3 Ways New York Small Business Websites LOSE Customers (And How to Fix It)

Are you a small business owner in New York? Then you know that New York is home to thousands of amazing companies – and that means stiff competition for you and your business. Since COVID has pushed so many businesses online, your online web presence is even more vital than ever.

So how do you get your message heard above the rest and attract customers? Your website header is the first thing people see and it largely determines if they’ll stay or hit the back button. We’ll go over what so many businesses get wrong in the header, and then see how to fix it.

Mistake #1

Vague, Unhelpful Description of the Business

First, we need to understand that when your potential customers are Googling for a service or product they are usually in “search mode”. That means they do not read, they skim. And they skim many, many, pages, very quickly.

So when they visit your website, unless your website spells out exactly what you do, they’ll lose interest and move on to your competitor’s website.

What’s an example of a vague, unhelpful business description? We’ve all seen them – Let’s say you’re searching for a good accountant near you. You Google “small business accounting near me” and visit the first website in the search results and all you see is:

“Make Your Money Work for You!”

Expert Services | Licensed | 10 Years in the Business
[Learn More]

While this information may be true, it doesn’t really tell you what they do or who they help. Are they accountants, or are they financial planners? An advertising agency? It could be anything.

The first thing your site visitors see shouldn’t leave them wondering what kind business you are, or who you help.

So how can you avoid this mistake on your own website?

The Solution:

Let’s use our example above to show the fix. We need to boil down the primary business service, and if needed, who we serve. Let’s try this quick change:

Accounting & Bookkeeping for
Small Businesses in New York

Expert Services | Licensed | 10 Years in the Business
[Learn More]

Much better already! So now we know that their service is “Accounting & Bookkeeping.” And who do they serve? “Small Businesses in New York.”

This one clarification arrests the attention of busy site visitors and helps them see exactly what you do and who you serve. And if your services address the cutomer’s problem or need, they’ll stay longer on the site.

Our work is not done yet, so on to the second common mistake…

Mistake #2

Not Telling The Customer How You Help Them (Or Why They Should Care)

Many businesses flounder at this point and just list features of their business, such as “Ten years of experience”, “Top-trained experts in the Hudson Valley”, or “Friendly Service Guaranteed!”

Again, while these things may be true, they don’t tell the site visitor what problems the business solves or what the benefits of working with them are.

I.E., it doesn’t tell the site visitor what’s in it for them or why they should care.

The Solution:

Here is where you have to start selling your services.

Now, I don’t mean ‘sell’ like a sleazy car salesman who will say anything to get a sale. What I mean by ‘selling your services’ is just tell your potential clients how you can help them or the benefits of working with you.

I’ll use our accountant website example again to demonstrate:

Accounting & Bookkeeping for
Small Businesses in New York

We maintain and organize your records, save you the most money with deductions and take the stress out of taxes.
[Learn More]

Much better already again. We’ve replaced the true-but-unmotivating feature list of “Expert Services | Licensed | 10 Years in the Business” with tangible benefits their potential customers will actually care about.

Now the benefits of working with this particular accountant are obvious:

• • • They do all they mind-numbing tax organization
    • They save you more money (always a win)
    • And take the stress out of taxes (extra big win).

With your own business website, simply telling your visitors what they’ll get out working with your company sells your service and moves them closer to working with you.

Which leads me to our last common business website to address:

Mistake #3

Vague, Mysterious Call-to-Actions

What is a ‘Call-to-Action’, or CTA? It’s those buttons or links that are ‘calling” you to do a certain thing. “Call Now”, “Buy One Today!”, or “Get a Quote” are examples of buttons intended move you to a specific action.

Why are they needed?

Because even though it may be obvious to you as the business owner what a site visitor needs to do to work with you or buy from you, it’s not always obvious to the customer.

A vague CTA such as “Learn More” doesn’t give much direction on how or what to do.

The Solution:

Tell them specifically what action you want them to take.

Let’s make a final change to our accountant example and see how a specific CTA makes a big difference:

Accounting & Bookkeeping for
Small Businesses in New York

We maintain and organize your records, save you the most money with deductions and take the stress out of taxes.

[Schedule Your Free Consultation Today]

And boom! – Immediate clarity of what action the accountant wants site visitors to take, and what will happen when they hit the button. Visitors now know that you want them top schedule a consultation, we’ve told them that it’s free (always a popular word in sales), and we’ve added some urgency by telling them to do it ‘today’.

How can you do this for your own website?

Decide action you want your site visitors to take, and make that a CTA. If you want them to call you for a quote, your CTA is “Call to Get a Quote”. If you want them to schedule an appointment through an online form, your CTA is “Fill Out a Schedule Appointment Form”.

Make it obvious what you want your customers to do, and what happens when they hit the button.

Conclusion

New York businesses are all scrambling to establish a strong online presence, especially since so much of consumers time and money is spent online nowadays.

By having a clear description of what services you offer and to whom, a focused list of the benefits of working with you, and a pointed Call-to-Action, you’ll cultivate more website traffic into productive sales.