Your website should not be an online ad
David Poteet of newcitymedia has an interesting explication why your website is not an online ad.
In the early beginnings of the Internet, company websites were a display of the company building and the products. Since websites have changed, however some websites still resemble an online advertisement.
The difference is:
- An ad is presented to an audience without they asked for.
Compare an online ad with a billboard.
You are walking or driving and notice a billboard.
- A website is selected by the audience in order to be visited.
Compare a website to a shop or boutique.
You go shopping with the purpose to buy.
Goal: conversation vs problem solving
The goal of an ad is to start a conversation.
This requires the audience:
- To remark the ad.
- To be listening.
- To respond.
The probabilities of each of these occurences need be multiplied in order to get the overall probability. The chances are relatively small to start any conversation with an online ad compared to the audience.
The goal of a website is to solve problems of visitors
A visit to a B2B website has a reason:
In most cases people are looking for solutions to their problem(s).
With every page they visit and the time that is being spent on the page, the problem they have should become clearer for you.
A website should provide the required information within a minimum of time requiring a minimum of clicks.
This requires the visitors:
- To find your website (SEO – Search Engine Optimization)
- To stay on your website
As people have a need or a problem, the likelihood of paying a visit and looking around for information on your website is quite high.
The confusion comes from the fact that ads can be informative too, trying to solve a particular or specific problem. However the ad will only work for a certain segment of the market, thus limiting its’ reach.
Interrupting vs flow
Advertising is interrupting all work processes and are on/off:
You are interrupted by the advertisement while surfing the Internet or browsing a website.
Just like a billboard interrupts and asks for your attention when you might not be ready for it.
Websites become a part of the problem solving process and thus of the workflow.
You are actively searching for a feasible solution for which your website could provide a solution.
The visit to the website is part of the information collecting and even the learning about the problem and solutions.
You enter a boutique or shop only when you have a need: you are ready and interested.
Websites are not online ads
Thus don’t build your website like an online ad, as it will be less effective:
- Fewer conversions.
- Less leads.
- Less revenue.
Website should contain content that helps to solve your potential customers’ problems.
In order to be effective the content should be easy retrievable from your website.
Is your website an online ad or a problem solving tool?
More from LEADS Explorer
- How to engage your online visitors with video?
- The goal of an online business is not the selling
- Is your website doing what it supposed to be doing ?
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