Blog: The Spin
#LaundryMarketingNews
September 13, 2016
The Complete Guide To Building A Website That Actually Drives Sales
Does your company have a website? If so does it actually generate real leads and sales for your business? Let’s be honest, for the most part, when it comes to websites and digital marketing the linen and uniform service industry is stuck in 2004. You may not think this matters, but in reality, you are hurting your brand image, marketing, and ultimately your sales. In our industry, a well-built website will drive 1 lead per month per 500,000 people in their service area and the best websites will generate double that. How does your website stack up?
“In our industry, a well-built website will drive 1 lead per month per 500,000 people in their service area and the best websites will generate double that.”
Sure you may not be able to pour millions of dollars into your website like the public companies do, but you can still build a great looking site that converts visitors into customers. It’s time you start generating multiple leads each month and provide your sales reps with quality prospects they would not have received otherwise. If you are ready to bring your company’s online presence up to date and increase sales, then read on because everything you need to know will be put on the table like a freshly pressed tablecloth.
Building the Perfect Website
Before you begin building your new website you need to decide the best way to construct it. Resist the urge to save money by using website design platforms like Wix, SquareSpace, or GoDaddy’s Website Builder. Yes, you will save money in the short term, but your website will not look or function like it should. You should build your website expecting it to generate thousands or even millions of dollars in sales for your business over time so saving a few thousand dollars up front is not worth sacrificing long-term profits. Instead of building your own website, hire a quality agency to handle the website design and development for you. When deciding which agency you should go with there are a few things to consider. First, ask what platform the website will be built on. This question is important because you want your website to be built on a common platform such as WordPress, BigCommerce, or Shopify. By building a website on a common platform it enables you to make simple updates to the site without having to contact the agency. Second, you should look at the agencies track record. The agency should understand your industry, the goals you are looking to accomplish, and have a history of satisfied clients. The best way to ensure an agency meets the criteria is to ask other people in the linen and uniform service industry who built their website and if they had a good experience with the company they used. If the agency that built their website did a great job then chances are they will do the same for your business.
The first step in building any website is making sure you have a domain that represents your brand. If your company is called, Example Linen Service, then you should try to buy the domain, www.examplelinenservice.com or a similar domain. To buy this domain just use www.GoDaddy.com. If you really want to up your game, buy multiple domains that are similar to your brand and forward them all to your main domain. So for instance, Example Linen Service would also buy www.examplelinen.com and www.exampletowelservice.com as well. If you have any questions regarding this ask the agency building your website and they will be able to help you through this process.
The next step in building your website is building out the structure of your website and the content that will go on each page. You will understand your brand better than the agency you hired to build your website so write fresh content for each page and ensure there is at least one image for each page. There are a few pages that every linen and uniform website should have. These pages are Home, About Us, Services, and Contact. The primary goal of your homepage should be letting your website visitor know exactly what you can do for them. This is pivotal because most visitors will come to your homepage first and if they cannot figure out what you do in a few seconds they will leave. The About Us page is your chance to show off what makes your company great. If you have been around since 1945, are a family owned business, have great customer service, or are environmentally friendly the about us page is where you should flaunt it. You will also want to put the locations you service on the About Us page. The Services page should list all of the different services you provide for your customers. Most site visitors will check this page to ensure you will work with their type of company so make sure to list everything you do. The
Contact Us page is where you want most site visitors to end up because it is the page that generates leads. This page should be a simple contact form and also include your business address, phone number, and company e-mail address.
4 Quick Tips to Boost Website Leads & Sales
Now that you have everything together let’s go over a few tips that turn a good website into a website that basically prints money for your business. There are 4 things every website should have to generate income so make sure you incorporate all four into yours.
- The first is a clear call to action on the homepage. Including a button that stands out and says, “Contact Us Today” will drastically improve the amount of people that contact you. This button will tell the visitor what they should do and provides an easy way for potential new customers to get what they want, which is a new service quote. This button should take the visitor to the contact page so they can easily fill out the form or call you directly.
- The second tip is to have your phone number stand out on every page. No matter where your website visitor is they should be able to call you immediately.
- The third golden nugget is to make sure your website is responsive. Your website should be optimized for all mobile devices so customers can easily navigate and contact you on their smaller screen. More than 50% of people searching for your business will be on a mobile device so make sure your website is built with them in mind.
- Lastly, make your contact form as short as possible. Instead of asking for an address just ask for a zip code. Also, don’t put any unnecessary fields like Title, Company Size, or Additional Information. Every extra field makes your website visitor less likely to fill out the form so keep it as shortly as possible. Also, have your contact forms go directly to your sales rep. As you know every minute counts and usually the same person that requested a quote from you also requested a quote from two or three other companies.
Check out Infinite Laundry’s site and you will see that there is a clear call to action to schedule your free marketing analysis and the phone number stands out in the upper right.
Don’t let a poor website or lack of a website hold back your business. If you follow these tips and hire a great website development agency you will have a site that drives quality leads for years. It’s time to take back the internet from the multi-national companies that take all your leads!
