[00:14] Darren Jamieson:
In this week’s episode of The Engaging Marketeer, I’m going to talk about something which is a little bit different to what I would normally talk about. So it’s not so much about SEO or Google Ads or Facebook Ads or anything like that.
[00:23] Darren Jamieson:
Because many people come to us and say, “Look, can you help me with my SEO? Can you help me with my Google Ads? Can you help me with my Facebook Ads? Can you help me with my email marketing? Can you help me drive more traffic to my website? I need to get more traffic.”
[00:36] Darren Jamieson:
And in most cases, pretty much every single case, it’s the website that’s a bit of the problem. Because it wouldn’t matter if you drive more traffic to a website, if the website’s not converting, if the website’s not making sales, if the website’s not generating enquiries, it doesn’t matter how much traffic you generate. It’s not actually going to work.
[01:00] Darren Jamieson:
And then the flip side of that is some people think they need a new website. “My website’s not working. It’s not doing what I want it to do. I need a brand new website.” And in many cases, that’s not the case either.
[01:07] Darren Jamieson:
What I’m going to talk about today is what makes people choose you when they come to buy from you. What makes people decide that you are the person they’re going to use. So, why do buyers choose you?
[01:23] Darren Jamieson:
Now, many people think that there’s something called the buyer’s journey. And I’ve taught this myself at events, so I’m not saying this is wrong in any way, shape or form. I’m saying it’s more complicated than this.
[01:41] Darren Jamieson:
So the buyer’s journey starts with awareness. It then moves on to interest, consideration, decision, and then support. And then I would add after that you’ve then got upsells and lifetime value of customers.
[01:55] Darren Jamieson:
First of all, people need to be aware of you before they make a decision. So you would use maybe some sort of Facebook advertising for that, an awareness campaign, so people see you. Maybe you would put posters up around your town or leaflet around your town. Awareness, make people realise that you are there.
[02:08] Darren Jamieson:
Then you would generate interest. You would explore the buyer’s challenges, offer solutions to what they’ve got, so they say, “Oh yeah, I’ve seen this business. I think that might be right for what I want.”
[02:20] Darren Jamieson:
Then you go into consideration. So the buyer is doing their research. They’re looking at what it is that you do. They’re looking at what your competitors do before finally they make a decision to buy with you.
[02:33] Darren Jamieson:
This could be over the course of a day, a week, a month, or even several months if your product or service is high value enough. Then eventually they go into support. Once they become a client of yours, you support them.
[02:50] Darren Jamieson:
So it’s like a funnel where you get lots of people in awareness and very few people come down into consideration.
[03:00] Darren Jamieson:
Now I’m not saying that is wrong. What I’m saying is when people come to your website, they don’t necessarily go through this big long list of awareness, interest, consideration, decision, and support. Sometimes it’s a lot quicker than that. Sometimes it can be pretty much instant.
[03:16] Darren Jamieson:
Think about the last time that you bought something online. Think about the last time that you paid money on a website for a product or a service.
[03:29] Darren Jamieson:
I’m not talking about Amazon or Marks and Spencer or Asda or Tesco or Apple. Not a well-known brand. Something you weren’t aware of before you got to it.
[03:45] Darren Jamieson:
Maybe it was a service, maybe it was software, maybe it was a product you found from a Facebook ad. Think about the last time you spent money online with someone you didn’t know.
[04:04] Darren Jamieson:
How much did you research that business? How much of that website did you read? Did you look at their terms and conditions? Did you read all the reviews? Did you go through their About Us, their team, their history, their location, their delivery details?
[04:31] Darren Jamieson:
How much information did you actually go through?
[04:39] Darren Jamieson:
I’m willing to wager that most people would have just skimmed it. You’ll have looked at the site and got a gut instinct on whether that business was worthy of your money and your trust.
[04:56] Darren Jamieson:
And that’s the key thing. Worthy of your trust. You’ll have made a gut instinct decision.
[05:03] Darren Jamieson:
There are a number of different things that influence that decision, and many people aren’t aware of that.
[05:12] Darren Jamieson:
We’re taught these funnels, but we are not taught what actually makes people buy.
[05:19] Darren Jamieson:
People make shortlists very fast. They don’t research for days and weeks. They make decisions quickly and narrow it down to two or three options.
[05:36] Darren Jamieson:
If you’re not in that shortlist, you’re not getting chosen.
[05:43] Darren Jamieson:
So yes, being visible matters from SEO or ads, but then you need to answer the problems when they land on your website.
[06:05] Darren Jamieson:
These are the three questions people ask:
[06:13] Darren Jamieson:
Do I trust you?
Do you understand my problem?
Do I feel safe taking the next step?
[06:38] Darren Jamieson:
If your website cannot answer those three questions, people will leave. They won’t tell you why.
[06:55] Darren Jamieson:
Buyers don’t look for reasons to buy. They look for reasons not to buy.
[07:23] Darren Jamieson:
Things that put people off include vague claims like “we put customers first” or “we pride ourselves on service”. It’s meaningless.
[08:03] Darren Jamieson:
No proof. No case studies. No testimonials.
[08:18] Darren Jamieson:
Outdated websites that look old, don’t work on mobile, or feel neglected.
[08:44] Darren Jamieson:
Being hard to contact. Hidden forms. Too many fields. Slow processes.
[09:48] Darren Jamieson:
Too much text and no clarity. Especially on key pages like homepage, product pages, and service pages.
[10:31] Darren Jamieson:
Open your website and score yourself from 1 to 10 on:
[10:38] Darren Jamieson:
Trust
Clarity
Ease of enquiry
[11:45] Darren Jamieson:
Then look at your trust stack. Trust is built from multiple elements:
[12:07] Darren Jamieson:
Visual credibility such as logos and accreditations.
[12:30] Darren Jamieson:
Clear language, not jargon.
[13:09] Darren Jamieson:
Social proof such as testimonials and real case studies.
[13:42] Darren Jamieson:
Authority such as media mentions, speaking events, or experience.
[14:01] Darren Jamieson:
Risk reduction such as guarantees, onboarding, or clear processes.
[14:29] Darren Jamieson:
Each layer builds trust. Missing any layer reduces conversions.
[15:03] Darren Jamieson:
Most people don’t need a new website. Small changes can make a big difference.
[15:19] Darren Jamieson:
Improve your homepage headline to clearly state what you do.
[15:48] Darren Jamieson:
Add strong testimonials near the top.
[16:06] Darren Jamieson:
Use real photos, not stock or AI images.
[16:37] Darren Jamieson:
Make contact easy and remove unnecessary steps.
[17:12] Darren Jamieson:
Then do this exercise:
[17:20] Darren Jamieson:
One thing to stop saying.
One thing to prove better.
One thing to simplify.
[18:07] Darren Jamieson:
Focus on outcomes, not jargon like “SEO”.
[18:29] Darren Jamieson:
Demonstrate proof instead of just claiming results.
[18:38] Darren Jamieson:
Simplify processes like enquiries or onboarding.
[19:00] Darren Jamieson:
Make these changes and your marketing will perform better because your website will convert more.
[19:31] Darren Jamieson:
This applies to everything, not just your website. Ads, landing pages, emails, sales calls, networking.
[20:26] Darren Jamieson:
Think of it across all your marketing.
[20:34] Darren Jamieson:
I hope that’s been useful. Thank you for listening.
[20:41] Darren Jamieson:
If you’ve got any questions, leave them below or send them in.
[20:49] Darren Jamieson:
Don’t forget to subscribe, and I’ll catch you on the next podcast.
