Simple website got us the job

[lcoughey]

I got off the phone with a new client who found us online. When I asked how they, an American, came to call Recovery Force, they stated that they googled data recovery companies. He found our site be "older" and not filled with all the flash and video crap that other companies now have. He went on to say that he appreciated the simplicity.

I'm sure that I've probably lost more clients because of the lack of flashy bling when they come to my home page, but I thought it might be worth mentioning that most people come to our websites with a question. How fast they can find that answer will have a huge effect on whether or not they choose to use your services.

Questions I try to answer, without the client having to scroll.

1. Do I offer the service that they are looking for?
2. What is our phone number?
3. Where are we located? (We show Canada right away and our contact us page link is easily found on the top menu for them to find our precise location in Guelph)
4. How much do we charge? (we have a direct link to our pricing, as well a s menu item that will get them there)

 

[mraikes]

If I could like this 10 times I would. My site also isn't modern, flashy or Wordpress themed. And people comment all the time that they like it.

The primary goal for the first page of my site is to quickly answer the two questions "Can this guy solve my problem?" and "How do I contact him?". If someone wants to know more, they can click through to other (still basic) pages.

IMO, if a visitor has to click beyond the first page to clearly understand whether or not you can solve their problem - you've already failed.

 

[Larry Sabo]

Thanks for posting that guys! Makes me feel less of a dinnosar with my "tired" old site. Plus, I completely agree with your logic on this!

 

[cypress]

Excellent thread! I agree simple is better. I myself feel like my website feels too bland, but this made me feel better.

 

[Y.F.N.C.G.]

Great insights @lcoughey! It's easy to loose focus on the basic principals of good computer business website design, and that is: does it accomplish the end goal of converting visitors to customers?

Fancy graphics and animations rarely do anything to accomplish that goal. However, you do still want to try to make sure your website looks professional...many visitors will get turned off by a website that looks like it was put together in 1995.

 

[lcoughey]

Great insights @lcoughey! It's easy to loose focus on the basic principals of good computer business website design, and that is: does it accomplish the end goal of converting visitors to customers?

Fancy graphics and animations rarely do anything to accomplish that goal. However, you do still want to try to make sure your website looks professional...many visitors will get turned off by a website that looks like it was put together in 1995.

Agreed. We've all seen the sites that look like they were made by a kid in high school using the first Netscape site creator in 1994 advertising Web design as a service.

 

[Markverhyden]

Agreed. The KISS principle applies in our line of business. They are not looking for tech support, data recovery, network support, etc sites for entertainment purposes.

 

[katz]

Agreed here too...

"Flashy" sites may have their place on the net, but I definitely prefer simplicity with a business website. I have a no-frills cookie cutter Podnutz website that gets the point across, big phone number, easy contact form, etc.

 

[sapphirescales]

The newer flashier websites actually convert TERRIBLY! Your website should look professional and polished. Think web 2.0....NOT 1995. But skip the sliders, animation, big useless pictures that you think look so good, and focus on content. It's very important to think of your website as your business card. What do you want to see on a business card? Name, phone number, location, and a small list of services. A website is great because you can offer MORE information than a business card, but you need to make the focus of your website like a business card and have all that other info optional on other pages.

 

[Bryce W]

Pretty much what I did here on Technibble. Both on the front page and while many may have not noticed it, here on the forums too. I ended up taking away a ton of extra buttons/tabs.
Ended up heatmapping what people were clicking on and took away the stuff people didnt.

 

[ComputerRepairTech]

It really depends on your objective. If your running a local shop and you want a customer to find you and give you a call then a simple website with a big phone number and general info off the bat is a good option. The objective of a slider is to feed information to a customer since its unlikely that they will scroll but maybe companies just throw in pointless info there instead. Some people find comfort in images on websites specially when they have attractive people in them.

I do online repair I don't want a bunch of phone calls asking me to fix their broken screen. I use the slider to shove some basic information in their face and make them read on a little. Looking at my website now while I talk about it I realize its very weak without me actually being online. I need to make sure customers see my hours of operation and are more guided to leave a message.

 

[Bryce W]

The objective of a slider is to feed information to a customer since its unlikely that they will scroll but maybe companies just throw in pointless info there instead. Some people find comfort in images on websites specially when they have attractive people in them.

Most conversion experts have find that sliders kill conversions. There are tons of sources but Yoast (creator of Wordpress' Yoast SEO) has a great article with tons of quotes from other conversion experts also saying that sliders suck: https://yoast.com/opinion-on-sliders/

Thats not to say that it doesnt work better in some limited situations, but it needs to be split tested. For most people here, I recommend you kill your slider.

 

[callthatgirl]

I have the most simple of websites too, I still get tons of compliments about how easy it is to see what I offer, find what they need and I think what Bryce would say "everything is above the fold" well...everything is at the banner/nav bar level now. I don't even mess with widgets and fancy distractions. I hate those fancy sites, everyone is doing them and I hate it. I can't wait for that trend to pass!

Good to hear simple is still around and good job landing that job.

 

[HCHTech]

heatmapping

Mind sharing how you did that? Is there a plugin? This sounds like a great analysis tool!

Edit: Sorry, I was too lazy to google, I guess. Crazy Egg is one such tool.

 

[cypress]

Most conversion experts have find that sliders kill conversions. There are tons of sources but Yoast (creator of Wordpress' Yoast SEO) has a great article with tons of quotes from other conversion experts also saying that sliders suck: https://yoast.com/opinion-on-sliders/

Thats not to say that it doesnt work better in some limited situations, but it needs to be split tested. For most people here, I recommend you kill your slider.

Very helpful tip. I was struggling whether to keep the slider on my website. I took it off and I can say it looks a lot better without it now.

 

[Bryce W]

Mind sharing how you did that? Is there a plugin? This sounds like a great analysis tool!

Edit: Sorry, I was too lazy to google, I guess. Crazy Egg is one such tool.

For most people, something simple and free like Heatmap.me is great: https://heatmap.me/

 

[CLC]

But what if I like my pretty slider??

 

[callthatgirl]

I just checked out your site CLC and it didn't load the sliders, I could see them loading though down the screen and then they loaded up. I think it's decorative, but it's like wasted real estate. We only get a short amount of time when a client sees our sites, sees what we do and if they want to hire us. I say make it count. If anything, maybe try a static picture there with a testimonial from a client?

btw..I love your site! So simple!

 

[CLC]

I just checked out your site CLC and it didn't load the sliders, I could see them loading though down the screen and then they loaded up. I think it's decorative, but it's like wasted real estate. We only get a short amount of time when a client sees our sites, sees what we do and if they want to hire us. I say make it count. If anything, maybe try a static picture there with a testimonial from a client?

btw..I love your site! So simple!

I just did some changes and cleared all of my cache so it probably didn't load so fast, I like it clean and simple. You are right though, I just hate change grrr.

 

[callthatgirl]

Yep much better now. Hey, change is good if it brings in clients. I had to go through this too awhile back, I changed my site up and I felt like there was less...but less turned out to be more actually.