I have fun helping people with their business and marketing strategies, and more often than not, I recommend some easy tweaks to their website. Most people are missing the same five key ingredients on their site.
I provide this advice so often that I thought I should put it a post. Are these changes you should be considering?
1. Tell them what you do and how you do it.
If you’re lucky enough to have a potential customer visit your website, you only have a few seconds to grab their attention. So you need to do this by 1) creating a captivating visual element and 2) telling them what problem you solve and how you uniquely solve it.
Here’s an example of how to do this from my friend Ruth Hartt, who is on a mission to shake up how arts organizations do their marketing.
This is what her homepage used to look like:
This doesn’t tell me anything specific about Ruth or what she does. I’m confused by what appears to be a giant cursor in the middle of the screen.
After a coaching call with me, Ruth immediately made this change:
Now we’re in business!
First, she added a nice visual element.
Then, she grabs your attention by stating EXACTLY the problem her customers have — operas, theaters, and symphonies are losing their audiences! And then she offers a solution, her unique service to help them.
I also like how she emphasized the word “audience.” I would not have thought of that, but it’s an inspired touch Ruth came up with.
2. Give them something to do
Now that you have their attention, keep them on your site. The longer people stay on your site, the better the chances they will connect to you and perhaps buy something.
When people scroll down, show them examples of your blog, your podcast, or what content you’re creating. Offer a free whitepaper, webinar, or consultation. Get them to click on something!
3. Show your human side
About 95 percent of the “About” pages I see are simply a story about the person’s work history and accomplishments.
I hate to pop your bubble, but nobody really cares.
Here’s what people want to see: A short video explaining why you are the best person to solve their problem. This does two things. First, it differentiates you from the competitors who also have an About page that looks like a resume. Second, you show your face, your smile, your passion, and let people know how much you care.
This is especially important in a personal services business. People probably won’t buy from a nice-looking website, but they will buy from a person who shows how much they care. Show them that you’re a person!
4. The second landing page of your website
If you do a good job creating and promoting your content, people will start finding it through search or the social share of a friend. That means when people click on the link, they will arrive at your site on a piece of content, not your home page. Essentially, this piece of content now also serves as the first thing a person sees when they come to your site.
Each piece of your content can be the home page for new visitors!
Another very common mistake is that this huge opportunity is ignored. If people are on your blog post, use the side margins beside the content to tell them what you do, what free offers you have to keep them on the site, and notifications about other content.
And PLEASE, give them an opportunity to subscribe, search your content, and share it with the outside world through social sharing buttons! I can’t believe how many content creators don’t have social sharing buttons on their sites.
5. Add testimonies to your website
You should have testimonies prominently displayed on almost every page of your website. This is easy to do and so often overlooked.
Testimonies help people feel safe. It reinforces the idea that they are on a reputable website created by a reputable business.
Don’t make the testimonies too long. People will ignore a big block of gray type. Just use short sentences like, “The best business experience I have ever had.”
That’s it. Take a look at your website. How many of these things have you overlooked?
If you need some help with your business, you can always reach me. Anybody can sign up for an hour of my time!
Mark Schaefer is the executive director of Schaefer Marketing Solutions. He is the author of some of the world’s bestselling digital marketing books and is an acclaimed keynote speaker, college educator, and business consultant. The Marketing Companion podcast is among the top business podcasts in the world. Contact Mark to have him speak to your company event or conference soon.
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Illustration courtesy Unsplash.com
