he main function of a website is to convert a visitor into a lead or a sale. It all centers on the user experience (UX) and the user interface (UI). You might think your website is OK, but until you look at it from your potential customer’s point of view, it may not be.

It’s all about the consumer. They are in control, but you need to control them without them knowing it. Think of it as taking them by the hand and guiding them where you want them to go. They’re thinking, “What’s in it for me?” Consequently, you need to tell them.

The last thing you want is a frustrated potential customer. Just like you would give a potential customer who walked into your facility a guided tour, that’s how your website should be.

I’m sure you’ve had the experience on a website when you’re trying to, say, schedule an appointment, and the system doesn’t work right. You waste a lot of time and become frustrated. That happened to me recently with a medical appointment. It wasn’t like I could go to a competitor. After the third time trying their online form, I ended up calling them and having to wait on hold for a live person to help me.

You don’t want a frustrated customer. Unless you’re the only storage facility in town or for miles, they’ll go to a competitor.

Think of your website as a physical office or store. They could discover you via the search engine listing and go to your home page, or any of your static pages, like “About,” “Products,” or “Services.” However, they could find the link in your social media profiles, posts, other listings, or backlinks. And then there’s your blog articles. Those visitors could come from a search engine, a social media post, or an email. Additionally, there could be a designated landing page or a special sales page from paid advertising.

Follow the links, thinking like a customer. What do you see first? What makes sense? How does a potential customer get from “I think they have what I need” to “How do I book a unit?”

If you’re experiencing any of these, there’s something wrong somewhere along your potential customer’s buying journey. You may think your website looks good, but if you’re getting visitors and no conversions, then it’s not working like it should.

If you’ve followed my tips from past articles and you’re still not getting conversions, leads, or sales, it can very well be your website’s UX and UI.

Put those calls to action in your navigation menu, sidebar, at the bottom of each page and blog post, or in the footer. In addition, you can put it in a pop-up that comes up when the visitor has either scrolled to the bottom of a page or moved their mouse to leave. Don’t have the pop-up appear as soon as someone lands on your site. Consider this: If they just discovered you, let them read the article first before you ask them to join a list or do whatever. Don’t overdo it! Place them in logical areas.

• Put yourself in your target’s shoes. The consumer is in control, so think like one! Know your target market(s)! I have written about this in past Messenger issues.
• Think of your website as your 24/7 salesperson. It’s more than a nice online brochure. Given that, you need to arm it with everything the potential customer needs to know. However, don’t be too wordy. Use bullet points for the important features and amenities.
• Their buying journey must make sense. Look at it objectively step by step, from discovery to sale. Picture different scenarios—the various reasons someone needs to store anything at your facility. Lead them to the call to action.
• Have a visible internal search function. Make it easy for them to search within your site to find more information, what they need, or if they have questions.
• Be absolutely sure it works and looks good on all desktop web browsers and mobile devices. Many times, a site looks great on desktop, but when you look at it on a smartphone, you can’t see the menu or the call to action and the images are immense. Look at your analytics to learn which devices your visitors use the most (desktop or mobile). Test the click-to-call feature on a phone.
• Make sure everything works right. Test, test, test! All forms, booking, checkout, contact form, and calls to action must work smoothly. Subsequently, respond promptly. If it’s automated, ensure that a confirmation email or text message goes out. If they need a human response, get back to them as soon as possible. Your office and facility access hours should be on the footer of your website.
• Provide good, quality, and helpful content. Give them what they want. Educate them. Offer free advice and tips. Proofread everything. Better yet, have someone else proofread it. If you don’t have a second pair of eyes, walk away from it, then come back later and carefully read it out loud to yourself.
• Be human. Remember, you’re talking to humans. Humans have feelings, especially if they’re going through a traumatic experience and they need storage. I was displaced by fire a few years ago. I know what that’s like. Remember, they are thinking, “How can you help me?”
• When using a landing page for a special offer, it should not have any other navigation except the form and the “send” button. OK, maybe one link to the home page. The point is not to have any other distractions except what you want the visitor to do.

By focusing on your website’s user experience and interface, you should see conversions and sales improve.