Tune-Up Your Website to Close More Sales this Fall

If you’re looking at the fall season as a last chance to meet your revenue goals for the year, it may be a good time to evaluate your website. Chances are, you already have several marketing programs in place to drive traffic to it, but with so many potential customers evaluating your business based on your website, do you feel confident enough that it’s making the right impression?

Whether you built your Website yourself, or had someone do it for you, here are our top tips to give your Website a proper tune-up before the fall season.

Can website visitors find your most important information easily? This is and always has been one of our most important website tips — and is consistently one of the most commonly ignored. Remember that the average person has a short attention span. Don’t make them have to spend time searching for your phone number or storefront address. Make sure your contact info stands out on your home page.

Highlight key seasonal services on your site according to the time of year. The fall season is critical to most pest control businesses trying to hit their annual revenue goals. You need to stay on top of your website in order to update information according to the season. Whether you have seasonal hours, seasonal services, or new specials based on the closest holiday, it’s up to you to make sure your company is keeping up with the times. Pro tip: Do you have coupons on your website? Check their expiration dates.

Display any professional association’s logo on your home page. Skeptical online searchers are always focused on finding a service provider that looks official, professional and trustworthy. If you belong to any professional organizations (like PCOC for example), featuring an association logo on your website quickly sends the message that you take your place in the industry seriously. It’s important to keep up-to-date with those logos, too, as an outdated badge may send the wrong message to a visitor.

Be personal with your visitors. People enjoy working with people, not faceless companies. Help your customers make a connection with you by including team photos, bios and pictures of specific pests you treat. When they’re able to see who you are and what you do, they’ll be enticed to make a deal with you. On the other hand, having stock photos of your industry isn’t going to impress anyone.

Check your site for yesterday’s web design standards. When was your website built? If it was a while ago, has been updated regularly through the years? Businesses go through a lot of change, and your website needs to keep up. Make sure your site is reflecting modern design and current information, or people may write your company off as a business of the past. Pro tip: What’s the copyright year on your website? Is your most recent award from 10+ years ago? Be sure to update these!

Own your business’ web address. Your web address (or URL, domain name) is essentially your business’ address on the internet. Many online companies register a domain with your name but keep ownership of it. This puts them in a powerful position over you. Ask your web designer or web marketing provider if you aren’t sure who registered your website.

While much more goes into a website than a business card, it’s still essential for businesses to be in charge of their online presence. Any good web marketing strategy will revolve around a quality, professional website. We hope that these tips help identify some areas for improvement in your website!

Alain Parcan, Director of Marketing for Market Hardware, Inc., contributed this article. Alain brings nearly 10 years of experience in educating businesses so they can market themselves more effectively. Market Hardware helps small businesses compete on the web and offers special discounts for PCOC members. You can reach Alain’s team at 888-381-6925.