Do you run a services business? I mean, do you supply professional services to your clients mainly in the region you’re located in? If the answer is yes, then I bet your website focuses on promoting the long list of services you hope new customers will buy. But have you ever analysed if anyone is looking at the ‘services’ section on your website?
It’s the oddest thing, it doesn’t matter if you’re an Accountant, Architects or Air Conditioning Engineer, if you promote the very services you provide on your website, most website visitors ignore it instead preferring to spend much more time looking at who the people are in your company, what you say (your news), where you are and how they can contact you.
I’ll even go as far as to put a number on it. Around 10% of the pages viewed on most professional services websites are typically around services offered whereas 40% to 60% of pages viewed are about the people in the company supplying those services. Check it out in your Google Analytics.
There are exceptions of course, mainly Hotels and other ‘e-commerce enabled’ service offerings, but setting those exceptions aside why does this happen and how should it influence your digital marketing strategy?
If you dig further into your web stats you should see that most people Googled your company name or personal name. Very few customers search for “solicitor in Bangor” and land on your website even if you are #1 in Google for that search term. In the world of professional services, advocacy is king; others recommending your services and that is what causes people to search for you and guess what, they already know what you do! That’s why they Googled you.
If your Google Analytics is fulfilling my prophecy then it’s time you focused much more attention on the personal profiles of the people that deliver the services when creating your web strategy. The customer wants to check YOU out and in the main take for granted you supply their desired services. It also means you need to review your entire digital footprint including LinkedIn profiles, online PR pieces and other offsite mentions of you and your business.
Changing navigation structures and content to match the reading preferences of the customer can radically change the number of new sales leads your web presence can generate.
iON helps over 50 businesses each year understand and evaluate their digital marketing strategy. If you need a little help evaluating the evidence from your digital marketing to help your decision making, give us a buzz on 02890 455911 and ask for Yolanda or Niall.
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