Why Your Website Says More About Your Business Than You Think

I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with a handful of entrepreneurs recently who are struggling in their business.

They aren’t getting many leads or sales, and as a result, they feel lost and hopeless.

Their dream of having a six-figure business is fading fast.

And I know why.

As soon as I looked at their website, it spoke volumes to the success, or lack thereof, of their business.

For the most part, their websites looked… cheap and homemade.

And that’s because they were.

They tried to save some money by creating their website themselves.

But in their minds, they were quite proud of what they accomplished! “Look at me, Mom, I built a website!”

I get it. I remember the very first website I built over 20 years ago.

It had the words “Hello World” on it. That was it. Just those words.

But man was it a thrill and I wanted to tell EVERYONE!

All the hours of work that went into it. The programming I learned to make those words magically appear on the screen. The technology it took to “FTP” the file up to the web server. Even knowing what FTP stood for was enough to boost my ego.

A true work of art, I thought.

Sadly, no one was all that impressed by it. Well, maybe my mom.

All they saw was, “Hello World” and didn’t equate that to all the effort that went on behind the scenes.

You see, the same thing happens when people visit websites that look cheap and homemade. They only see what they see, and how it makes them feel. Their immediate first impression sets the stage on their decision-making process.

So when they encounter a cheap and homemade looking website, they think the business itself offers cheap and homemade products or services.

They might not think those exact words, but they certainly feel them.

That is how much of an impact a website has on potential clients. It directly reflects what people will expect to receive if they did business with them.

That’s one of the ways brand positioning works. It will either tell your prospective leads they have landed in the right place or send them to your competitors after just a few moments on your site.

Let’s say, for example, you want to have a business that offers high-end products or services. Something that only upper-class and affluent clients would either find of value or would be willing to pay for.

Something akin to Lululemon. A brand that was built for people to live an active lifestyle with a sense of pride that they belong to that elite club of other brand fans.

If people who are looking for a bargain land on the Lululemon website, they would immediately feel they are in the wrong place and leave.

Those people would be looking for a Dollarama type of store instead.

Dollarama has a completely different brand position. Customers expect low quality and cheap and that’s the exact experience they get when they walk into a store or visit the website.

So if your business is offering high-end products or services, which type of brand are you going to want to emulate? Lululemon or Dollarama?

If it’s Lululemon, a cheap and homemade website will not work. Potential clients will take one look and immediately think this is not for them. Off to your competitors they go.

But if you’re selling cheap and homemade products – then it’s a perfect fit!

So if your business is struggling with a lack of leads and sales, take a hard look at your website and your overall brand positioning – is it giving the right impression to the people you want to serve?

If you suspect the answer is no, reach out and let’s chat about how that can be turned around so you can realize the business of your dreams using the right brand positioning strategies.

About the Author, Susan Friesen

Located in the lower mainland of B.C., Susan Friesen is a visionary brand strategist, entrepreneur, and founder of British Columbia’s premiere boutique web development and digital marketing agency, eVision Media.

With over 20 years of experience in the industry, she is an expert in helping businesses establish their online presence and create a strong brand identity.

Her passion for empowering entrepreneurs and small business owners to succeed in the digital world has earned her a reputation as a leading authority in the branding and marketing industry.

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