Is your website marketable?

Whether you’re dipping your toes into the online waters for the first time or refining an existing campaign, it’s vital that you take stock of your current assets before you begin any digital marketing activity.

You’ve got to make sure that they are up to the task. After all, what’s the point in spending all of that time, effort, and money on driving people to your company if they don’t convert when they get there?

When it comes to digital, your most important asset is your website. It is your modern-day shopfront and can be the first point of contact your customers will have with your organization. As a result, it needs to be in tip-top shape before you even think about driving traffic to it.

So is your website marketable?

We’ve put together a Digital Marketing Assessment to help you answer that all-important question. Answer the questions below to see if your site is ready to be marketed.

1. Are your website's conversion points optimized?

Conversion points are areas designed to encourage your website visitors to take action. The action could be anything from filling out a "Contact Us" form to signing up for a newsletter or even making a purchase.

You want to effectively promote the right conversion points —this information should turn your visitors into leads or customers.

• People can easily contact us when they arrive on our site — there is a clear contact option visible on each page.
• Our call to actions (CTAs) have been A/B tested for optimal conversions. This includes testing the size, color, and copy.
• User data collected from web forms is stored efficiently (in a CRM or similar).
• If someone contacts us via telephone, there will always be someone to receive the call.
• If contacted online, we respond promptly and utilize email marketing for further communication.
• We use analytics to utilize data related to user activity on the site, time spent on site, path to conversion, etc.

2. How current is your website's programming?

Search engines favor websites with the most up-to-date programming. So if you don't update your website on an ongoing basis, it's time for a refresh.

• We have a web developer who provides ongoing correspondence and helps to update the site and plugins.
• We have access to our website's CMS (content management system).
• The site's programming language is up-to-date with today's standards.
• There is a good amount of relevant information on each page — no outdated content or "coming soon" sections.
• We have a verified sitemap and robots.txt file that clearly communicates our website architecture.

3. Do you have a content marketing strategy and/or blog?

In today’s social media era, every company needs a content marketing strategy, but not every company needs a blog. If you don’t have (or want) a blog, you should consider a ‘news’ section where you can publish company updates. These updates should be shared to your social media channels to help keep your brand top of mind.

• Our website has a blog and it's updated regularly (at least once a month).
• We incorporate content strategies like a content calendar, links to relevant information, and multimedia assets (photos, videos, etc.).
• We research and identify blog topics our audience is interested in or concerned about to create value and address their needs
• Blog posts and/or news stories are promoted and shared on our social media channels.
• We plan desired outcomes for posts and use analytics to chart results.
• Our copy speaks the language of our targeted audience and addresses their needs and pain points.

4. Does your site shine on mobile?

Mobile is taking over.  Almost 50% of emails are now opened on mobile, and users are increasingly turning to smartphones and tablets to shop, search and contact businesses. As a result, your site doesn’t just need to work on mobile, it needs to shine on it.

• We have optimized how our site appears when accessed on a mobile device.
• Our site was created with responsive design (so it adapts to the viewing environment, whether it's desktop, mobile or tablet).
• Our site performs great on mobile with fast loading time, and touch elements are well-spaced.
• We can analyze which percentage of our website traffic comes from mobile views, and our email open rate on desktop vs. mobile.
• We use a mobile app and/or SMS notifications as a further means of engaging our audience (if applicable).

5. Why digital marketing?

It's fantastic to start out with specific goals to work towards a digital marketing strategy. However, it's important to clarify that these goals are attainable — and that digital is the right avenue to achieve them in.

• Our team has outlined specific areas (conversion rate, number of leads, etc.) we'd like to improve with digital marketing.
• We have defined our key target market(s), so we can conduct further research into their online behavior.
• We have internal resources dedicated to communicating with a digital agency's team.
• We're committed to making changes to our website if necessary.

Is your website marketable?

So how did you do?

If you were able to check off all of the boxes above then your website is ready to be marketed. But don’t panic if you haven’t — the good news is that there are countless opportunities to revise and refine when it comes to digital.

That’s where we can help.

This assessment is actually an example of the kind of groundwork we do before each and every campaign we conduct. It’s a key part of our strategic approach, which focuses on conducting digital marketing solutions that deliver on our clients’ business objectives.

If you have questions about your digital presence or if you’d like help with marketing it, get in touch. We'd be happy to share our insights on how to build your website — and digital strategy — to best shine online.