website reviews via video

Your website can be a phenomenal marketing tool—but only if potential customers can find and navigate it.

The proprietors of Absolute Aluminum went out of their way to put forward an arresting website design, complete with flash animation, sound effects, and links to further company media. The result is slick, but misses a fundamental truth of online marketing: the goal of a website is to increase your audience. If visual pizzazz confounds your site visitors—or, worse, keeps your site out of search results—it isn’t worth having.

Help Google Help You
The single biggest problem with this website is that it has managed to make itself nearly invisible to Google. By implementing a Flash-based homepage design without a single text link to a subpage, the company has effectively convinced Google that its website is one big animation file. Without content to crawl and links to follow, Absolute Aluminum is missing out on even the most targeted keyword searches.

Cool Stuff Overload
The production value of the homepage flash presentation is impressive, but the load time eats up the crucial ten seconds during which visitors look for a reason to stay on a site. The image may have caught their eyes—but as a distraction, not a motivational guidepost.

The problems of the intro, unfortunately, are compounded by the layout, which is far too busy, with a large (but misnamed) side menu, an FAQ section that clutters the page, and redundant or unnecessary links. The result is an overdone visual impression that will tend to confuse potential customers, rather than inspiring them to act on their interest in what the company has to offer.

Missed Opportunities
And what should visitors do if they are interested? That could be a lot clearer. Like many sites, absolutealuminum.com lacks a real call to action—a hook prompting visitors to make initial contact. There is no form to request a free quote, and while there is a newsletter sign-up on the front page, there’s no explanation of what the newsletter has to offer. Visitors may be left feeling impressed with the site’s complexity, but not moved to transition from passive visitor to active consumer.

The Fix
To start, take off the Google-invisibility suit and simplify the website design. Use real text links that the search engine can find and follow, and post the company’s buried—but effective—ads on video sharing sites where they can catch Google’s roving eye. Then, install a news blog to show off the latest projects, providing new searchable content while establishing a sense of professional trust with visitors. Finally, use a subscription option for the blog and an omnipresent “request a quote” form to compel potential customers to answer the company’s call to action. With increased visibility, navigability, and focused visitor direction, Absolute Aluminum should see a marked improvement in traffic and lead generation.