Website Address: http://new.garystringham.com/
Evaluation Prepared By: Matt Stanley, Founder & President of Oasis Interactive
Metric 1 of 3: Usability
- Is the overall visual experience soothing and comfortable instead of overwhelming due to excessive content and/or features? Yes
- Does the website balance text and images effectively by using both to break up the content and make it easy to read and comprehend? Yes
- Is the text easy to read (scan through easily and understand quickly)? No
Most of the pages on the site would be answered with a "Yes." I'm answering this question as "No," however, based on the following pages/sections, which could still use some improvement:
- Expert Witness Page ("Skills / Keywords" widget): Add a bulleted HTML list for each item so it's more clear where one line ends and another begins.
- About Gary Page: I realize that this page is basically your resume, so some lengthy content is to be expected. Because it's a web page, however, the content still needs to be formatted in a way that the visitor can quickly scan and absorb the information. I would recommend adding some headings and bulleted lists to help improve readability.
- Is the navigation functional, logical (intuitive) and consistent from one page of the site to the next? Yes
- Can you get to any page on the site in three clicks or less? Yes
- Can you find the content you’re looking for easily without having to explore the entire website? Yes
- Is all of the important content visible “above the fold?” No
"The fold" is a marketing term that originated in the print industry; specifically newspapers that folded in half. The reality of "the fold" remains very relevant in the digital marketing space as well, however. YourA website should be designed in such a way that you are conscious of how your visitors are interacting with each page and its content.
Where the Calls to Action (CTAs) fall on each page and how you communicate why visitors should hire you should be determined after considering to primary factors:
- Your intended/target audience, and
- How simple or complex your value proposition is.
Statistics have shown that modern website visitors are happy to scroll down the page if the following conditions have been met in regards to the content and design element(s) above the fold:
- It piques their interest and presents a compelling reason to do so.
- It's clear that there is more information to be consumed.
After scrutinizing your home page I can see that there's room for improvement in the realm of design, messaging, and conversion optimization... It has become very trendy and popular in the web design industry to have a vibrant image or slider at the top of your home page, and for good reason. If you create compelling content and visuals above the fold then your visitors are more likely to stay on your site beyond the initial 3 to 5 seconds during which they will decide to leave or stay.
If they are bored or unclear about your Unique Selling Position (USP), however, then they will never get beyond the home page or even scroll below the fold. They will probably leave the site completely. The content above the fold on your home page looks cool but it contains no compelling message which incentivizes visitors to scroll down. It also has a "false bottom" design that does not make it clear that there's more to see below the intial background image.
My specific recommendation for you on this issue is to do the following for each page, starting with the home page:
- Determine who your ideal/target audience is (i.e. people who don't already know you or your credentials but need your services, people who are already familiar with you but may not be "sold" on hiring you versus a competitor, etc.)
- Determine whether your unique value can be communicated simply, or if it needs more thorough detail.
- Clearly articulate your USP/unique value in concise language (three sentences or less).
- Develop several marketing messages around the content created in step 3.
- Think about how you can use the messages produced in step 4 to come up with specific CTAs or offers (i.e. opt into an e-newsletter, "subscribe to our Blog via RSS," "schedule a free consultation," "download a white paper," etc.) that provide true value to your visitors while also creating opportunities to gather leads.
- Redesign each page of your site, paying special attention to the info above the fold that incorporates the material produced in step 5.
