Your Website Works… Until It Doesn’t

There are plenty of websites I’ve bought from that aren’t great.

The experience is clunky. The layout is confusing, hard to navigate.

But I buy anyway. Sometimes because I already trust the brand. Sometimes because a friend recommended it. Or I just need the product, so I figure it out.

If that was my first impression of the brand, though, I probably wouldn’t make it to checkout.

This came up in a few conversations this week while talking with CPG brands that have had that breakout moment. Maybe they’re featured on Oprah’s Favorite Things. Maybe they go viral on TikTok. Maybe they show up on Good Morning America’s Deals & Steals, my mother-in-law’s favorite :)

Customers land on the site ready to buy, especially if there’s a deal. The website just needs to not get in the way.

But as things level out and the hype fades, getting to the next stage of growth gets harder.

It can be confusing. Up until then, the site seemed fine. People were visiting and buying. But maybe it never really explained what the product is or why it matters. Maybe it wasn’t built to help someone who doesn’t already know the story.

Now it needs to do all of that.

What is this
Who is it for
Why should I care
Can I trust it

The good news is the product must be working. Word-of-mouth got it this far. But if the brand wants to keep growing, it has to start turning strangers into customers to add some real fuel to the fire.