Does my web site can generate revenue?

Web site recommendations to generate sales

• How can I update my company Web site to maximize follow-up calls and sales results? I would like someone to go through the Web site, www.iwatchusa.com, and provide detailed and specific recommendations to convert unique views to phone calls/sales. We are looking for information about the look/feel of the site, the functionality and usability, the provided product and technical information (is is clear? concise?) and any other general comments. The person answering this question should view EVERY page on the site and provide detailed information and suggested changes. First, some information about the company, the product and our target market: About the Company: I Watch provides an IKEA style do it yourself digital video surveillance solution, built by the service industry for the service industry. The product is different from other digital video surveillance systems in a number of striking ways. I Watch does not have a storefront and does not offer system installation. Instead, the company focuses on getting restaurant owners a quality product and strong customer service. Systems come with three months of free tech support, user-friendly DVR software, a one-year limited warranty on all cameras and DVR hardware and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Additionally, for each referral a customer makes, they receive a $100 credit (up to $500) for upgrades and/or new system components. The I Watch Product: Systems are sold with four to 16 cameras, and include a Windows-based DVR camera server, capable of 28 storing days of recorded footage, a Pentium 4 processor, a flat screen LCD monitor and cameras suitable for indoor and outdoor use. Each system also comes with video cable, installation tools and accessories and step-by-step visual installation guides. Before each system is delivered, all of the software is installed and the system is completely set-up to meet the needs of the business owner. A ready to use computer system is perfect for the less tech savvy owner, who will be ready to watch his or her footage as soon as the cameras are plugged in. Finally, the package includes a totally free and secure personal Web site, which allows the business owner to watch their footage from anywhere in the world via the Internet. The target market: Restaurant owners and other service industry business owners. We are targetting both new and existing restaurant owners through direct mail advertising, which leads them to the site. The site should relay the message that the I Watch system is the easiest to install. That the do it yourself installation will save hundreds to thousands of dollars (installation generally costs up to $500 per camera). That the free and secure Web site will give the business owner an easy way to view footage remotely without going through the hassle of setting this up. Thank you.

• Answer:

  Hello iwatch93-ga, Your web page has a sober style, and I like soberness, especially for products like yours that need to express a sense of security, reliability, seriousness, all characteristics implied by a sober look. However, in the home page, maybe in its search for soberness, I felt as if the products themselves remained hidden. The only direct reference to them is the images in the upper frame, which are not clear, and that is not a good impression. I understand that it is a graphic style work with the type of images that the system provides -- still, I wouldn't suggest keeping those confusing images. In the more obvious aspect, it gives the impression of low quality image -- but even undergoing the intellectual effort of separating the decorative images from the actual performance of the system, it makes a messy detail in the whole image. If you sold, say, music equipment for teenagers, I'd say go ahead, mess things up, because you want to transmit the idea of fun and dizziness associated with music in teenage culture, but you sell quite a different thing, don't you? Actually, what you sell is transparency, so make your website's aesthetics transparent. My suggestion is: keep the images, but make them clear. Why do you refer specifically to bars and restaurants? OK, you started from there, and you developed your system by tailoring it for you own bar. But I guess it would be useful for a variety of shops, and by being so specific many potential customers may feel that the system is not for them when it actually could be. The product list is placed too low in the page -- it remains half hidden until you scroll down. You might try by placing the phrase "digital video surveillance systems" to the right of "welcome to Iwatch", and the slogan "built by...", under both. I would suggest highlighting the contact information, in every page -- you don't see it's there unless you scroll down. I would move it from the bottom to the top, and would add an appeal, such as "questions? inquiries? orders? Please contact us". Maybe even an image representing a telemarketer, with headsets and a reassuring smile. You can't order online, right? This might be a business decision, but if you could, it would very probably increase the website's effectiveness. If, for whatever reason doubtlessly valid, you don't want to deal with payment systems in your website, you could even think of a way to "order online", what in practice would mean that the customer enters in an online form the product they want, their email, phone number, type of operation (purchase or leasing), and if the latter, also the application form could be filled online. Within 24 working hours a representative of Iwatch should be making contact with the customer to formalize the operation. The simplicity and appeal of ordering online tends to stimulate the purchase. The navigation is clear and logical. It goes smoothly from a wider category of products to a narrower one, and this simplifies the process of choosing, comparing and deciding. It is also well thought out the way in which by selecting products the customer finally gets to the option of purchasing or leasing. Now, is there a reason why the lease contract application form is not available in the website? Or did I miss something? And again, if so, it seems not to be visible enough. Offering to the customer both technical and friendly specs is a good idea, as it is the systems comparison chart. All charts are well thought out, clear and helpful to the customer's decision process, like the one comparing the leasing, credit card and loan options, and the ones detailing the lease options. I find also a good service for the customer to let them know of the legal issues regarding surveillance and to do so in the exact legal writing and then in plain English, so that you help them understand it.