For much more thorough information on how the fold can affect conversion as well as fascinating statistics and suggestions related to the subject, I recommend that you read the following blog posts from industry leaders:
http://conversionxl.com/above-the-fold/
https://moz.com/blog/life-above-and-beyond-the-fold
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/page-fold-manifesto/
http://vanseodesign.com/web-design/above-the-fold/
You should also check out how your page renders using the "WhereIsTheFold" tool at the following URL:
http://whereisthefold.com/new.garystringham.com
- Is contact information, such as a phone number, mailing address, and “send us e-mail” form prominently displayed or easy to find? Yes
- Can you use the website without having to install any plugins or ActiveX controls? Yes
- Are all of the site’s hyperlinks clear and obvious? Yes
- Is the website devoid of an initial Flash or splash page? Yes
- Are multimedia elements (such as music, animation and/or video, if any) implemented in an unobtrusive manner that allows visitors control over how/if they are displayed? Yes / Not Applicable
- Do all external website links and/or PDF documents (if any) open in a new window instead of the active one? Yes / Not Applicable
- Does the site work properly and look good in Google Chrome? Yes
- Does the site work properly and look good in Mozilla Firefox? Yes
- Does the site work properly and look good in Internet Explorer/Edge? Yes
- Does the site render properly on mobile devices such as laptops, smartphones and tablets? Yes
- Does the website load quickly? Yes
Usability Summary
Total Points: 18 | Points Earned: 16 | Equivalent Score: 89 | Usability Grade: B+Summary Comments:
The overall usability of your website is very good. My only suggestions about what to improve would be to address the issues referenced above. Once every page can be read easily by scanning and the web page real estate above the fold is being well utilized this metric can get to an A+.
Supporting Documentation:
Metric 2 of 3: Professionalism
- Is the website modern instead of looking outdated? Yes
- Does the combination of colors in use on the site look attractive? Yes
- Does the website prominently display a professionally designed company logo and is it linked to the website home page? Yes
- Do the colors in use on the site complement the logo and reinforce the corporate brand (if it contains one)? Yes / Not Applicable
- Does the site contain only professional-looking pictures and graphics instead of clipart or amateur animation (if it's not a text-only site)? Yes / Not Applicable
- Is the photography and artwork on the website crisp and clean instead of blurry or pixelated (if it's not a text-only site)? Yes / Not Applicable
- Do all of the website pages contain polished, finished content instead of blank pages or those that are “under construction?” Yes
- Does the website contain professional, well-written text that is free of typos and grammatical errors? Yes
- Does the site contain only working links and/or functionality? Yes
- Do all site features seem to serve a business purpose? Yes
- Is the website devoid of antiquated and problematic technology such as frames? Yes
Professionalism Summary
Total Points: 11 | Points Earned: 11 | Equivalent Score: 100 | Professionalism Grade: A+Summary Comments:
No room for improvement; great job!!
Supporting Documentation:
Metric 3 of 3: Marketing Effectiveness & Integration
- Does the website content (text, photos, artwork, and multimedia elements) engage you on a personal level and create a sense of warmth, safety and comfort? Does it sell using emotion (personal benefits) instead of just facts (features)? No
I recently read an adage that I thought was profoundly insightful and also simple: "Features tell, but benefits sell." This could not be more true, and it's especially important in regards to your website copy.
Your website provides lots of information about your services, product (book), and expertise. What it does not do but should, however, is establish value in the minds of your visitors. Every single purchase human make is driven by an emotional desire to either:
- Eliminate pain, or
- Obtain pleasure
The most persuasive and effective marketing copy ingeniously leverages both features and benefits to solve a problem that your target audience has which can be solved by hiring you.
If you cannot already articulate these things then a simple technique can help you put these points into words: Ask the question, "So what?" after each stated feature. In other words, "Why should I can about that? What's in it for me? How will this make my life better?"
When you can answer those questions effectively (and thereby refuting any objections to hiring you) you're on your way to more sales.
This is a very rich topic that's worthy of consideration, time, and a "homework assignment." If you want your website to really sell, then you owe it to yourself to rewrite the text (probably with the help of a professional copywriter) so it will be more persuasive. By using emotionally-charged language to communicate the benefits they will enjoy by hiring you instead of just rattling off a bunch of technical information your visitors will actually engage with the content and sales process. The end result for you will be better conversion and more leads.
