Don’t Overlook the Obvious on Your Website

My work involves visiting a lot of printers’ websites. In fact, I’m sure I could write a tell-all book sharing the good, the bad, and the terribly ugly ones I’ve seen.

So many sites are neglected that it's almost better for some to just fade away. They’re not doing the company any favors.

Your customers don’t visit your site unless you have an ecommerce or file-sharing functionality they use. Your site is for prospects. Many are looking for your exact services. Your name came up in conversation, or they found you from something they read or saw online. They clicked on your site to check you out.

What will they find there?

I’m not going to go into a long list of what a printer’s site needs. I just want to point out a few obvious tips I’m begging you to heed.

1. More color. You’re a printer. Color is your currency, so please have a vibrant site, filled with gorgeous hues and featuring images of your products. I see so much grey—nearly 50 shades. It’s not pretty.

2. Engage me. Your information about your culture, your people, your specialty should be infused with enthusiasm. Make me interested enough to send an email or call you for more information. Good copy helps imagery come alive. Don’t put me to sleep.

3. Help me reach you. Your contact information should be prominent and everywhere—on every page. I need your phone, your location, your email…and some names would be great. I shouldn’t have to hunt for this information.

4. Show me why I should choose you. Don’t be so overly coy about your specialty and your strengths that I can’t figure either out. Why do your customers love you? I need to read about this on the home page and elsewhere. What are you terrific at? Don’t fall back on lazy, formal writing that tells me nothing specific about your firm.

These tips sum up the most obvious mistakes I see on websites. Basic? Yes. But it needed to be said. Take a look at your site as if you knew nothing about your company. What does it say about you?