Websites have emerged over the last couple decades to form a lifeline for businesses in England and the world beyond. Digital activities are at an all-time high, which has given rise to robust infrastructure and appetite for web application development in the UK. Given the many hours individuals spend online, businesses have realised the importance of establishing an online presence. It has become critical to be present on social media (and other digital platforms) for businesses of all sizes. In 2021, if you operate a business but do not have a website, you may be missing out on a huge range of potential customers. Understanding the intrinsic value of your website is critical for achieving growth.
While the need for an attractive digital existence ever increases, it's no longer sustainable for businesses to have websites that do nothing but display text and images. There was a time, not too long ago, when companies created content-rich websites. Apart from anything else, such sites were effectively bombarding them with overwhelming information that all too often got in the way of making a purchase.
Today consumers have become increasingly more sophisticated and want to satisfy needs most important to them. 'Dumb' websites do nothing but display generic information and images in the hopes that the visitor will be gullible enough to blindly interact with the brand.
Lazy design and marketing costs businesses potential customers, possibilities of new business opportunities, and ultimately, revenue.
Time to get smart
So now that you know what a 'dumb' website is, how do we distinguish what a smart website is?
The answer is - The Grunt Test. Don't worry; it only sounds complicated. This assessment was created by Donald Miller ( author of StoryBrand ) to help individuals and businesses objectively estimate their site's efficacy. Simply put, it is a quick and powerful way to tell you if your site is a stud, or a dud!
Donald Miller is essentially asking the question - if a 'caveman' (or in this case a potential customer) should come across your website, would the visitor be able to grunt the basics of what it is you do?
Quite simple, but very effective.
The Three horsemen
The big question remains - how do you get your website to pass the test? Well, take a look at your website and answer these three pertinent questions:
- What are you offering?
- How does it improve your life?
- How do I do business with you?
If your website is not able to adequately answer these three questions, you have failed the test. Your website has no more than 5 seconds to convey these questions to your visitor when they arrive. If it doesn't, you can be sure they'll be headed to a competitor's site that does.
Obvious mistakes
Contrary to the lies that DIY platforms sell us, creating an effective website is not about dragging and dropping elements to make a pretty webpage. It requires technical understanding and industry expertise to truly craft an experience that outperforms your competition.
However, not everyone understands this truth. This results in obvious mistakes that cost time, effort and money. Some of the usual suspects include:
Unclear tagline
Having a clear statement of purpose often helps visitors decide if they're going to stay on or not, in just the first few seconds. Often, websites display a long tagline that doesn't do much for the visitor, or they lack one entirely. In other cases, the tagline is placed incorrectly.
A strong tagline tells visitors exactly what you do and what you're offering them. It leaves no room for doubt and is crystal clear.
Complex jargon
This is more common than one might imagine. An exceedingly large number of companies bombard visitors with unnecessarily complex insider language, rather than keeping it simple. Now, if your brand services industries like robotic or electromechanical component manufacturing, this complexity is understandable.
However, if you're a digital agency and are dishing out technicalities to unsuspecting visitors, it's not going to do much for you.
Sounding smart is more than using big words and technical jargon. Communicating how you resolve your customers' problems is the primary objective here. If your site isn't doing that.. it's not doing anything.
Call to action
So, your website has a great tagline, looks appealing, and uses accurate, yet straightforward language to communicate. Could there be anything still missing? YES!
A website that does not allow users to engage and interact is essentially a one-way conversation. I can't begin to tell you the number of websites that do not realise the importance of a well-placed call-to-action button. They feed visitors with the required information but leave the process incomplete, leaving them left confused and wanting.
A well-strategised call-to-action button not only allows two-way interactions but is also known to affect conversion rates dramatically.
Let me be absolutely clear on this; it takes more than the grunt test to iron out all the wrinkles in a website. But it's a great and valuable exercise to begin with. SO, go ahead and take the test, and you will likely be amazed at what it reveals.
If you're not sure how to go about it, you can always connect with companies specialising in web application development in the UK. My recommendation would be Web Choice. Having worked with them in the past, I can vouch for their integrity and commitment. So, if you're revamping your present website, or having a new one created from scratch, Web Choice is thoroughly recommended.
