I was talking with Scott Bradley yesterday and we got onto the subject of online selling and how it’s not always appropriate for every website.  If you’re one of those businesses, you might be led to think that would devalue the need for a website.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

How do your customers find you today? Yellow page ads are fast becoming a thing of the past.  They’re still important for some businesses, most notably service businesses, but for the most part, many of us rarely open them when we’re looking for a product or service.

When I need something, I will generally fire up Google or one of the search engines.  Then, even though I most probably won’t be buying online, I’ll do my basic research.

Therein is the rub.  While I may not be making a buying decision while I’m online looking for a supplier, I will most certainly make a “Not Buy” decision.  If you’re site is impossible to navigate, looks like a 3rd grader designed it, or is utterly outdated, I’m highly likely to go to your competitor who has something that’s more usable. 

Why? Here’s a list of reasons:

• Lack of professionalism – an ugly or unusable site says “we don’t get it.”
• I can’t buy it if I can’t find it – an unusable site is one of the easiest ways to lose out on sales opportunities.
• We have little to go on when we research online –  A decent design can help to inspire confidence in a certain company.
• No is easy to say – while it may be hard to convince someone to say “yes” online, getting them to say “no” is a simple thing.  It comes naturally.
• We’re essentially band wagon riders – we really want to be part of a winning team.  We’ll often pay more to go with the percieved “best” even if we’re just basing that qualititative judgement on how nice your site looks.

Think about it.  When you do online buying research, do you get turned off and walk away from sites based on looks alone?  Sure you do…

Other Reading ->

Go Big or Go Home: Why Being Bold is Critical to Getting Noticed – Copy Blogger
Using Social Media To Market – WebProNews
Why Clueless Marketers Are Terrified Of The Web  – John Carlton’s Big Damn Blog
When No Traffic Is A Good Thing! – Online Selling Secrets