Quick Response (QR) codes, when used correctly, can drive traffic to your website and increase conversions and sales. If used incorrectly, however, they are not only a waste of time, but can decrease the trust people have in your business and make them turn elsewhere. Why is this? Well, there is a time and a place for QR codes and as a professional business, consumers will expect you to be at the top of your game and know how to give them added value with QR codes.
How to use QR codes
At our web design studio in Brisbane we always tell our clients that placing QR codes on your website is not beneficial. Ask yourself what is the purpose of a QR code? If you understand this, then you will realise that a website is not the best place for them.
Why? Because QR codes usually direct people to websites or landing pages, so there is no point in having them on a website. For example, a QR code added to a hard copy mailing campaign or bus stop billboard can direct the consumer to a web page that explains the benefits of purchasing your household insurance. What benefit is there in having a QR code on your website that takes them to another page which tells them about these benefits?
Wouldn’t a simple link with keyword-rich anchor text do a much better job on your website? Another example could be a QR code on a restaurant menu which, when accessed, takes the user to a web page that gives them free recipes. If this was on the restaurant’s website, wouldn’t a simple text link be better than a QR code?
How about using QR codes on flyers so people can register for an upcoming product launch? Or enter a competition? Or learn more about your products while they are shopping in your store?
You see why a QR code on your website takes up valuable real estate on your page and gives consumers no real added value. In fact, it can be frustrating: why would they scan a QR code into their phone when they could more easily click a link?
So if you want to add a QR code to your website, be very clear on its purpose and the value it provides to your customers.
For information on web design in Brisbane, call GO Creative on (07) 3333 2932 or request a free online quote.
