2. Simple Ways to Tune-up Your Website!

3. Give Your Website a Performance Review!

4. Discovering New and Relevant Users

5. Do you view your website as an advertising expense or treat it as a destination? Does it make a positive impression and inspire more clicks? Types of websites: Online Business Card or Information-Only. Both do very little to drive traffic to the store and provide no measurable results. eCommerce websites should be treated like an additional location. They become a destination and should include information about the products and services you provide. Sales and traffic can be tracked. It should mirror the experience your customer finds when walking into your store.

6. Getting Customers Engaged

7. Does your website portray your brand properly? What exactly is your brand? It’s a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that identifies one seller’s goods or service as distinct from those of other sellers.

8. In other words, it’s your business face to the world! It’s also your promise for a good experience when dealing with you. It reflects your values, your quality of products and your services. It’s how shoppers perceive your overall business. Your website has to mirror exactly what you’re doing in your store to reinforce your brand.

9. Does your website contain accurate and complete information? You have 10 SECONDS to engage and inspire a customer to stay on your website.

10. Confusion and frustration cause visitors to leave!

11. First Click: Sign Up for Lessons and Classes How easy is it to find what they are looking for? Use the 3 click rule!

12. Second Click: Customer selects Private Lessons, Group Lessons or Workshops

13. Third Click: Customer selects type of lesson (Piano/Keyboard)

14. List of Teachers is shown with links to detailed bio and contact information

15. Develop a page for each department, and update it monthly Repairs Lessons Rentals Events FAQs Staff Blogs Media Testimonials Recent Installs

16. Create simple videos to connect with and engage visitors in a more personal manner

17. Does your website make it easy for customers to communicate with you? It’s alarming how many stores forget (or choose not) to place their phone numbers in obvious places. Getting calls is a GOOD thing!

18. Help customers take positive action! Sign up for your email list Fill out a brief survey or repair estimate form Enter a contest Contact you with questions about your products or services Download PDFs of your policies, contracts, applications, product specs and more Register for in-store events, clinics, recitals, demos

19. Are you MOBILE-READY? Majority of shoppers are looking for information and validation. On 4/20/15 Google started penalizing websites without a mobile format in their search rankings.

20. GE Financial Study 81% of shoppers looking for musical merchandise over $500 start their search using their smartphones or tablets!

21. Does your website initiate transactions? When you go to a website and can’t find what you’re looking for, what do you do? LEAVE What do you do when you find what you’re looking for? STAY

22. Does your website motivate customers to take action for buying in your store or online? Check everything! Is it easy to buy from you? Does the shopping cart even work? Is the process intuitive or cumbersome? Nobody likes surprises!

23. You want customers to take action! Whether people make a purchase online or on the phone — or just get the information and drive to your store — your website absolutely must make it easy for people to buy your products and services.

24. Thank You! David Hall Retail Sales Manager/Webmaster Hartland Music, Inc. 262-367-5333 Columnist – Music & Sound Retailer www.HartlandMusic.com Gabriel O’Brien Sales Manager/Webmaster Larry’s Music 800-527-7975 Columnist – Music & Sound Retailer www.LarrysMusicCenter.com