Is your website holding your company back? If you’re in the mortgage industry, chances are, it is. To my estimation, more than 75% of our industry’s websites are substandard and cast an unprofessional image. Yes, more than 75% of them are unequivocally dated, poorly written, poorly designed, confusing and/or long-winded.
But there’s good news. In a world of mediocrity, it’s easy to stand out as a leader. Any company that wants to have a great website and be perceived among the top 25th percentile can have one. Great websites are within reach. Yes, they are an investment—but they’re an investment that will pay off handsomely over time.
So what does a great website look like? You can see one we recently produced at www.SigniaDocuments.com , https://falconcapitaladvisors.com/, https://pria.us/ and https://www.paradatec.com/.
Here’s a breakdown of four key do’s and don’ts of an effective website:
The Don’ts
1. Don’t hire a writer you’ll have to train
Unless you want to spend the next year teaching someone about the mortgage industry, or even worse, having to re-write or write all the content for your own website, then don’t hire a writer who is not from the mortgage industry. It takes many years to understand how to communicate effectively in this space.
Further, don’t hire someone who doesn’t understand how to write for modern websites. The writer’s job is to quickly engage your target audience and convey your company’s value proposition in succinct, captivating language—not in old-fashioned paragraphs of boring text. Check out www.TeamInlanta.com to see how we did it.
2. Don’t put the cart before the horse
When companies venture into a website redesign, often their first step is to hire a website design firm. Since that company’s specialty is in web design, they will likely put secondary importance to strategy and content. A revenue-boosting website is created by first thinking about strategy, then writing content, and finally having a custom design created to suit the strategy and content—not the other way around.
3. Don’t give a design job to a builder
Never confuse a web developer for a website designer. Talented designers are hard to come by, and they will make a huge difference in the appearance of your site. In the majority of cases, you’ll need both a designer and a developer to get a great design with well-written code.
4. Don’t overwhelm
Some websites overwhelm visitors with scrolling text, flashing images, pop-ups or a lot of text in little space. Make sure your website is a place where people want to learn about your company, or they will quickly depart and go elsewhere. Focus on the actions you want visitors to take to boost your company’s growth.
The Do’s
1. Do think visually
First impressions matter. A great, modern design will speak volumes about your company, whereas a poor or dated design will weaken your brand.
2. Be intuitive
While in many cases it’s good to be different, that’s not the case when it comes to website flow and navigation. Visitors don’t want to waste time figuring out how to navigate your site, so make sure it’s intuitive and easy to follow.
3. Be succinct
Most people don’t have the time to read your company’s life story or digest the finer details of every single product or service you have to offer. Modern website content calls for small, digestible chunks of text that your visitors can easily scan at a glance.
4. Be mobile friendly
Make sure your website can be viewed just as well on a phone as it can on a laptop or a tablet. Since 2017, more than 50% of all website traffic is generated via mobile devices.
Now that you’ve read the do’s and don’ts of a great website, how does your website match up? How did you feel the www.TeamInlanta.com website we produced matched up?
If you’d like to ensure your website is helping your company grow, reach out to us at Info@StrategicVantage.com or call us at 305-971-6239.
By Rosalie Berg, President, Strategic Vantage
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