Ways To Improve Your Foodservice Website in 2015
A Detailed Look at 25 Essential Elements Your Website Must Have
More and more food equipment manufacturers – and the reps and dealers who sell their products – are seeing the benefits of an inbound marketing strategy. The days when customers and end users are highly influenced by interruptive marketing techniques like cold calling and commercials are ending, and they are being replaced by inbound strategies that are more measurable, more cost effective, and more likely to result in highly qualified leads.
More than 75 percent of all Internet users conduct online research before making a purchase. In fact, according to the Corporate Executive Board, prospects make 60 percent of their purchase decision before even speaking with a sales rep. These are critical statistics that support the need for an inbound marketing strategy, and that strategy always begins with a website.
So what makes a website great?
The Ability to Get Found
Organic searches offer website owners opportunities to attract new visitors. These are searches users conduct on engines like Google or Bing that lead directly to inbound traffic. It's important to have content on your foodservice website that will lead to a higher listing on a search results page, and this can be achieved with inbound links, search engine optimization, tagging your site's pages, as well as providing a complete site map.
Easy to Use and Navigate
First impressions are important. If users arrive at your site and cannot find the information they're looking for as quickly as possible, they'll likely leave and never come back. It's important to be consistent, use the right images, and make information accessible for your audience.
Provide Valuable Content
People come to your foodservice website to learn. They want to know who you are and what you provide. Be consistent with your messaging, provide educational offers, avoid corporate speak, give them digestible information, and provide easy ways to share your content on social platforms like Facebook and Twitter.
The Ability to Convert Traffic
At the end of the day, that's what every web owner wants. There's no sense in having traffic unless you can convert it into valuable leads and opportunities. In order to maximize the potential of your foodservice website, create effective and strategically placed calls-to-action. Gate your premium content on landing pages behind forms that require users to self identify. Ask them to provide their email addresses in exchange for your monthly product offerings or newsletter. Convert. Convert. Convert.
A Closer Look: 25 Ways to How to Make a Great Website
We've gone over the four basic pillars of a successful website, so now let's take a detailed look at how to accomplish each one. Claim your free copy of 25 Website 'Must Haves' for Driving Traffic, Leads, and Sales to learn more.
