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How do I know if I need a website makeover?

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Truth be told, no one wants to hear that their website sucks. It can be a very awkward conversation especially if a business owner is in love with their current site and is in denial. What may have been cutting edge 5, 10, or even 15 years ago is just no longer going to cut it today. #TruthBomb

We get it, having your website created probably took a lot of time, decision making, and money, but if your website just isn’t converting anymore or it’s very clunky for your viewers to use – then it’s time for an overhaul.

The goal of any website is to convert visitors into customers and if your site design and/or structure is a barrier in that, it needs to be fixed. Identifying the problems that hinder your site from being conducive to conversion and visitor engagement is an important step in the right direction.

Below are a few reasons why a redesign should become a priority for your company\’s web presence and some negative effects you could face by not taking action now.

  1. Your bounce rate is too high. Every website should have Google Analytics installed so that you can review your bounce rate – this the percentage of visitors that only visit a single page on your website during their session. The average bounce rate is about 40% to 55%. Anything higher suggests that your visitors are having a poor user experience.
  2. Long load times. Is there anything more frustrating than when a website takes FOR-EV-ER to load! There are several tools, like pingdom.com, that can help you figure out your load time. If it takes longer than 3 seconds, you should make some updates to speed it up.
  3. No on-page SEO. In order for your website to rank on search engines like Google and Bing, your website needs to have on-page Search Engine Optimization or SEO. Each page should have its own unique keywords and title tag or H1 tag. Search engines use these tags and keywords to create listings and how your customize these can affect how and how often your website is displayed when someone searches your keywords. There are other ways to increase your SEO as well including adding links, meta descriptions, alt tags, etc.
  4. Stale content. Yes, adding fresh content to your website matters – without it you will struggle to attract and retain new visitors. Fresh content increases your site’s exposure in search results – one of the easiest ways to add content is a blog!
  5. It’s still an HTTP. You need to have a secure site and upgrade to an HTTPS site – this lets visitors know that your site is secured by an encrypted network communication protocol. An HTTPS scrambles the data transmitted to and from your site to prevent unauthorized users from reading it.
  6. It’s not mobile responsive. This is a big one! 3 in 5 users will visit your site on a tablet or mobile device. If your site isn’t mobile-friendly, visitors may abandon your website. A mobile responsive website means that not only does your website look good and function great on a desktop, but it’s compatible on a mobile device – the design uses proportional units of measure rather than fixed so it can adapt to the device it’s viewed on.
  7. It’s clunky aka hard to navigate. Visitors should be able to easily find the content they are looking for on your site. Whether you put the information on your homepage or in your menu, visitors shouldn’t have to look hard to find what they came for. Navigation can affect every aspect of your website performance!
  8. It doesn’t match your brand. You already know how important branding is to us here at Red Barn. Your website is a direct reflection of your brand, your colors, logo, styling, pictures, and even font should all match your brand.
  9. You aren’t using CTAs. A Call to Action tells your visitor what to do next. It can be something simple like read this article, download this whitepaper, click here to email or call, etc. it gives them direction on what they need to do next to get information or to work with you.
  10. You have bad links or 404 errors. Having broken links or links to pages that are no longer available can really affect a user’s experience on your website. It can also slow down your site’s speed and performance. If you don’t want to check every link page by page, a great resource is com.

In addition to the list above, you should also make it very easy for people to find your contact information and social media profiles – make it easy for them to contact you and follow you. It’s also important to note that if you are in an industry like banking, you may be required to have an ADA compliant website – that’s a whole different animal, but you can read a previous blog about it here.

Don’t look at upgrading and updating your website as an expense – it’s all part of your marketing strategy which should be seen as an investment. After all, marketing is designed to bring in leads that convert to sales. If your website is crappy and outdated, odds are you aren’t making the best first impression to your prospects and could be losing sales and not even know it. Need an honest assessment of your website or thinking of giving it an overhaul, give us a call!

How do I know if I need a website makeover? Read More »

The Consultant Gig – can you make it happen?

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Lately, I’ve been chatting with more than one “Mid-Life Re-brander” – those who have lived in Corporate America for a bit, gained a ton of knowledge and skills, and now in their 50’s and 60’s wants to leave and become a consultant.

The reality is, most won’t do it because it’s tough and scary leaving a 6-figure job and benefits to face the unknown. I know – I’ve been there, but I did it. The solution is, you need to test the waters – dip your toes into the world of Consulting. Find a few clients, try your skills, and see if you are good at it, and more importantly do you like it! The secret is doing this while you still have a 9-5 gig.

Disclosure: Some companies forbid side work while in their employ, so you need to check out your employment agreement and non-competes. Typically, if you aren’t taking money away from them, you are fine. Better safe than sorry, if you are at all iffy, contact an attorney and ask.

Here’s how to get started and get to 100K+ in revenue fairly quickly:

  1. Super Powers. What are you great at and love to do. What can you get lost in for hours? This is obviously a key component of success. You need to clearly define what you will be offering.
  2. Your early adopters. Once you figure out what your “offer” will be, you need to hone in on some early adopters who have a specific pain point that your offer solves. Make a list.
  3. Create a mini business plan. This doesn’t have to be a novel but you need something! What will your offer look like to your early adopters – what will the deliverables be, what will the cost be, what will the turn around be, and how will you do the work, so it won’t interfere with your job.
  4. Begin approaching your early adopters and sharing your idea with some key people in your network.
  5. Sign up 1 client. Test your new offer, tweak as needed. When you feel confident you delivered as promised and you enjoyed the process – go for Client #2. Rinse & Repeat
  6. Pick a Date. You’ve tested the waters and decided you can make this work. Set a date that you will exit your 9-5. Write it down.
  7. Pick a Dollar Amount. Determine how much you need to make in recurring income per month before your due date. Now work backwards to ensure your price point and working capacity matches. This is money you NEED versus what you WANT.
  8. Make sure you have a viable pipeline to add to the workload once you leave – you should have at least 5-7K in recurring income by the time you leave your job, and then be able to increase that immediately with new income streams.
  9. Bridges Secure. Don’t burn bridges with your current employer – in fact they may be an ideal client! (PS. I did this and secured $60K in revenue my first year in business at Red Barn). If you are great at your job, your boss may not want to let you go. Having you as a 1099 will cost them less and you can still be a viable team member – allowing for a slow transition out if that works for everyone!
  10. Go Time. Stick to your date unless there are real extenuating circumstances such as illness.

The 10-Steps may seem simple, and in fact the process is, but don’t be fooled, there is a lot of hard work involved. Early mornings, weekends, and nights working on and in your new business model. It’s far easier easing into the Consulting world than leaping in without a cushion.

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