“You never get a second chance to make a first impression”
Some credit Oscar Wilde with this quote. Others point to Will Rodgers. No matter who said it first, this is as true today as it ever was. I would say it is even more important. Why? Because in the days of Messrs. Wilde and Rodgers, most first impressions were face to face. Today most first impressions happen via your website. And if the impression is bad, visitors are gone in a flash.
For example: I was visiting with a potential new client last week. They told me they had met a potential new client who had told them they checked out their website before coming in. They cringed at the thought. Their website wasn’t horrible by any means. But it was so out of date. They had information from 2010 on there listed as news. Fortunately their business is based more on referrals, and their skill sets. So the new client still came in. The problem is that there is no telling how many people didn’t call or come in as they were turned off by their website.
Though in this case, they probably didn’t lose a new client, it got them thinking. So they brought me in to take a look at their site. With a couple hours work each month over the next quarter we will get them up to date and also secure their website from potential attacks. You’ve heard me talk about all the virtues of WordPress. But there are downsides as well. One of those is potential hacker attacks. You need to keep your WordPress version up to date as well as all your plug-ins. Then you need to have a good security plug-in.
Bottom Line: Every website we review doesn’t need to be blown up and redone. You don’t always have to spend thousands of dollars. With one of our support plans we can incrementally improve your website to get it up to snuff. From that point we will help you keep your site up to date 24/7/365.
Testimonials are a great addition to a website. But only if they are real. One signed with BP, MA. is useless. They appear fake even if they are legitimate. Having a testimonial with a person’s name and company gives far more credibility.
When someone is looking for a company, they want to be reassured that you are trustworthy. So typically after the homepage, they look to your about page to learn more about your company. A testimonials page is another place where people look. Say a non-profit was looking for a web company. I think after going to my testimonials page, they would feel good about RooSites. I have a great testimonial from a Senior Executive at the Samaritans, which lists her name, title and organization. (see below)
Having her name, title and organization legitimizes the testimonial. As I said, It also provides another non profit seeking a web design, development, and management firm confidence in our services.
So consider testimonials for your website, only using those from people willing to put their name, title and company out there for you. Since you are only going to publish positive remarks, these companies are happy with you and most will be willing to help.
