This morning I was reminded that consistency is key for an effective website. I read a post on Carrie Dill’s site, “Finding New Clients Doesn’t Need to Be So Difficult.” There is a line in it that struck me as vital,
“Stick to what you know best and deliver content on that platform every week — no slacking allowed!”
Carrie is discussing how a freelance WordPress developer can find success. But her comment is equally valid for an effective website. Consistency is key. A consistent message that’s useful to your customers will separate your site from the rest.
Consistency is Key
Why is consistency so important? An effective website doesn’t distract. It’s laser-focused on what’s relevant to users, and this is balanced with what’s important to the business. A content strategy that is used consistently throughout the website is useful. It’s what makes a website effective.
Understand what your objective is and focus on it. You will be happy about it. Your customers will know what you are all about, what you want them to do.
I met with a local Doctor yesterday. This was the crux of our conversation. What did she want her site to do? Her websites, she had three, were all over the map. It was impossible to tell what her focus was.
An effective website doesn’t have multiple objectives. It’s confusing. A useful website has a single focus. Your customers don’t have time to search. They have a lot on their minds. Your business is all that you think about, but they don’t give you much thought at all. Sorry. But it’s true. You need to be there when they need you, and it needs to be clear what you can do for them. Focus and consistency. No more. No less.
Bring this thinking into your marketing.
When I came on board, Red8 Interactive was Red8 Studios. It did digital production using a team of developers in China. If it was digital Red8 Studios did it. Not well, but they did it. We weren’t focussed; our message wasn’t consistent.
Now, Red8 has focus. We build custom websites using WordPress and a team of full-time developers in the Midwest. We do other things for current customers, HTML emails for example, but these things are not our focus, they’re not how we go to market. For us, consistency is the key to our success. We build mid-sized custom websites, and we do an excellent job. I can say that because, more often than not, our customers come back to us.
Is your website messaging consistent? Is it customer-centric? Does it tell your customers how you solve their problems better?
Author: James Hipkin
CEO, Managing Director
James brings over 30 years of professional sales, marketing, and marketing consultation services to the table. Serving global brands along with small businesses, Hipkin leads a highly-skilled team of full-time developers, producers, and project managers who are committed to your success.
An excellent communicator and inventive problem-solver, his creative vision and bottom-line sensibility have proven successful at building productive, long-term partnerships with both employees and clients.