The Elusive Website Address

Is finding your website address where it needs to be, similar to pinning down Bigfoot? Elusive website addresses aren’t good. You spend too much time on building, launching, and updating your website for it not to be used, found or remembered. Sometimes it seems logical where you need to list your website, and other times it takes a reminder checklist to make sure some place important doesn’t get missed.

Print your website on all materials your clients typically receive such as invoices, sales receipts, coupons, punch cards, product labels, and NEVER assume your clients remember your website address. Supply it to them so they never have to search for it. If they try searching for you using keywords, towns, and industry, they could find a competitor instead.
Make sure each of your packing slips supply your customers with a direct path to answers to their shipping and handling questions, as well as your return policy. Since your website is easy and inexpensive to keep updated, your customers can always have this information readily available.
Add your web address to your logo, or at least have a version of it with the website incorporated into the design. In most cases you do not need to alter your logo in any way, but instead start making your website part of your identity. Since most logos incorporate graphics, it is often easier to recall a website that correlates to a picture.
Communicate your website address to all of your staff, especially if your website is new or your domain name has changed. Also, make sure new staff are informed as part of your training process. Just because owners and marketing staff know all there is to know about your website, doesn’t mean others don’t need to know. It’s critical everyone knows; your sales staff, customer service, and receptionist. It only takes one person who is not able to articulate to a client where to go on the web to frustrate and confuse all that you are working so hard to do.
Make sure all your business related social media profiles have your website added: Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, etc. Don’t assume the person who set it up added your links. Make this a regular “check-up” to check on your website links.
Key owners, sales staff, and marketing personnel should have links to your website in their personal profiles on LinkedIn especially.
Make sure your individual videos in YouTube or Vimeo have links to your website in the descriptions, especially if the videos pertain to content on your site.
Add your website to your email footer and make sure everyone at your business has it consistently displayed. Double check that the link is set up properly and works. You don’t want people to click on it and get an error.
Add a direct link to your enewsletter and bulk email correspondence. Make it easy to people to get to your website and navigate quickly.
Never pay for an ad in a newspaper, Want Ads, magazine, event flyer, program or other materials that doesn’t list your website. If you have long-standing, reoccuring ads placed somewhere, take a look and make sure your website is on there.
Consider your logo with website when asked to sponsored events such as little league t-shirts, dance programs, and other community items. When you submit your logo, make sure your website address is included.
When is the last time you reviewed your Chamber Membership listing online? Make sure your website is listed and your contact information is up to date. This goes for any other trade organizations or memberships in which you belong. Many offer an option to list your website. Take advantage of it!