Onsharp

If you had a salesperson who never produced a sale, would you keep him on the payroll? No! You'd either get him on a performance improvement plan or let him go and find someone who'll get results. 

Think of your web presence as a salesperson. If it isn't doing its job to drive business, it's time for you to put it on a performance improvement plan! 

Define the Problem

What is it that your web presence is not doing for you? Define the problem, which might be "lack of qualified leads." Be sure to review each component of your web presence, including your social media, website, and portals. Once you know what needs to be fixed with each component, you can get going on improvement plans. 

List Actions and Set Goals

Create a list of actions needed to improve each component. Your list might include things like: improve search engine placement; create content schedule for social media; or empower customers with self-service features. You also should set goals for each improvement area. For example, if one of your web presence shortcomings is the lack of qualified leads, you might set a goal to produce 15 qualified leads from your website each month. If you don't know what's reasonable to expect from each component, don't worry. You can adjust your goals as appropriate after you've collected data for a few months. The important thing is to put some stakes in the ground to help you get started.

Identify the Metrics

Oftentimes, business owners don't realize they're collecting the wrong metrics or interpreting the right metrics in the wrong ways. This can lead to incorrect assumptions about what's working and not working. It's important that you review the metrics you're gathering and reviewing to ensure they're sound and reliable. Asking a trusted peer to take a look at what you're measuring and the assumptions you're making can be a big help. Breaking down each big goal area into smaller, more specifically measured components can also help. For instance, you might want to set and measure search engine ranking goals for individual keywords so you know which ones are most effective in driving visitors to your website. 

Evaluate the Results

Once you've set metrics, carefully evaluate the results. Review the goals and each set of related metrics. Once you've gathered all of the data, ask yourself "was there an improvement?" If there was an improvement in your website or other web tool, ask if it was significant enough. If you see declines in certain areas, ask questions until you determine what happened. From there, you can more easily choose to "keep or fire" each component of your web presence or strategy. 

Cautionary Points

Be patient. Moving the dial significantly in some areas takes time. For example, moving up in search engines may take at least 60 days. Don't make changes too hastily or it'll be impossible to tell which action drove the most positive change. 

Not all of the components of your web presence will directly drive sales. That's okay. They're still important and worthy of your time. For example, your presence on social media may help increase customer loyalty or brand awareness. Keep your overall customer experience in mind when you're reviewing the value of individual web components. 

Onsharp can help you evaluate your web presence. If you'd like us to help guide you through the process, fill out our form and a strategist will contact you!