With the prominent trend of becoming a "solution-based" company, many businesses are changing their product-focused websites to match what they are told viewers want to see. In the aftermath, they may see an improvement in their website views however, in conjunction, they also might see a spike in website searches and calls to customer service.
Often, I've been asked the question: "Rachel, should my website be product-based or solution-based?" And in my professional experience, I believe it should be both!
To focus your website on one or the other presumes that your entire audience gathers information and purchases in one way. And as we know, there are many different buyer personas and they purchase in different ways. In reviewing multiple client analytics, I've seen there are 2 major audience types that make up most of their valuable website traffic. Your company website should be optimized for both.
The Doers
The first audience type is an audience that knows what they want, but they need more information before purchasing. I call this audience, "The Doers", because they are more ready to buy. This audience tends to think, "keep the fluff, show me the goods", but they just need pricing, specifications or product features etc. to be ready to move forward in the buying process.
Doers are higher on the antsy scale and are looking for the easiest way to view your products. Doers love product-based websites because having only solution-based pages increases the number of clicks they have to make to see all your product offerings, often resulting in them give up. The best "giving-up" scenario is they will start using the search bar; the worst "giving-up" scenario is they will get frustrated, leave your website and search for an easier-to-use competitor site. Presenting your products in a clear and organized way will improve the user experience of doers and make them more likely to buy during their site session.
The Seekers
The second audience type is an audience that isn't sure what they want but is looking for a solution to a pain point or an advantage within their market. I call this audience, "The Seekers". Seekers thrive on solution-based websites. This audience will click on the market they most associate with or the solution they are most interested in and gather information on the relevant products you choose to present.
Seekers tend to need more hold-handing and will often have a longer sales cycle since they may not be familiar with the product, solution or your company. They are in research mode and they don't know what they want but they know what they need. This audience will read your blog content, download brochures, view videos and overall spend more time on the website, however, they are less likely to buy during their first session. It's important to capture a Seekers information through lead forms, because with targeted nurturing, in time they might be ready to buy.
Ironic, but when a Seeker becomes ready to buy - they become a Doer. They know the product they want now (re-targeting ads, email marketing and social promotions can help speed up their decision), they did the research and now they're back and ready to buy. So don't make it difficult!
Is It Too Late ?
If you have already moved over to a solution-based website with no product pages in sight - don't worry! Content creation is usually the most time consuming part and since you previously had a product-based site, you already have the content for it. Talk to your Marketing department or consult with an Ace Marketer for their best judgement.
I urge you not to shrug off this website improvement initiative simply because of the time and money it may take to implement. This tactic has proven to boost SEO, improve user experience, decrease bounce rates, increase internal linking options and more. There's no question that when I have optimized websites for both products and solutions, the data has shown an increase in metrics that have directly impacted the organization's bottom line. Contact Rachel at Ace Media & Marketing today for a free website review and quote!