A friend of ours decided to launch his own general contracting business so he ordered some sharp business cards, started a Facebook page, and to make things feel even more legit, he used Wix’s free website building option to get his business online. He’ll admit now that had had no clue what to write or include on his site so did what most new business owners do — he resorted to scouring the internet to see what everyone else was putting on theirs. He wrote something similar. Hit publish. And that was that.
Whether you put a website together over the weekend forever ago or know you need to make some updates, I’m going to share how to avoid the most common website mistakes all small business owners make.
Because people are DEFINITELY judging your website.
It’s human nature to judge. In fact, 80% of people will visit your company’s website before ever making a purchase or referral…
Which begs the question, what are potential clients greeted with when clicking on your site?
Don’t fret, we’re going to walk through 5 simple and genius ways to update your website to present your business in the best possible way.
1) Stop Thinking of Your Website as a Placeholder for Information
Before the world wide web became what it is today, you had typically had to go into a store to make a purchase so it was important that your storefront be presentable and inviting.
Your website is essentially the storefront to your business and should be thought of and treated as such.
If you walked into a store to find ripped furniture, outdated flyers, and no one to greet you…. what would you do?
Just because we do more business online than ever before, it does not change the kind of experience and service people expect and are looking for.
Your website (aka your business storefront) should provide a clear and professional glimpse of what you have to offer. So, instead of thinking of it as a placeholder for contact info and a slew of other generic copy, start using it as a tool to welcome new customers, give them the information they are looking for, and present it in a way that keeps them coming back for more.
Understanding the purpose of your website is not to provide information will set you up for success wayyy faster than it did for my friend.
Why is that?
With so many businesses out there offering the same type of product or similar service, you can’t really rely on a person to consume pages upon pages of information before deciding for themselves which is the “best option. Our brains just don’t have the bandwidth to process it all, which is why your website must exist to capture attention and inspire action.
2) Include a Call-to-Action (CTA) on Every Page
People are faced with an average of 35,000 choices per day — a shocking statement I heard on the radio the other day.
THIRTY-FIVE THOUSAND?! That’s insane.
This means that people want and even need you to get to the point. Help clear space in their mind for the other 34,999 decisions they have to make that day.
If you want them to DO something (and you should), make sure your CTA is clear. Some are actionable (sign up, join now, buy now) while others are just a link or reminder asking that they keep a piece of valuable information in their back pocket for future use.
Bottom line – if you want your website visitors to take action, tell them.
3) Make it Mobile Friendly
I know, nothing like stating the obvious… but it’s worth mentioning because no one wants to lose out on business because of something that takes literally minutes to update.
Most website building sites allow you to view the desktop and mobile version of your site. Take the time to view how others are experiencing your device from a phone, tablet and desktop.
You don’t have to be a tech genius. Sites like ShowIt, Wix and Square Space make is super easy to view in both mobile and desktop version.
And because you’re the overachieving superstar I know that you are, send your link to a friend or your parents and ask them to proof your site for errors and any formatting that just doesn’t look right.
4) Make Headlines and Copy Scannable
Did you know that only 8 out 10 people ONLY ready the headline?
With 35,000 decisions to make, it doesn’t matter how amazing the rest of your home page or service page is if the headlines or subheads doesn’t spark interest or make it very apparent that the following paragraphs will contain the exact information they are searching for. if isn’t very apparent that the paragraph that follows includes the information they are searching for.
To recap – No matter how amazing the rest of your home page or service page is, if your headlines don’t spark interest…. they gone.
People need just the right amount of information to be convinced they should linger a little longer. So, check headlines and subheads on each website page to ensure it’s interesting and appealing to the eye.
5) Build Trust with LEAD MAGNETS
In my opinion, all business websites should have at least one lead generating opt-in. You may hear these referred to as downloads, freebies, or opt-in offers — all of them refer to the the exchange of contact information for details or valuable information that your clients is likely scouring the internet for already.
The right lead magnet delivers valuable content to help you establish the know-like-and trust factor so that your customer will buy your products or services when you ask them to.
A lead magnet doesn’t have to be complicated. I’ve seen them in various formats – eBooks, guides, checklists using a Google doc, or even a video. Whatever the format, the most important thing to keep in mind is that it must be valuable enough that a person would give you their real email and not the one that has 65k unopened messages.
What’s the perfect lead magnet for your target audience?
For those thinking, “what could I possibly offer” or “this won’t work in my industry” — I challenge you to think about the most common questions you get during the initial inquiry or while a customer is experiencing your product or service.
How can you format the answer into a PDF for customers to download.
Not only does this option help you capture their contact information, it could save you time in the future because you won’t have that extra email or phone call you have to return.
Another idea when brainstorming possible lead magnets — think about the questions your ideal customer is typing into Google or Pinterest in order to find a company that offers your product or service.
Still unsure and have no clue what type of lead magnet your business could possibly offer?? I’ve got you.
Click here to provide your website and email address. I’ll shoot you a response with an idea or two.
Send me a message. These are the kind of email I get all giddy about, even in the middle of the night. 🤗
So, that’s it, 5 small changes you can make today for massive impact! I hope this inspires you to look at your website with fresh eyes and view it as the valuable marketing tool that it is so you can invite and welcome people to grow and invest deeper in you and your business.
