Keeping Up with the Joneses

You compete with your competitors on price, service, and quality.  But it’s also important to compete in relation to your website design.

No matter how good you are and how perfect your website is, your potential customers are checking out your competition.  And if you don’t know what they’re up to, how are you going to do it better?

There are several layers to understanding a prospect’s reaction to a competitors’ site.

1. Initial reaction — When they first click on the site, how does the design compare to yours?  Is theirs better or worse?
2. Content assessment — Does the writing pull you in and explain exactly what they do?  Does it do a better job of selling their product than yours does?
3. What do they offer that you don’t?  — Are there ideas on their site that would work on yours, but you haven’t tapped into them?  Is there a way to weave those ideas into your business?
4. Is the site professional? — Do you leave the site feeling they know their product and if you were to buy from them/hire them, you would receive quality?
5. Social media/review comparison — Is your competition on Facebook, Twitter, etc. when you are not?  Do they have up testimonials when you do not?

Take the time to get to know your competition.  You don’t want to be behind the curve because you’ll lose prospects.  Instead, make sure you’re ahead of the curve.  Your bottom line will thank you.