What Consumers Expect to Find on a Company’s Website

Beyond supporting growers with the essential containers they require for cultivation, HC believes we have a responsibility to also help educate consumer-facing garden centers and nurseries on the importance of a digital presence. In this post, we’ll discuss what consumers expect to find on a company’s website.

In our popular blog post, Four Strategies for Marketing Your Garden Center or Nursery, we touched upon the need for digital marketing in an ever-evolving marketplace. But have you ever done an audit of your website to see if what you’re offering to the digital audience is in fact what they crave?

The necessary benchmarks for any live website are often dictated by industry and audience, yet there are a handful of commonalities that apply to all sites regardless. You can also use this webflow developer to create a connection between you and your business with the help of a unique webflow website.That’s what we’ll be focusing on in this post.

While they may seem like trivial additions, their absence is not lost on the consumer and often creates a negative customer perception that your business is not credible, relevant, or worthy of their time and money.

Eric Sharp of ProtoFuse, a B2B Marketing Agency, says, “Unfortunately, perception can be stronger than reality. Studies show people have an instantaneous reaction to a website. If it’s outdated with a poor design, old content, or obsolete functionality — that reaction will be mostly negative. And that spells trouble for the company’s credibility.”

So what do consumers expect to find on a company’s website? A recent poll conducted by HubSpot across the United States provides the answers.

1. 62% of respondents said that contact information is critical. You may think such information is a no-brainer, but many companies still miss including it on their websites. A phone number and email should be included at the very least, and if you have a brick-and-mortar location then an address is a must (in fact 26% feel a business’ physical location is a key component of an effective website). If you can’t take five minutes to make sure this information is visible on your website, don’t expect to hear from many customers.
2. 19% of respondents believe a blog is important. Beyond helping with your businesses’ SEO efforts, timely blog content shows your business is a thought leader – providing not only products but education on how to get the most success out of those products without having to visit a third-party site for more information. Additionally, if posts are not maintained regularly with new content, customers may assume that your business is no longer active.
3. 31% of respondents look for an “About Us” page on a company’s website. In short, consumers care about who they’re doing business with and the “About Us” page allows businesses to share their story and highlight their core values. Remember, consumers want to do business with people they trust. It’s up to you to tell them who you are.
4. 27% of those surveyed said it’s important to use original content especially images and videos of products and services. After being inundated with stock photography for so many years, consumers can easily spot them and grow weary of a business that relies heavily on such artwork throughout its website. Using images of your actual products or services shows authenticity and transparency – attention to detail that does not go unnoticed.
5. 10% believe there is value to having a newsletter sign-up so customers can stay up to date on news and information in your particular industry – as long as the content is not self-serving.

Based on the results above, what consumers expect to find on a company’s website are not revolutionary ideas. However, their absence is immediately noticed by your visitors and often means the difference between engaging further with your website or clicking on the next listing. Give consumers a reason to stay by auditing your website and making sure you’ve properly addressed the items above.