SITE FOR SORE EYES
Your website can be the first glimpse into your business
by Service Dealer Editor, Steve Gibbs
 
Steve Gibbs

Here we are again, coming up to another August Bank Holiday weekend - and the weather for the UK looks . . .OK. They seem to be forecasting a bit of a north/south split with some rain in the north and finer weather down south.

Hopefully this will encourage consumers on the domestic side to get out into their gardens - and into your dealerships!

We could do with some encouraging retail spending news. The latest report for July which came out last week showed that Britain’s consumers are taking a more cautious approach to shopping as higher inflation above the level of earnings eats into their spending power.

Only higher spending on food in supermarkets kept retail sales growing last month, with declines in all other main sectors, according to figures published by the Office for National Statistics.

The Guardian reported that B&Q and Screwfix owner, Kingfisher, have said that second quarter sales had slumped, driven by a 10.7% decline in the sale of seasonal goods such as barbecues and garden furniture, following a strong first quarter which was boosted by better weather.

This is something our readers have confirmed to us many times in the past, that sales in our industry are dictated by the weather more so than any other economic or political factor.

But whilst of course this is an undeniable truism, dealers need to do all they can to communicate to their customers and potential customers what they can offer to make their lives easier.

One vitally important way to facilitate this communication is the humble website. It almost feels that websites have been overlooked somewhat in recent times what with the emphasis placed on modern social media tools. But two stories in today's Update from major manufacturers, (ECHO and Suzuki) relaunching their web presences, illustrates the significance which big players still place on them.

And there's no doubt dealers should too. Like it or not, websites are still often the first glimpse into your business which many potential customers will have. Which is why it's vital to keep this window into your business as fresh and up-to-date as possible.

A few key reasons why it's important to think about updating your website can include:


Visual Appeal

When people visit your site, they see it as a reflection of your dealership. If your site looks professional and is loaded with useful information readers will see you as an authority and expert. Likewise if the site looks poorly designed and structured and/or out-of-date they’ll make the same assumptions about your company.

Responsive & Mobile Friendly

The UK is now a smartphone society. Therefore is now considered common practice to make a website mobile friendly (responsive design).
Responsive Web Design is a collection of techniques that allow a website to flex and adapt to the size of screen it’s being viewed on. If you haven’t updated your website in a while the chances are that you may be driving mobile users and potential customers away.


Content
The first impression of your website would obviously be the overall layout, but a reader is visiting your website because they are looking for useful information. A site redesign can also give you the opportunity to re-address how you communicate with all your visitors and to write copy that is simple, on target and more effective.
Fresh and unique website content is an very important factor in encouraging people to revisit your site more often.

Provide easy navigation
When experts talk about user experience they are referring to the totality of visitors’ experience with your site—more than just how it looks.
This includes how easy your site is to use, how fast it is, how easy it is to find information and how little friction there is when visitors try to complete whatever action it is they’re trying to complete.

These are just a few key considerations you may want to bear in mind if you are thinking that your website could benefit from a freshen up.

Keep a look out for a future Special Report to be included with Service Dealer magazine, which will take a detailed look at areas to think about, including websites, when you are communicating with customers.


If you have any great tips for ways you keep your dealership in touch with your customers, please let us know in the comments below.

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In this issue
EDITOR'S BLOG
SITE FOR SORE EYES
NEWS
LISTER MACHINERY OPEN 'SUPER DEPOT'
VENTRAC APPOINT MORE DEALERS
TORO COMPANY REPORT RECORD Q3 RESULTS
JOHN DEERE DEALERS MAKE A HARVEST PROMISE
NEW STUDENT AWARDS LAUNCHED
ARIENS LAUNCH NEW ECHO WEBSITE
SUZUKI LAUNCH NEW ATV SITE
HYUNDAI DEALERS REWARDED WITH NEW CARS
BAUER APPOINT NEW DEALERS
CELEBRATION PHOTO COMP FROM NEW HOLLAND
JOBS
KAWASAKI MOTORS EUROPE N.V - ENGINE DIVISION
Sponsored Product Announcements
TACKLE TOUGH TERRAIN
EVOPOS - THE ALL-IN-ONE SERVICE DEALER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Events
LATEST SHOWS & EXHIBITIONS
SUPPORTING THE 2017 SERVICE DEALER CONFERENCE & AWARDS
PARTNERS
STIHL GB
Evopos
GardenCare
Garden Trader
Grizzly Tools
Handy Distribution
Henton & Chattell
Husqvarna
Oregon
Robomow
Rochford Garden Machinery
uni-power
TurfPro
CURRENT ISSUE
May / June 2017
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