problem: Your website isn’t growing your email list.
The #1 most valuable asset in your online business is your email list.
Now before you proclaim that you don’t HAVE an online business, really think about that.
An online business is one where any kind of business activity takes place over the Internet.
There are very few businesses these days that don’t meet these criteria.
Your email list is important because these people are your future customers, and email marketing outperforms every other form of marketing…period!
Solution: Create an effective lead generator for your business and put it on your website.
A lead generator is something of value you can give customers in exchange for their email addresses.
People who voluntarily GIVE you their email addresses are interested! So it’s really important to stay in touch with them.
Ideally, you’ll have an automated email campaign to (fingers crossed) onboard your potential customer into a paying customer. But even if they don’t convert quickly, as long as they don’t unsubscribe from your mailing list, they are still interested.
Every time you email them, they are reminded of you. Then when they ARE in the market for what you offer, you will be top-of-mind with them!
The benefits of having a great email list are many—too many to list here—but the first step is to create a totally free lead generator that highlights your ability to solve your customer’s problem and makes your product or service the next logical step.
As Amy Porterfield says, you want your customers to think, “If this is their free thing, imagine how good their paid thing is!”
3. Problem: No one is visiting your website.
It is SUCH a bummer when your website gets no traffic.
Believe me, my friend, as a web designer, I am competing with some pretty big names out there. You may have heard of a few (WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, Weebly, Webflow, etc., etc., etc.)
In the SEO department, web designers have A LOT of competition, so I totally feel you here.
No one is going to visit your website if they don’t know that you exist.
Showing up in an organic online search is not a thing that is going to happen regularly anytime soon.
Your on-page copy is important and needs to be relevant, but it’s not going to get you found unless you use it.
I wish there were an easy solution to this, but this, my friend, is the thing you are going to spend most of your time on.
So get comfortable, because you’ve got some work to do.
Solution: Blogging and social media.
I KNOW! It’s a lot! It’s a big commitment! But being an entrepreneur is not for the faint of heart now, is it?
In my humble opinion, you will see better results if you do BOTH rather than just choosing ONE, and this is why:
Blogging: A blog improves SEO by regularly adding valuable content to your website on a regular basis. And yes, go ahead and throw in as many keywords here as you can. Google loves websites that 1) are active as opposed to stagnant and 2) offer visitors valuable information. Remember, it’s all about the user experience. The SEO Space plugin is an absolute MUST if you are blogging on Squarespace. Get it!
Blogging also accomplishes a few other important things:
It conveys you as an expert at what you do.
It builds trust with your customers.
It provides value to your customers.
It is a starting point for creating content for social media and your email list. In other words, it gives you something to talk about on social media and to email your list about, both of which drive traffic back to your website.
Social Media: Without regurgitating statistics you can easily Google yourself, suffice it to say there are millions of people looking at social media every…single…day. It would be folly not to put yourself there too. But here’s the thing: FOCUS ON ONE PLATFORM.
If most of your potential clients are on Instagram, focus on Instagram. If LinkedIn is the place for you, learn all about LinkedIn.
I would advise you not to try to learn everything about all the social media platforms because you can’t.
It’s better to learn all you can about ONE and get really good at it.
Other reasons to be on social media:
It’s free.
It’s a great place to network and build relationships.
It reinforces your online presence—people will take you more seriously if they see you in more than one place.
You can use social media to direct traffic to your website. For example, promote your lead generator and announce your blog posts.
There are countless resources out there, courses, blog posts, YouTube videos, you name it, that are actually really helpful. Educate yourself on the best way to promote your business using your chosen social media platform and you’ll get better at it and start seeing results.
It’s a Marathon, Not a Race
You are not going to be an overnight success because overnight successes are fictional. You may think you’ve witnessed overnight successes in others, but it’s an illusion. You aren’t seeing the years of hard work that lead up to the point when things finally “clicked” for them, so stop comparing yourself right now!
Do your best to educate yourself. Everyone’s got to start somewhere.
I recommend a few key books to help you on your journey to success!
Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller to learn more about crafting a brand message for your business
Marketing Made Simple by Donald Miller to learn more about wireframing a website and kicking off an email campaign.
Two Weeks Notice by Amy Porterfield to learn more about the ups and downs of starting a business and I particularly like what she has to say about email marketing.
Got Anything to Add?
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