Websites are an important part of business. That’s a no-brainer, even though there are plenty of very successful businesses that don’t have them – a topic for another day. But many entrepreneurs lack a solid understanding of what to include on their website and how to display that information in a meaningful way. To complicate matters, the advice you receive can vary depending on the expert you consult.
In this post, we are going to take the position that the job of a website is to generate business. Beautiful websites are great, but beautiful websites that don’t meet the needs of your ideal client are not going to generate business. Here are four tips you can use to help make sure your website is conversion-focused.
Be Mindful of What Shows Up “Above the Fold”
This is likely the most important tip I can share. If you spend 80% of your time creating your website’s home page, I encourage you to devote ½ of that time to deciding all the elements of what shows up when the page first loads.
What is above the fold? Above the fold is everything the visitor sees when they land on your website BEFORE they begin scrolling.
When you begin to pay attention to analytics we can learn some insanely powerful lessons about how people consume content. How much time do they spend on each page? What do they click on? What point do they click on before they leave?
When someone visits your website for the first time, what shows up above the fold is the information they use to decide whether they should explore further.
You have approximately seven seconds to “convert” your prospect into scrolling. In this section of your website, it’s super important to make it clear (like a monkey could understand it); who you are, what you do, and how someone can work with you.
KISS Your Menu & Copy
Keep It Simple Sweetie! We all love colorful language and beautiful scenery, but if it doesn’t convert, what’s the point? When we talk about KISS’ing your website, we’re talking about resisting the urge to use colorful language that asks your visitor to expend calories to interpret your cute title for Services or Blogs.
I’m not trying to be a buzzkill here. Your website’s number one job is to generate business for you. When you add fluffy language that’s confusing to the reader, it doesn’t spark their curiosity, it confuses them, and confused minds say “NO”.
I recommend simple language and whenever/wherever possible creating light text that’s skimmable. Again, put yourself in the shoes of your prospect. When was the last time, you actually read a website? It’s likely been a while. We naturally skim the pages to get answers to our immediate wants and needs. When there’s too much text and it’s complicated, we go elsewhere.
Avoid Competing Call To Actions (CTAs)
This may be an unpopular opinion, but it needs to be said. Pick one thing you want your reader to do on your homepage. Is it getting on a call with you? Is it subscribing to a newsletter? Is it any one of the other things you might be interested in featuring on your website?
A common thing we see clients do is have five different offers on their homepage, and the end result is likely lackluster results on all of them.
How would you treat your website differently if you put yourself in the seat of the expert? You’re the one that knows what’s best for your client. Use that knowledge and wisdom to craft the journey your prospect should go on.
As you’re sharing information on your website, the CTA remains the same, and it’s for what you know to be the best course of action for them to take to get the results they desire. Maybe that’s a course they need to enroll in. Maybe it’s a discovery call, but when you put both of them on the same page, you leave them scratching their heads not willing to do either.
It’s normal we need to be told more than once to take an action. Pick one CTA and share that throughout your web page.
Customer Centric
It’s not uncommon for entrepreneurs to use their website to talk about all their accomplishments, accolades, and things they think are remarkable or unique. But the truth of the matter is, unless you’re conducting brain surgery on them, they don’t care. They care about how you can help them. That’s not to be insensitive about your visitors, but to bring focus on their priority, which is to get their needs met.
Remember to put yourself in the shoes of your visitor. What do they care about? What’s in it for them? Our job is to speak directly to the prospect about the things that are most important to them. When we are busy talking about ourselves, they don’t hear us.
Instead, ask your prospect questions. Talk to the pain points you know they have. When you’re clear on your ideal customer avatar, this becomes exponentially easier.
Final Thoughts
If I could leave you with one final thought about how to approach your website, it’s to always remember the WIIFM (what’s in it for me) strategy. Every tip mentioned above puts the priority on what our ideal client truly wants and needs when they hit our website. If you can look at any part of any page from the eyes of a complete stranger/ideal and truly say that without a great deal of effort they know exactly what you do and how you can help them AND how they can take action on that, then you’re doing great!
If you are uncertain about how effective your website is at meeting your business needs? Book a call with us and we’ll audit your website in real-time! Book now!
