2. Websites That Never Change
Even among those dive stores that keep class and trip dates current, there is a tendency to never change anything else. Unfortunately, this tells visitors that, once they have seen your website, there is little or no reason to return.
In an ideal world, all of your customers would visit your store on a regular basis, simply to see what is new and different. (Hopefully, you rotate displays and re-merchandise inventory so as many customers as possible have a reason to do just that.)
Nevertheless, given factors such as the high cost of gasoline, unrelenting traffic and the fact none of us seem to have any time any more, it’s just plain easier for most customers to go to your website to see what’s new than it is to visit your store. But, if there is nothing new on your website, they will likely assume there is nothing to justify a visit.
Every dive store website should have a News section right on the home page. News items can include:
- New or substantially updated equipment.
- Recently added classes, trips or activities.
- Special event notices.
- Noteworthy accomplishments by staff, students and customers.
Your News section should mirror your monthly eNewsletter. If a particular news item can’t be described in a paragraph or less, provide a link to a separate page where it’s covered in greater detail.
A number of better dive store websites actually put the date the site was last updated on their home page. This serves as a reminder to customers that the site really is updated on a regular basis — and provides an incentive to the staff to keep the site up to date, lest they look bad by failing to do so.
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