Find out the three biggest mistakes you can make with your security company website
I’ve visited a lot of Security and Investigation websites over the years, more so than most people ever will. I’ve also built 100’s of websites over the last decade, so I have an idea of what works and what doesn’t. Some sites are fantastic promotional tools for the company. They ooze professionalism and help establish trust. Many in the security industry though leave a lot to be desired.
Below I’ll cover some of the biggest mistakes I’ve seen on Security Company Websites and give you an insight into why.
1. We are the leading security company
Really? Are you sure? Did you know that the potential client just visited 10 of your competitors and 8 of them said exactly the same thing. Who are they to believe? In a world where information is fast and quick at hand, where your competitors are only a few clicks away, sprouting to the world that you are the leading company does not inspire confidence. In fact it can have a negative effect when everyone else is saying exactly the same thing.
Find ways of inspiring confidence in your product or services that don’t require you to make claims without validation.
2. We offer Security Services Melbourne, Guards Melbourne, CCTV Melbourne, Alarms Melbourne
We get the point, you offer services in Melbourne. But who exactly do you think will be reading the words on your website? Potential clients? Existing clients? What are they going to think when you repeat words over and over to the point where it becomes painful to read? It’s not like you’d ever use a sentence like that when talking to them face to face, but that’s what your website is doing.
Now some of you reading this may be thing why on earth would anyone do that. Well some web designers, so called search engine optimisation experts and some people that just read the wrong things online think that if you repeat words over and over that you’ll get better search engine rankings. To an extent this is somewhat true. I mean the search engines are just programs and need to figure out what your page is about. So including on-topic keywords “within reason” helps the search engines get a better picture of what your company is all about.
The biggest problem with this though lies in the fact that the page will be read by humans, your potential clients. Even if you get the better rankings, what are those potential clients going to think when they read that? You may also find yourself penalised and lose your rankings in the search engines, but that’s another story. There are a lot of factors that go into search engine rankings, so focus on things that don’t require making a mockery of the English language. So to keep it simple, write for humans first, search engines second.
3. Last updated 2003
Do you still exist? You must since you paid your webhosting and domain name fees all this time, but do potential clients know that? A website built in the style of the last millennium also doesn’t inspire much trust or professionalism.
Now not everyone that set-up their website a long time ago believes the internet holds any value for their business. It probably didn’t work for them then and hence forth it probably won’t work now. The website though is a reflection of your business and speaks volumes about your attitude towards potential clients.
A quick update is in store and you don’t even have to break open the piggy bank to do so. With all the how-to websites around, with kids these days learning to build websites in school, I’m sure most companies could find a way to upload at least a one page site to replace that dinosaur. Keep it simple, present it neatly and include all relevant information. It should be a pretty quick thing.
How much is one new client that finds you on the net worth to your security business over a number of years anyway?