Online Marketing: How Easy Is It To Do Business With You Online?

When’s the last time you tested your website to ensure every means of contact or conversion worked seamlessly?
This week, I was trying to make contact with a company I wanted to do business with. Their site had only one option, a form on their contact page. Unbeknownst to them, though, the form tool they used was just an empty iframe on the page. While I wanted to do business with them, they hindered me, so I gave up and found an alternative company to assist. Imagine going through all the investment of building out an online presence, optimizing it, and garnering traffic only to have the single conversion source broken. It happens far too often.
We live in a digital-first world where businesses pour time and resources into their online presence, aiming to attract, engage, and convert prospects into loyal customers. However, despite the sleek websites, targeted ads, and curated social media feeds, many businesses unknowingly create unnecessary roadblocks that frustrate potential customers and derail sales. Every business owner and marketer must ask:
How easy is it for someone to do business with me online?
If your website or digital presence is riddled with friction points, you risk driving potential customers away to a competitor who makes working with them effortlessly. Let’s explore common frustrations and how to eliminate these barriers.
Common Frustrations for Online Customers
- Lack of Contact Information: One of the most significant frustrations is landing on a website that provides no clear way to contact a human. Many businesses rely solely on impersonal forms with no email address, phone number, or physical address listed. This lack of transparency leaves prospects or customers wondering where their inquiry is going and whether they’ll ever hear back.
- Absence of Self-Service Options: Modern visitors value convenience. They’re missing a huge opportunity if they can’t book an appointment, schedule a demo, or purchase a product without waiting for manual intervention. Many businesses fail to offer self-service features like online scheduling, live inventory, or automated customer support.
- No Live Chat or Immediate Support: While forms and FAQs can be helpful, they’re no substitute for immediate answers. Customers often have time-sensitive questions or need assistance navigating your site. Without live chat or an accessible support channel, they may abandon their journey altogether.
- Unclear Navigation or Overcomplicated Processes: A poorly designed website can confuse and frustrate users. Customers will quickly leave if your navigation is unclear, your checkout process is cumbersome, or your calls to action are buried. A smooth and intuitive user experience is non-negotiable.
- Limited Mobile Optimization: With most web traffic now coming from mobile devices, a non-responsive site is a dealbreaker. Customers expect a seamless experience on their desktop, tablet, or smartphone. A slow-loading or poorly formatted mobile site sends a message that you’re not prioritizing their needs.
- Lack of Trust Signals: A lack of reviews, testimonials, or security seals can deter customers from purchasing or engaging. Prospects want assurance that the business is legitimate and trustworthy, especially when entering payment details or personal information.
Testing Your Online Experience
Take these actionable steps to ensure your website is user-friendly and optimized for conversions. Put yourself in the shoes of your prospects and customers to identify and resolve potential pain points.
- Perform a Complete Website Audit: Pretend you’re visiting your site for the first time. Can you quickly find what you’re looking for? Review every touchpoint, from homepage navigation to checkout. Look for broken links, slow-loading pages, or unclear messaging.
- Test Contact Options: Try reaching out as if you were a customer. Do you get a timely response? Are your emails answered professionally? Ensure you provide multiple ways for customers to reach you, including phone numbers, email addresses, and even live chat functionality.
- Assess Mobile Friendliness: Visit your website on multiple devices. Is it easy to navigate? Do buttons work properly? Use tools like Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to ensure your site meets modern standards.
- Check for Self-Service Tools: Can customers book appointments, schedule calls, or purchase without human intervention? If not, explore tools like Calendly for scheduling, Shopify for seamless e-commerce, or a chatbot to answer common queries instantly.
- Optimize Your Customer Journey: Simplify your navigation, reduce form fields, and create a logical path for users. A/B test changes to determine what resonates most with your audience.
- Showcase Trust Signals: Prominently display customer reviews, testimonials, certifications, and security badges. Highlight any guarantees or refund policies to ease customer concerns.
- Monitor Your Analytics: Dive into your website analytics to identify drop-off points. If users frequently abandon their carts or bounce from specific pages, investigate and resolve the underlying issues.
- Solicit Customer Feedback: Ask your customers about their site experience. Use surveys or follow-up emails to gather insights about what’s working and what isn’t.
Takeaways to Make Your Online Presence Friction-Free
- Provide Multiple Contact Channels: Display your phone number, email, and address prominently on your site. Consider adding live chat for instant support.
- Enable Self-Service: Invest in tools that allow customers to act independently, such as booking appointments or completing transactions.
- Simplify Your Processes: Reduce the steps to complete an action, whether it’s making a purchase, scheduling a call, or signing up for a newsletter.
- Ensure Mobile Optimization: Test your site on mobile devices to guarantee a seamless, responsive experience.
- Build Trust: Display customer reviews, testimonials, and security certifications prominently to instill confidence.
- Test Regularly: Act as a customer and navigate your website to identify pain points and areas for improvement.
- Listen to Feedback: Use customer insights to refine your online experience continuously.
- Monitor Analytics: Ensure that you have every type of conversion set up as a key event in Google Analytics so that you can monitor them effectively and work on your conversion rate optimization (CRO).
Think of your website as a self-service kiosk where the user experience (UX) is so obvious and simple that anyone can logically utilize it and every connection has the anticipated response your prospect or customer envisioned.
In the competitive online marketing landscape, simplicity and accessibility are the ultimate differentiators. When customers can find what they need without jumping through hoops, they’re far more likely to choose you over your competitors. Review your digital presence, address pain points, and prioritize a seamless customer experience. The easier it is to do business with you online, the more likely you will win and retain loyal customers.