Is Your Website Up To Scratch?
Thursday, August 14, 2014 at 10:32PM Whilst we might all say "don't judge a book by its cover," first impressions count.
Sure, you might get a second and a third chance to make an impression, and people may come to love and trust you, your website, and your brand over time, but the fact is, they are going to judge you straight away.
In a bad, in a good way, in just a 'way'. It's just what we do. It's human nature.
So what do people think when they visit your website? Does it leap off the page at them? Does it look really sleek and natural? Does it impress?
Or does it make them think.... "erm....." and do that weird sideways thing with their mouth and a shifty glance into the sky?
Your website is an extension of you. It should represent you, and impress your clients. Just like you do. If it doesn't, well, if someone didn't make a good first impression in an interview with you, what would you do?
I recently came across a couple of websites whilst working for a digital marketing agency in Manchester, which I just had to mention as examples of something not being up to scratch. They're perhaps different extremes, but still, it's worth mentioning both.
Now, I don't mean to be mean here. My Mother always taught me it wasn't nice to pick on people. But, we can learn from the mistakes of others. That was always a good teaching point.
Ok, here's the first site, see if you can spot the issue:
See it? You might not have done, in which case, it probably made an alright impression. But if you're a grammar freak like me, or someone who just understands English, then you probably got a little bit confused.
How about now, if I tell you to read the text carefully? Have you ever listened a new car?
A website which doesn't make any sense... would you trust them enough to lease a car from them?
And then there is this site. Just spend a few seconds taking it in. Serioulsy:
You have to give 'Ling' some credit. He deserves an award for cramming the most number of dazzingly, shiny, flashy, and downright weird features onto a single page.
I mean really, why is there a chicken? And a stewardess in a life jacket? And a singing, female, Korean soldier? On a website about leasing cars.....
I imagine this is what going on a serious trip looks like!
And if that's the first impression I get, would I trust this site?
Well, at least it's memorable.
But the point is, don't think about your website as an afterthought. It's the front face of your business. The first thing your customers will see. Make it count.
Reader Comments (2)
Completely agreed! Website is the front face of a business, and it should be capable of garbing attention of first-time visitors. Well, digital marketing is all about creating impressions and implementing effective promotional strategies. Great post!
Completely agreed! Website is the front face of a business, and it should be capable of garbing attention of first-time visitors. Well, digital marketing is all about creating impressions and implementing effective promotional strategies. Great post!