We all create websites for some pretty obvious reasons. We want our audience, whether it’s a B2B venture or the general public to know we exist. Next, we want our site visitor to know what we sell and why they should chose us over the competition. That’s pretty straightforward. And yet thousands of jewelry trade websites miss the mark, and owners are left bewildered as to why no one ever responds to their offerings.
How’d that Happen?
Sometimes the truth stares you straight in the face but you haven’t trained your eyes to recognize these red flags. Pretend you are a visitor to your own website. From that perspective ask yourself the following: Is the site updated with regards to its layout, content, and ease of use? Is it intuitive? By that we mean, if you’re selling opal bracelets, can your site visitor find that product easily in the first few seconds of searching? No? Ok, they are outta there.
Organizing your product or service offerings should not be a treasure hunt, with visitors clicking through a maze of links to end up seeing the item they are looking for. If that even starts to be the deal with your visitor, guess what? They’ve hopped off and over to your competition. Uh oh, we don’t want that.
You may think type fonts don’t count for much but they do. Type fonts quickly get relegated to the “Retired Forever” pile due to over-exposure and simply its age. Fonts can date your site quicker than a pair of extra-wide bell-bottom jeans. Consider revamping the layout (the placement) of your ‘newer’ fonts also. Did you know that major search engine bots ‘look’ for where content is displayed on a website? True. Seek a professional opinion and review of your layout and content and ask for options about a critical re-organization of key words and phrases that will improve your rankings. You want that, trust us.
Tell Me a Story
Does your site have a well-crafted cohesive story? The number of words populating your site does not necessarily equate to a story worthy of being there, or are even the best words to express your message. You need to have seamlessly cohesive text that advances your brand message and keeps your visitor engaged. The longer a visitor stays engaged on your site, the more inclined they are to purchase from you or in some way interact with you and your offerings. That’s the whole point isn’t it?
Get A Move On!
We can’t overstate this vital aspect. Where’s your call-to-action on your site? It is obscured in some hidden page that visitors rarely access? What, you don’t even have one? Well for Pete’s sake. You totally want a call to action. It can be conveyed in numerous ways. Here are a few that come easily to mind. But truly this is not even close to an exhaustive collection.
Create a pop-up on your site. Users can delete it so it does not annoy. But it asks visitors to sign up and receive news, updates, specials, anything at all you want to communicate. You can also offer a one-time discount or gift to visitors who sign up and buy.
Check out Now! Offer discounts at check out, a gift with purchase, or any incentive to encourage your customer to proceed with a transaction.
Come On In. Simply say stop in to the store if you have one. Give them a reason. “Stop in today and ask for a personal preview of our latest pearl (or whatever) collection.” Invite them to ask for one of your expert sales staff. Offer a complimentary ring cleaning. If you don’t have a store with walk-in traffic, invite visitors to inquire about your products or services. Just start the convo. You can see where we’re going with this concept. Now you can take it from here.
You Might also Like. Create a banner of complementary items that your customer may also want to add to their shopping cart based on what they are buying or looking at. These up-selling suggestions show your customers you understand their preferences and buying habits.
Chat Us Up. Communicate the way your core customer base wants to. Take into consideration that communication methods that you don’t like may be just the ones that your customers prefer. I’m going to let that sink in for a minute.
Ok, ready to continue? Many of your customers, and I want you to trust me on this, do not want voice interaction. They just don’t. Their culture is one of IMs; that’s instant messaging. Give them Live Chat on your site. And obvious e-mail links. It wouldn’t hurt to place those links and simple e-mail message forms on different well placed pages. You’re welcome.
There are so many elements that contribute to a successful website. Your site may be the only ‘store’ you have. It needs to produce a vibrant revenue stream for you. If you have a brick-n-mortar, you still want more customers, don’t you? And you want your loyal clientele to know what new items are available.
A great site – this is how it happens. Still have questions? Marlene at Jewelry Website Designers (www.jewelrywebsitedesigners.com) will be happy to chat with you about your specific concerns. Here you go: Marlene@jewelrywebsitedesigners.com.
