eLearning Series
Your Site Doesn’t Explain What You Do
I’ve found that many sites are designed with the “assumption” that the person visiting the site already knows everything about your industry and the products and services you offer. This, I believe, is a mistake. All too often, I see eye-catching websites that give high-level value propositions like, “We’re here to help” or “Delivering Value to Our Customers.” They might have great photos of happy people smiling, or even a flash animation. But it fails to tell you what they actually do. While this might work for your existing clients who come to your site to get your phone number (see last week’s tip), it’s a difficult way to acquire new ones.
Research shows that site visitors will actually read the short descriptive content on your home page as a way to orient themselves and learn more about your organization. Some websites are pretty easy to figure out without a lot of effort. Facilitated Wellness, for example, let’s you know that it’s easy to book a massage appointment online.
Up With People, however, is a bit more complicated. Their name doesn’t exactly tell you what they do. The site serves students, parents, alumni, supporters and the media. When we rebuilt this site, we made sure to put a short description of the organization on the home page, to make it easy to understand who they are and what they do: Through travel and cultural immersion, Up with People has provided students with a renowned international education and an unmatched passageway to see the world. And we’ve been doing it for four decades.Learn More…
Our company, Customer Paradigm, does many different things. On the home page of the site, we clearly spell out what it is we do: Customer Paradigm is a leading website design, development and software company. Services include Website Development, Permission Email Marketing, Programming, Search Engine Optimization, Search Engine Marketing, and Privacy Consulting.
Software Products include… 
Unlike a print ad (where you are constrained by space) or a 30-second TV commercial (constrained by time), a website is a way that site visitors can drill down and get as much information as you’re willing to provide.