Website Marketing Tip 1 – Avoid boring brochures

For any small business there are basically two types of website.

The first – and most commonly sold by web developers – is the brochure website. Brochure websites are characterised by heavy designs, stock images and page after page of generic “corporate speak”.

Now, as an Internet marketer I am a little biased but in my opinion a brochure website is the WRONG type of website for the vast majority of small businesses.

Why? Because they are BORING for visitors. They are standard fare – seen over and over again. They do not connect with the needs of the customer and they do not provide any opportunity for a business to communicate whatever it is that makes it remarkable.

Worse still, brochure websites do next to nothing to bring new leads into a business. In particular, they are rarely constructed with search engine ranking in mind.

So, what is the second type of website? It’s what’s called a direct response website. Direct response websites are designed and implemented specifically to deliver bottom line results for a business.

They engage with the visitor, speak directly to their needs and desires, and provide them with clear instructions (and a compelling reason) to take the next step.

If your website is not generating a steady stream of sales leads then it is likely that your site is a boring brochure – and it is not standing out from the crowd and connecting with your target customer.

This post is part of a series of website marketing tips for small business.