The following is a recommended reading list of blogs I found on this topic which should help get you moving in the right direction:
- https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/34942
- http://www.enchantingmarketing.com/features-and-benefits/
- https://www.helpscout.net/blog/benefits-sell/
- Does the website content make a compelling case for doing business with them by explaining what sets them apart from their competitors? Is the unique selling position (USP) clear and compelling? No
This issue of USP goes hand-in-hand with the previous question because there is definitely some overlap between them. Once your target audience clearly understands the benefits they will enjoy by hiring someone in your profession, you have to make a compelling argument for why they should hire YOU instead of a competitor. By specifically explaining why you are the best in your field you will establish yourself as an important expert in the mind of your prospect and give them an incentive to work with you above anyone else. Your existing website has lots of good information about what you do, but not a clear USP that sets you apart from others in your industry.
Please refer to the following articles for more detail on this topic and very practical, hands-on ideas for crafting a powerful USP:
- https://www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/unique-selling-proposition-usp
- http://www.convinceandconvert.com/digital-marketing/5-ways-to-develop-a-unique-selling-proposition/
- https://www.sitepoint.com/how-to-create-unique-selling-proposition/
- https://fizzle.co/sparkline/unique-selling-proposition
- Does the site contain fresh content (material that has been added in the last 12 months or less)? No
Content freshness has become a very significant component of Google's ranking algorithm. Your website contains a blog, but the most recent article was written more than two years ago. Google's perception (and those of your visitors too) of a website that has ceased producing new content is that it has been abandoned, and your search engine rankings will reflect that. If you're going to have a blog and want your website to receive a steady stream of traffic from quality prospects you must publish a new post every week.
I know it's very difficult to run a successful business while also staying on top of marketing yourself, believe me. In spite of that challenge, however, you must build this activity into your weekly calendar. No other marketing technique on the planet has as high of an ROI as organic/traditional SEO.
If you don't have time to do this yourself you should hire an employee or independent copywriting freelancer to do it for you.
- Does the text motivate you to buy through a clear and persuasive call-to-action (CTA)? No
Though your phone number is very prominently displayed on your website in the header and footer, there is no compelling CTA to speak of. CTAs should be enticing offers that provide the visitor with real value in exchange for personal information you can use to hopefully close the sale. An example is a free e-book, white paper, or consultation in exchange for their email address.
Just putting your phone number on the website and expecting them to call it isn't enough. Your site would benefit greatly from the addition of a strong CTA and internal process of follow-up with each person who responds to it.
The following is a list of great articles on the importance of a good CTA as well as some dynamite examples:
- https://www.saleshub.ca/blog/bid/350474/Why-Having-Good-CTAs-is-Important-to-Your-Sales-Team
- http://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2015/02/20/call-to-action-buttons
- http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/great-call-to-action-examples#sm.000m0pnjf25bfoh11c62is53mv9wb
- Does the website have unique and search engine-friendly URLs? Yes
- Does the website have a sitemap? Yes
- Does the website have keyword-rich title tags? Yes
- Does the website have valuable, keyword-optimized content? No
In order for your website content to be most effective you should have every page and post optimized for individual keyword phrases. Based on an examination of most of the content on your website it does not appear as though this has been done.
SEO that is effective, maintains positive, long-term results and gets a high ROI includes careful and methodical effort in on-page optimization around an individual keyword phrase.
It would be a good investment to work with an SEO firm and have them optimize each page of your website for an appropriate target keyword phrase. The keyword phrases that you choose to optimize your website content for should be chosen based on thorough keyword analysis and research, not your own opinion.
- Can the website be found in search engines by using their business name? Yes
- Does the site use an e-newsletter or alternate opt-in tool (i.e. e-book, white paper, research report, etc.) to engage each visitor as a prospective client? No
As stated in the previous question about a CTA, there is no compelling offer or opt-in opportunity on your website. I think this may be hurting your conversion rate. It would be a good idea to think of some ways you could give visitors incentives to enter the sales funnel and publish those on the site to begin collecting prospects' contact information.
- Does the website contain a form to request a quote or ask for more information? Yes
- Does the site contain video content to capture visitor attention and interest? No
The website does contain video, but the content itself and how it has been implemented is problematic:
- The videos are contained on a single page which is only accessible through a link in the footer. This link could be easily overlooked or missed entirely.
