People are most likely coming to your website for two basic reasons – they are either researching their options or they already know what they want and are ready to purchase a product.
Does your website meet the needs of both types of visitors? Make sure you equip your site with the resources necessary to grab the attention of people who are in either phase.
Research Phase: The following resources are helpful to users who are researching products or services. Not only are they researching the actual product, keep in mind that they are also gathering clues to help them make a decision on who they’d like to potentially do business with.
- FAQs – Use this section of your website to answer commonly asked questions by your prospects and customers. It’s also an easy place to send people who ask you questions via email, phone, or in person – and helps bring traffic to your site.
- Product Comparison – Show the benefits of certain products over others and explain important features people should be looking for.
- Demo – Demos are a great way to show visual learners “hands-on” how the product works – how easy it is, neat functions, time saving tips, etc. People researching products will benefit from having a quick demo to get a glimpse of what using the product will actually be like.
- Blog – Blogs are a great way to bring traffic to your site and they are loaded with information about your products, services, specialties, how-tos, etc. A person in the research phase will find a blog extremely helpful in selecting what’s right for them, and possibly, who is the right company to purchase from.
- Whitepapers – Show off your expertise by creating unique content available exclusively by your company regarding a product or a service you offer. A whitepaper shows thought leadership and professionalism, both of which are extremely important to someone who is researching a product or service before making a purchasing decision.
Purchase Phase: The following items are beneficial to include in order to meet the needs of a user who is ready to purchase your product or service.
- Company Contact Information – This is a “no-brainer” but it is essential to have your contact information in an easy to find place on your site. Offering multiple methods of contact, like email address, phone number, or website form, make contacting you flexible for the user (let them decide how they would like to reach out best).
- E-Commerce Option – If you have a product that can be sold online, a simple shopping cart gives the user an option to purchase a product instantly.
- Value added – Buying something like a software product can be nerve-wracking for some. Knowing that there is help available for installation, consulting, repair, custom programming, technical support, etc. can alleviate hesitation about purchasing the product.
- About Us page – A page about your company is essential to have; especially for reaching out to customers researching/buying your product. Here they will get a feel for who you are as a company, who they may potentially be working with, why they should choose you and what sets you apart from other companies they could purchase from.
- Testimonials & Case Studies – Offering this information is your chance to build trust surrounding your company to future customers. They can see examples of how others have responded to your product, working with you, and how your products/services have helped other companies (similar to their own).
- Deals & Promotions – If you want to target users that are ready to purchase, offering a deal or promotion may be just the added benefit to get someone to purchase the product with you over your competition.
Take a look at your site – do you have content that is beneficial to people researching as well as those that are ready to purchase a product/service? Is it a good balance of both? Check back from time to time and think about what resources someone researching a product/service would look for and what will intrigue them to purchase from you.