5 Ways You Can Improve Your Company Website

In days gone by the public face of your company would have been a smartly presented office just off a bustling high street where people would drop in to find out about your services.

But the world has moved on and these days people can find a wealth of information about your business online without ever having to leave the comfort of their living rooms.

The internet has empowered us all with the ability to research companies in great detail with the push of a button or swipe of a finger.

This means that review sites, social media channels and company websites are today’s public face of your business and they need to be kept in good order.

Nearly everyone visits a review site at some point to read what other people are saying about a company or product they’re interested in.

Address The Complaint

There’s very little you, as a business owner, can do to stop people posting negative reviews, whether justified or not, but if something’s gone wrong it’s crucial to address the complaint promptly and professionally.

Review sites often give the right to reply and you should use this to acknowledge the complaint, find out more about the issue and suggest a solution to rectify the situation.

Even though the original complaint will still be visible, the fact that you’ve taken the trouble to respond will demonstrate to potential clients that you care about them and are keen to rectify any mistakes.

Keeping your website in order is incredibly important as well yet there are still many common mistakes that people make which can instantly create a bad impression for visitors.

Here are five of our biggest bugbears:

• Poor spelling and grammar. Nothing turns a potential client off more than illiteracy. It suggests you don’t care about checking your work and will get people clicking away to one of your competitors faster than you can hit the spellcheck button.
• Broken links. If you choose to link to other sites then make sure you set the links to open in a new browser tab. Failing to do so will mean people ‘losing’ your site and perhaps not returning.
• Outdated blog pages. If your last post was a year ago people will question whether you’re still in business. You don’t have to post every day but try to get something fresh online at least once a month. It’s great for Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) as well, meaning more people will find your website!
• Bad images. Whether this means the actual quality of the image itself or the subject matter, this is another big turn off for visitors. Steer clear of generic business shots as much as you can (you know the sort – skyscrapers and stock charts) and focus on people as much as possible. Good quality images of you and your team smartly dressed and smiling will work wonders.
• Pop-ups. These come in many different forms and are always annoying. Our advice is simple: Don’t use them. Ever.

This list is by no means exhaustive but covers off some of the areas which we believe are extremely important yet incredibly easy to fix.

If you’re not convinced ask yourself this: Would you meet a potential client in jeans and an unwashed t-shirt and without brushing your hair or cleaning your teeth?

The answer is probably no, so why would you allow your website – the first impression of your company most potential clients will have – to be as unkempt?

If you’d like to chat about your PR needs or you’ve got a WordPress website that you’d like us to improve then please get in touch on 07543 195476 or email contact@adviserpr.co.uk.

Alternatively, if you run another type of business and would like help with your PR, please contact our parent company, Topline PR Ltd.