- All four of the videos were recorded in a tradeshow environment, so the audio quality is not as clear as it could be, and the background noise is distracting.
Effective video is an extremely valuable form of media that has been proven to accomplish the following:
- Increase visitor retention
- Shorten the sales cycle and increase conversion rates
- Improve search engine ranking performance
- Boost the visibility and effectiveness of your social media presence and increase the frequency with which visitors share your content with others on their social networks.
There is a lot of solid data that shows how effective video is in regards to boosting revenue, so it's a medium that cannot be ignored or neglected. Read the following articles for some eye-opening statistics about online video and it's role in our increasingly Internet-centric business climate:
- 31 Video Marketing Statistics to Inform Your Strategy [Infographic]
- 37 Visual Content Marketing Statistics You Should Know in 2016
- Why online video is the future of content marketing
- The Top 10 Stats from 2015 that Show the Importance of Video Marketing
Adding interesting and educational videos to the main pages of your site would help you improve their effectiveness, increase traffic and increase the number of clients you serve. Good videos aren't just fluffy sales pieces that pat oneself on one's back; they instead add value and convey valuable content to your website audience.
The following is a list of the specific kinds of video content that I think would help make your website more interesting and effective as a marketing tool:
- Intro/welcome/overview video that greets visitors, communicates your USP, and contains a CTA.
- Testimonial videos from very happy clients.
- Educational videos that offer snippets of the kind of information contained in your book to whet their appetite.
- Does the site capitalize on social media to promote the business and its brand? No
Social media technology has forever changed how companies promote themselves and are perceived in the marketplace. Some industries are by their very nature more inclined to benefit from social media (SM) marketing than others, but every business in existence can leverage SM to some degree to help build brand awareness and advocacy.
Your website has a LinkedIn profile link, but I think it would be advantageous to also include links to other popular social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. This would help lend credibility to your target audience, especially the younger generation who perceives companies that don't leverage social media as being out of touch. You should consider having a business page on each major social media website (Facebook, Google+, Twitter, etc. YouTube) and make the most of them by linking to them from your website. You should also have a widget on each content page/post of your site that allows visitors to share your content with others.
- Are there links to their social media pages and a "like/share this content" feature?
- Does their website have "Review Us" links to social media networks like Google+, Yelp, and Facebook?
- Does the website make use of analytics? No
Web analytics tools provide very valuable information that helps companies measure and improve the overall effectiveness of their online marketing efforts. Specific data they provide include the following:
- Traffic volume via reports that can be customized in very granular fashion (i.e. daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc.)
- Specific visitor behavior and trends (i.e. most visited pages, least visited pages, path taken through site, average amount of time spent on site, etc.)
- Keyword phrases used to find the site on the major search engines
- Conversion rates (i.e. how many people that visited the site requested more information through your online form or opted into your e-newlsetter).
Incorporating web analytics technology into your website would provide actionable intelligence to help you get a better ROI and continually improve marketing effectiveness.
- Was the website built using a Content Management System (CMS)? Yes
Marketing Effectiveness & Integration Summary
Total Points: 17 | Points Earned: 6 | Equivalent Score: 35 | Marketing Grade: FSummary Comments:
This third metric is without question the most difficult to do well. It is no less important than the first two, however, and it is the one companies most struggle with. In the comments above I've tried to provide as much specific feedback as possible and referenced many third-party links that can help you improve the areas that need work.
Supporting Documentation:
OVERALL Website Summary
Usability Grade: B+ | Professionalism Grade: A+ | Marketing Grade: FTotal Points: 46 | Points Earned: 33 | Equivalent Score: 72 | Overall Website Grade: C-
Summary Comments:
Owning, managing and maintaining an effective, lucrative website that yields a healthy ROI is a marathon, not a sprint. Your mindset and the resources you allocate to its improvement should be directed by that understanding. As I've said before, there are no "perfect websites," but you can and should constantly be in the process of improving yours, one area at a time.
Supporting Documentation: