Smaller site for SME businesses

[NickGrogan]

Using @fisicx theme, so at least one person should like it

https://business-energy-solutions.co.uk/

Pagespeed: 98 Mobile, 100 Desktop
GTmetrix: Pageload: 0.5 seconds

 

[finleydesign]

This will fail miserably! First reason

Pagespeed: 98 Mobile, 100 Desktop
GTmetrix: Pageload: 0.5 seconds

 

[NickGrogan]

Meaning?

 

[gpietersz]

I like it. Clean and easy to navigate, and gets the message across very effectively.

Are you sure a separate site is the best answer?

 

[finleydesign]

Meaning?

You might as well have said, new website, I have had great reviews

Wife said - That's great my love
Daughter said - Yes that's great dad

By focusing and quoting pagespeed and Gtmetrix now, I think you have missed the point in website build, I can build a page with white background and big "Buy me" words, and pretty sure I would get 100 mobile and 100 desktop, and pageload of 0.000001 but how much business would I gain?

 

[NickGrogan]

Fair enough, but the pagespeed / load time is more related the theme than anything else, a theme that I had nothing to do with.

Ignoring the pagespeed, any other comments?

 

[NickGrogan]

I like it. Clean and easy to navigate, and gets the message across very effectively.

Are you sure a separate site is the best answer?

For smaller businesses, the intention is to lead them towards the online comparison, for larger clients we want to talk to them as the online won't apply.

Trying to achieve both aims at the same time is awkward, so perhaps two sites are better.

Plus I have a bunch of domains that I've registered over the years and might as well use them.

 

[finleydesign]

Fair enough, but the pagespeed / load time is more related the theme than anything else, a theme that I had nothing to do with.

Ignoring the pagespeed, any other comments?

It looks like Tomy's "My first website" I know I may be biased, but it looks like a school kid's project, and this is what I mean, by the fact that you have bothered to analyse page speed and that somehow trumps anything else, you may wish to reconsider your marketing approach

Pagespeed and loadtimes I think are the least of your worries on this one.

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

Nice, simple and to the point, but where is the comparison area?

 

[WebshopMechanic]

Hi Nick , I think @finleydesign is right.

Design is what makes people buy, not page speed. Yes, page speed will help you to convert more people and lose less visitors but only when the site is actually bringing in sales.

At the moment the site is too basic, looks amateurish (sorry) and lack any commercial authority. This doesn't look like a professional business that I can trust, it looks more like a blog.

I'm, not saying it isn't a good starting point but I certainly wouldn't spend any money sending advertising to it.

You should compare your site to other comparison sites and see what they are doing so you can use some of their tactics. Energy is a tough sector so you need to stand out.

Why do you think Compare the Market introduced Meerkats and Go Compare a funny Opera guy? To make comparison sites friendly and to make people watch their ads. If they just said, we'll get you the cheapest deal, it would be easily copied. Companies like that are ten-a-penny.

No you need to:

• Clearly define your USP (unique selling point) - Cut your bills down isn't it. Why are you different from the rest? Give people a reason to use you.
• Reinvent your tag line - Say no to cold calls doesn't mean anything. This is your elevator pitch so make it count.
• Use more powerful images (current ones are terribly crap - sorry again). Make your site interesting. TryPixabay,UnsplashandPexels- they are free.
• Add call-to-action buttons (e.g call now, get in touch)
• Inject a personal angle to it - People buy into people
• Experience - How many years you do have?
• Use company logos - These breed confidence
• Add Customer Testimonials - Social proof converts sales
• Add Case Studies - How have you helped other businesses?
• Add an 'About' page - Who are you? Why should people buy into you? Don't be all corporate. Be approachable and honest because that's what people want. You are supposed to be the expert.
• Finally, get rid of the bold text for everything too. Stick with standard text and only use bold for headings.

If you need some help with design then there will be guys on here (like @finleydesign ) who will be able to help. If you need a copywriter to make the words punchier, then let me know. I have a great guy who I can recommend.

Just my thoughts. Apologies if i was brutal but I also want to ensure your business works and converts business.

Matt

 

[NickGrogan]

Nice, simple and to the point, but where is the comparison area?

Enter your postcode on the gas / power page and it takes you to the comparison site.

 

[NickGrogan]

@WebshopMechanic cheers mate, something to work on, rather than, just its crap.

Pictures are shit, totally agree, but I hate pictures which makes choosing them harder. There is a reason the main site is text only.

The logo will be added, I forgot about that.

Not sure if/why the text is bold, I haven't set it to bold anywhere.

 

[gpietersz]

For smaller businesses, the intention is to lead them towards the online comparison, for larger clients we want to talk to them as the online won't apply.

So how do you deal with smaller business who end up on the main site, or larger clients who end up on this? You could link the two sites, but at that point you might be better of with two sections on the main site.

It looks like Tomy's "My first website" I know I may be biased

I think designers tend to overestimate the importance of design. Sales pitch and whether you have something they want to buy are more important.

I do not see that there is much real world correlation between good aesthetics and success. Unless you are willing to test and look at data, its best not to bother overmuch about it. My personal opinion is that its a lot better than your main site is currently, but not as good as it would be as a section of your old one.

 

[WebshopMechanic]

No worries my friend. It's not crap, just work in progress.

You're not a marketer or a designer. People on here are. Likewise, I'm not in the energy game so I'd know bugger all about that. You would certainly be the expert there.

We're all here to help each other (well, most of us).

Ultimately, it needs to look trustworthy. Trust is the biggest obstacle when selling anything.

The bold text thing might be my Chrome browser. Worth testing it on multiple devices and browsers to see what people are seeing.

 

[gpietersz]

Enter your postcode on the gas / power page and it takes you to the comparison site.

I think it might be a bit hard to find. I had the same reaction until I worked it out.

If its where you want them to go, why not put it in the header or navigation?

 

[NickGrogan]

I think it might be a bit hard to find. I had the same reaction until I worked it out.

If its where you want them to go, why not put it in the header or navigation?

Updated so it's on the front of the main page too. Not subtle.

This links to power, I'd need two submit buttons to do gas / power separately. Should be doable.

 

[NickGrogan]

I think designers tend to overestimate the importance of design.

Designers love design, technicians love speed, copywriters love words. They're all equally right/wrong.

So how do you deal with smaller business who end up on the main site, or larger clients who end up on this?

Hopefully the language is more focused on small business, so less hits from bigger businesses, but I take your point.

What do you call someone who recommends/chooses pictures?

 

[UKSBD]

I immediately felt conned, so wouldn't proceed

"All we need to get started is your postcode."

That made me think, I just had to enter my postcode and I would see some prices.

Just the fact you misled me there means I wouldn't carry on

 

[NickGrogan]

I immediately felt conned, so wouldn't proceed

"All we need to get started is your postcode."

That made me think, I just had to enter my postcode and I would see some prices.

Just the fact you misled me there means I wouldn't carry on

How are you interpreting the word "started"?

What about "All we need to begin is your postcode" Clearer?

How would you phrase it?

 

[UKSBD]

What about "All we need to begin is your postcode" Clearer?

Better, but I still wouldn't have liked it

Anything that makes me think "all" I have to do is enter my postcode to get some prices, when it doesn't would annoy me.

Edit to clarify:
"All we need to get started is your postcode." implies to me, that all you need is my postcode and then you can do whatever you do to find me the prices.

 

[simon field]

How about 'Let's begin with your postcode'

 

[Alan]

That made me think, I just had to enter my postcode and I would see some prices.

Just the fact you misled me there means I wouldn't carry on

I agree - I don't like being 'tricked' I'd rather have a 'Get a Quote' button and see the hole form unfold on a new page so I know what I'm in for.

To me trust is lost

 

[NickGrogan]

I'd rather have a 'Get a Quote' button and see the hole form unfold on a new page so I know what I'm in for.

Unfortunately, that's not an option, the way it's coded means postcode has to be submitted first. This pulls in the addresses, supply information, etc, but I don't think I can make that a single step.

 

[gpietersz]

Change the code?

It should be possible to have the address on the same page and autofill if you pick a list from the drop down.

It can also make things feel better if the form gives an indication of how many steps are left.

Finally, A/B test. Its a real pain, now one wants to do it, but it gives you solid data and, very often, a few surprises. For example, in this case, do enough people get annoyed to put them off? Maybe people think "I have done the first step, I may as well do the rest".

I think I just (as in 10 minutes ago) look at some data on a site I am A/B testing, and while I have not got enough accumulated data to be sure yet, it looks so far as though people are doing the exact opposite of what I expected (more likely to fill in a complex form than a simple one).