There’s a lot of focus in the online space on how to create the perfect messaging and leverage social media, but it’s still so important for your business to have its own “home” on the internet. We all know the algorithms are constantly changing on social media and we can’t rely on them, but we can fully control the experience our audience and potential clients have on our websites.
However, this experience can be either good or bad (or in some cases downright ugly!) and a bad experience can potentially scare clients away. If you’ve ever tried to visit a site that’s hard to navigate or slow to load, I’m sure you gave up on it pretty fast, am I right?
Often the user’s experience on your website is their first taste of the experience they can expect further down the line when they work with you. With that in mind, let’s take a look at how you can make sure its a good one.
1. Good user experience that’s mobile friendly
We all want a website that looks beautiful and makes a good visual impression, but it’s not worth anything if your users can’t find what they are looking for or read your information easily.
Breaking the content down into easy to read chunks with clear headers and sub headers will help your users scan through the text to find what they are looking for.
A clear navigation structure which is easy to access is also important. As a general rule you want to limit your main pages to just five or six maximum. Less choice make it less overwhelming for your user. Instead, you can build navigation into your site, with click throughs directing the user in a logical way, sending them on a journey towards your products or services.
In the first half of 2021, 54.8% of global website traffic came from mobile devices (excluding tablets). Most of us browse social media and click through to websites from our mobiles, and that number is set to rise. It’s a common mistake for both designers and business owners to see their beautiful site on a desktop browser and forget to check the mobile version.
Your site will likely need to look a little different on a mobile and again the navigation needs to be simple to use, and the text easy to read. No one wants to have to get our their magnifying glass to read what you have to say.
2. Clear CTA’s
Another way to keep visitors moving through your site is by using clear call to actions. You want to lead your audience on a journey, keep them interested and wanting to find out more. It’s important not to include too many, otherwise your user will feel pulled in too many directions and your design can start to feel cluttered.
A good copywriter will include them as they work through the text for your site, keeping them feeling natural. They are generally short sentences such as “Find out more” or “Like stories? Let me tell you mine”.
3. Clear messaging
The statistics for the average time someone spends on your website vary widely depending on your source, from 15 seconds to 45 seconds, but either way, it’s not very long.
That means you have very little time to hook them in and make them want to stick around. How do you do that? Let them know they are in the right place, keep your messaging short and straight to the point. Help them identify themselves from the moment they land on your home page – tell them who you help, what problem you solve, the result they can expect and how you do it. If they are that ideal client, they will want to find out more.
4. SEO
Just because you can’t see your SEO in action, doesn’t mean it’s not important. If anything, it’s the most important feature of all. Your website and services can be the most amazing in the world, but it’s no good if people can’t find you to learn about them. All your copy and images should be optimised, with the right keywords for your industry. This will boost your rating on the search engines, bringing more traffic to you and ultimately driving more sales.
5. Look the part
Many of your visitors will find you through your social media or your newsletters. It’s important that when they do your visuals, fonts, colours and so on are consistent with the rest of your branding. You’ve hooked them with your messaging so far, continuing that both verbally and visually strengthens their trust in you and your brand, as you guide them towards the final purchase.
6. Let’s be pen pals
Building a mailing list is one of the best and most important ways to build a community and make sure your messaging reaches your clients, in the way you know will make the biggest impact. We have no control over our social media channels, especially with them constantly changing the algorithms, but our list is something we can control.
Creating an opt in, something that gives your audience a quick win in return for their email address, is the most common way to attract new subscribers to your list. It’s also a good idea to include a sign up area at the footer of your site, to give them more than one opportunity to join.
7. Keep in touch
It sounds obvious, but having a contact page that’s easy to find and use is so important. The whole point of your site is for people to engage with you, so you can turn them into customers. If they are reaching out and making contact, they are at least half way towards making that decision. Don’t make them jump though hoops. A simple form with a message that tells them when they can expect a reply is perfect.
8. Social call
It’s important to link all of our online channels together. Although some visitors will have found you through a social channel, they may not be following you yet or have found you on the other channels you use.
Adding them at the footer of your site, including a live instagram feed, is a great way to give people a feel for what to expect, and links to follow you. Often people want to check you out multiple times on various platforms to get to know, like and trust you, before they want to buy from you.
9. FAQs
Do you find that potential clients are constantly asking the same questions? If so, creating an FAQ area on the site is a great way to reassure them and address their doubts and concerns about purchasing from you. This as an opportunity to show yourself as an expert in your industry and drive the visitor to your product or service page. It can also be another good way to boost your SEO. Think about how someone might enter a question in the search bar in google. If you use the right key words, they will likely find your answer when they search, driving them to your site.
Overall, put your visitors needs first, put yourself in their shoes and deliver real value. If you follow these guidelines, you can’t go wrong.
If you want help creating an on brand website that converts casual browsers into paying clients, reach out and let’s chat about how I can help.
