What if your potential customers liked you before they ever had a conversation with you?

What if they had a positive first impression before you officially met?

What if customers considered you an expert before you ever spoke a word directly to them?

They can — but only with intentional marketing on your website.

After a prospect visits your website, they should be primed for business. You want them leave your website thinking, “This company knows what they’re talking about! I see they do business with other buyers in my segment, so they probably know about my business too. They’re the experts.”

So what’s stopping you from creating a website that does this for you?

You don’t know the right questions to ask.

Let’s do a little exercise together. I want to ask you the seven questions I ask marketing teams when we start developing a plan to grow their business and boost sales.  

7 Questions to Evaluate Your Website Marketing  

Start by opening your company website in a separate browser right now.

What do you see?

Maybe you’re thinking about how you need to redo it. Or maybe you think your website doesn’t matter much because you already have clients.

Either way, let’s take a closer look to see how your as-is website checks out. 

1. Does your website explain what you do? Or what you do for your customers?

Remember who your website is for — your customers (both current and potential).

Make sure to explain what you can do for them in customer-friendly terms. If you want their business, they need a clear picture of what you’ll actually do for them.

2. How are customers supposed to see themselves doing business with you? Do you show your customers?

What’s more prevalent on your homepage — products and services or the people you provide them to?

What would compel me to go deeper into your website if I don’t know what your products and services would do for me?

Are there pictures of your customers on your homepage? If not, how are customers supposed to see themselves doing business with you?

Click on your “About Us” page. Are there pictures of customers there? I know it’s called “About Us,” but aren’t you all about your customers?

If you tell people you’re focused on your customers, make sure your website sends the same message.

3. What does your website say you’re an expert at?

Do you have case studies or testimonials on your site? These components provide credibility. What do you they say about your expertise?

Are you an expert at more than one thing? Does your website say so?

Do you feature your current clients in this section? They are the ones who should be giving testimonials about the quality of your work.

4. What’s the personality of your website?

Is your online personality engaging, fun, serious, or annoying?

What do you intend it to be? And does that personality appeal to your target customer?

5. Are you solving any specific problems for your clients?

What problems do you solve for your customers?

Do you have videos, testimonials, or even cartoons to illustrate the stories of how you fix these issues?

6. What’s the ROI of your product or service to your customer? What’s the fantastic result they’ll get from this?

Don’t leave ROI to your sales team alone. Start referencing ROI in the marketing process.

How do you use your website to show clients their investment is worthwhile?

7. What’s the customer experience I should expect if I engage with you?

If a customer clicks your “Contact Me” link, what’s going to happen?

How will you engage with them?

Create a Website that Sets You Apart

The hardest part of building a great website is knowing the right questions to ask. But there are a lot of right answers.

To attract the right customers, you want a website that sets the stage for a successful business relationship. Your website should show you as the expert who solves the problems your target customers have been facing. It gives a positive first impression from the first click. It provides customers a reason to do business with you before you ever meet.

There’s a good chance your current website doesn’t do that.

Your website might lead with the same old thing: telling customers that you have the best people, best services, best products, and best features.

But that doesn’t set you apart.

What do you have to lose by creating a website that’s different from everyone else’s?

By creating a customer-focused, intentionally-branded website, you might attract the more intelligent, less price-sensitive clients you’ve been waiting for.