For a high street business, the shop window is often the first thing potential customers see; its job is to stop passers-by in their tracks and draw them through the door. Your website should do something similar.
What makes a good shop window?
Imagine you’re walking down the high street. There’s no time for window shopping, yet … you can’t help pausing at one window. Yes, you think, that lamp (or shirt, hat, whatever) is just what I need. Even though you a) have to be back at the office, b) still haven’t been to the Post Office, and c) urgently need a large latte, you venture inside the shop. What was it that made you stop and go inside?
A good shop window:
- Gives a taste of the company’s products (or services) – just enough of a taste that the customer wants to know more.
- Shows the business’s unique personality and target audience – for example, is it aimed at affluent yoga addicts or teens who love streetwear?
- Is regularly updated.
- Is clean, attractive and well laid out. It says, we care about what we do.
Just as you wouldn’t walk into a shop with dirty windows and a haphazard pile of disparate products all covered in cobwebs, website visitors don’t hang around when they see a tatty, tired and cluttered website.
How to ‘dress’ your website for success
Here are our top tips for translating the art of window dressing into your company website:
- Keep it attractive – good design matters to customers, and most will choose a company that’s invested in a well-designed website over one that’s scrimped on design.
- Make sure it’s relevant to your audience – it’s vital the customer immediately ‘connects’ with the business, and understands how it will benefit them.
- Don’t fill it with too much content – a cluttered website only puts visitors off. Remember, less is more.
- Update your website regularly – publishing fresh content (such as blog posts) not only helps your search rankings, it also shows off your expertise.
- Add a compelling call-to-action – you want to entice people to take the next step in the customer journey, whether that’s booking an appointment, filling out an enquiry form or downloading your latest e-book.
To turn your website into the best shop window on the high street, talk to OCTOPUS. Together, we’ll create a website that converts casual passers-by into valuable customers.
