What’s the purpose of having a website? You may hear people say there’s no need for a website and that you only need to use your free social media accounts. Social media is great for bringing awareness to your brand and your business, however, since you don’t own your social media accounts or followers, the owners of these platforms have the right to block or delete someone’s account at any time. Don’t let this happen to you. Make sure your business has a website that you own and control.

You don’t want just any ole website. If you’re looking to scale your business and grow your clientele base, then you’ll want a results-driven website. Think of your website as your full-time employee working on your behalf 24/7. When a business owner hires an employee it’s because they expect that person to get results and contribute to making the business profitable. Your website can be created to do the same thing.

The main goal of your business website is to convert visitors into paying clients and customers. This is known as your conversion rate. The average conversion rate of most websites is 2.35%. Ideally, you want to aim for 10 or 20% conversion rates.¹ Whether you sell products or services, your business website should do a great job of bringing in new clients and selling your products online.

Ask yourself, is your website working for you or against you? Here’s what your website needs to do in order to increase sales and get results!

Connect

Your website needs to immediately connect with your target audience. When someone lands on your website, they make a judgment within 5 seconds or less. 

Create a website that is easy to navigate. Make sure the menu options, buttons, and pages are easy to access and understand. Reduce clutter and remove unnecessary text, images, and photos that don’t make a connection. 

Make sure your photos are of high quality. Get professional photos that match and align with your brand style. If you are the face of your brand, use photos of yourself that show your personality. Be authentic and show your best qualities. No need to be stiff with your poses. Relax during your photo shoot and have fun. Include candid shots of yourself that your audience can connect with.

Speak to the problems or pain points your customers are having. Show empathy and understanding of their issues and explain how your business can provide solutions.

Include great written content. You don’t need to be too wordy or too concise. Find a balance that works for you. Tell your story. People love stories. Your story is unique and people are more likely to remember your brand when you tell your story.

Show Credibility

If you want to convert visitors into paying clients, show your audience that you are credible and are an expert in what you do. Great websites aim to educate and inform their visitors by offering valuable content such as tips, free PDF/audio guides, webinars, training, and more. You don’t need to give away all of your solutions for free. Think of it as giving them a free appetizer before they purchase the full entree. Give them a taste so they can see if the paid option is worth buying.

You can create blogs, webinars, audios, and freebies that talk about the problems your business solves. Give free tips and advice that your audience would find valuable. Even if some of your website visitors never purchase from you, that is OK. When you offer free valuable information, your visitors will see you as a credible source and will return for more information and also recommend you to someone else that could turn into a paid client.

Collect

A results-driven website collects information about its visitors. You want to collect their name and email so that you can build a relationship with them while building your email marketing list. The best way to do this is to offer an opt-in or freebie. This can be a training guide, free online webinar, audio guide, PDF with valuable tips, a quiz that answers a question, or solves a problem. Be creative and make sure this freebie is something your audience really wants.

The goal is to build your email marketing list so you can communicate with them through email about special offers, new blogs, newsletters, free tips, advice, and more. Collecting emails is important because you own your email marketing list, unlike your social media followers. With good email marketing strategies, you’ll have a better chance of attracting new clients. Be mindful of how often you send out emails. Too many emails can increase the number of people who unsubscribe or opt-out.

Convert

Once someone has made the decision to buy your services, you need to have an easy process for them to start doing business with you. On your website, include clear instructions on how they can begin working with you. This step depends on how you run your business.

If you provide a subscription service, have clear instructions, and include a way to receive payments from your website. If you are a coach and require that someone send in an application, include a form directly on your website where they can enter their information and submit the application directly to you. If you want people to schedule a call or request a quote, include an easy way to immediately get on your calendar or send a request. 

Make sure you test your contact pages, forms, applications, etc. Verify that you receive the responses directly to your email or phone. Once you get a response, do your best to reply quickly or at least within 24 hours.

There should be a clear purpose for your business website. It looks easy to pop up a website in minutes, however without careful planning, this type of website won’t last. There will be missed profits, low conversion rates, and high drop off and exit rates. Make sure your business website connects to the right audience, shows your credibility, collects names and emails, and converts visitors into buyers.

If you’re looking for a custom-built website that gets results, schedule a free discovery call with me. We’ll discuss your needs and see if we’re a good fit.

Until next time, 

Melanie Latrelle Grandoit

 

¹ Larry Kim, “What’s a Good Conversion Rate? (It’s Higher Than You Think),” Wordstream, Feb. 26, 2020, https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2014/03/17/what-is-a-good-conversion-rate Wordstream.