Our study of home care websites
Is your home care website losing money?
If you’ve spent time and money putting up your site, you would probably be upset to find that it is wasting money as a marketing tool.
We at Savvy Senior Marketing looked at the websites of 92 of our most avid newsletter subscribers. We found some troubling signs. This list was made up of our top subscribers – those who opened most of our emails and were presumably the most serious about their marketing efforts. And yet nearly all of their websites were troubled by a few basic flaws that, in many cases, can easily be fixed.
We’re not talking about putting in fancy graphics, popup ads, or special offers. These were mostly mistakes of content. In other words, words rather than artistic problems. We looked at the home page, the most commonly visited. Here’s what we found:
Four common home care website mistakes:
- Too much ego. These sites blasted their viewers with information that was all about them. But readers are interested in their own problems, not about you.
- Two or more messages, or themes above the fold on the home page. This confuses the reader.
- Phone number was hidden, or not “hot.” Or the contact info was hard to get to.
- Not mobile-friendly.
About the first point, the websites talked too much about themselves on the home page. The websites thus failed to market to their audience. Why not start with the prospect’s problem? Discuss that and you will win their hearts and minds.
Secondly, there were two or more messages on the top part of the home page. You need to start with a single theme, and develop it.
Thirdly, the phone number was hidden, rather than put on the top of the website banner. It also needs to be “hot” so that the number can be called by tapping on a cell phone.
Finally, the website was difficult or impossible to read on a mobile. We find that about one-half of home care website visitors are using either a cell phone or a tablet. Why not make your website accessible to mobile viewers, too?
Poor digital presence
Another finding was that 12 home care agencies in this group, or 13% had no website at all. Some had purchased domain names, but visitors are led to an error page instead of a website. Bad PR. With the world turning more to online contacts nowadays due to the COVID problem, good website design is even more important than before.
Furthermore, Google My Business pages, which can attract lots of visitors, were not claimed by 9 home care agencies, or 10% of the list. For shame.
Three seconds to impress
According to marketing guru Don Miller, you have three seconds to impress your audience when they come to your website. In that time, they must learn:
- What you do.
- How that will help them.
- How to get in touch with you.
We at Savvy Senior Marketing can solve these problems and give clarity to your audience. We will not only deal with the technical aspects of your site, but give it the marketing chops that it needs. One way we help you is to work with you in writing a tag line as well as a statement of purpose. These should be clearly expressed on your home page.
Work with us and your website will no longer be a waste of money, but will attract visitors and compel them to contact you.
Find out how a better website can help your home care marketing efforts. Why not make a calendar appointment for a Free 1:1 Home Care Marketing Session with us today. Or contact us by email.
Image adapted from Joseph Mucira from Pixabay
