Did you know your website has the potential to be a driving force in the growth of your business? Whether you have a website or you’re in the planning stages of one, these four elements of a great website will help you convert your website visitors into customers.
Would you love to have a waiting list for your services?
How about a place to send people where they can move from prospects to actual customers?
A great website can do that for you!
Whether you have a website or you’re in the planning stages of one, your website has the potential to be a true driving force in the growth of your business.
How do you make that happen? To be honest, there’s not just one magic button that will do it. But thinking strategically about your website is the first step.
And to get you started, you should be sure your website includes all four of the essential elements of a great website.
Now, before we get to our four essential elements, we first have to define a great website.
It’s like Mexican food. If you and I don’t have the same definition of what good Mexican food tastes like, then when I ask you for a recommendation, you could send me to a place you believe is great but I think is lacking because they don’t serve free chips and salsa. (That’s a requirement for a good Mexican restaurant, right?)
Okay, back to websites.
For our purposes, a great website is one that accurately represents you and your brand well AND strategically converts your website visitors into your customers.
When people land on a great website, they quickly know what the business is all about and if the product or service is for them. And if it is, they also quickly know the next steps they need to take on the site.
Is a good website visually pleasing? Ideally! But I’ve seen some very pretty websites that left me wondering what in the world that business actually does. And I know I’m not the only one who’s had that experience!
Okay, now that we know what we mean by “great website,” let’s jump into the four essential elements your website should include if it’s going to be great.
What are the criteria for a great website? Here you go!
1. Customer-centered Copy
What’s copy? It’s basically all the words on your site. When writing the copy for your website, it’s important to think about it from the perspective of your website visitors. Why? When they read it, they’re looking for what you can do for them. Believe it or not, they’re not as concerned about the history of your company and how long you’ve been around as they are what you’re going to do for them.
One quick tip when writing copy is to use the word “you” more than you use the word “we.” Also, be careful not to use too much industry jargon. Is there a place for specialized lingo? Certainly. But your website visitors have a lot going on, and they need you to make it easy for them to understand what you’re offering. So, write customer-centered copy for a great website!
2. Clear and Compelling Call to Action
Call to action is basically marketing speak for “Tell them what to do.” Common calls to action are “Schedule an Appointment” or “Call 800-555-0000.” There can be additional calls to action such as signing up for your email newsletter or requesting a quote.
Whatever your call to action is on your website, it’s important to be clear—and to not have too many of them. When you have five different calls to action on one page, your website visitors will suffer from decision paralysis and then end up doing nothing. And you don’t want that! Websites with clear and compelling calls to action get people to take action. And that’s what you want your website visitors to do!
3. Captivating Visuals
What’s the first image your website visitors see when they land on your homepage? Ideally, it’s a picture that accurately reflects your brand, or the feel of your company. But it’s important that you don’t stop there. Remember how I said it’s important to think about copy from your customer’s perspective? The same is true for the visuals on your site. Use pictures that show happy customers—in other words, show them what’s possible and what you can deliver when they work with you.
For example, if you’re a riding instructor, show pictures of your clients riding their horses with confidence as you coach them. Are you selling real estate? Show a happy family or couple in their new home. One last thing on visuals. Include beautiful visuals throughout your site—not just on the homepage. You want a great website, not just a great homepage.
4. Candidly Collects Leads
Leads is another word you may not use all the time but you do use forms of it—potential clients and customers or prospects are just different ways of saying leads. And why should your website candidly collect leads? Well, candid means straightforward, and that’s what a great website will be!
Don’t beat around the bush or make it difficult for your website visitors to figure out how to get or keep in touch with you. Maybe they’re not ready to buy today but perhaps they’re interested in receiving your monthly or bi-weekly email newsletter with special deals or tips and tricks.
As you keep building that relationship with them, when they are ready to buy, they’ll buy from someone they’ve come to know, like, and trust—you!
So what do you do now that you know what should be on your website?
First, download this brand new free resource I’ve put together for you. (Just click on the image below.)
Do you already have a website? Use the Basic Website Elements Checklist to help you evaluate your current site. Consider it a quick assessment to see where it stacks up.
Are you still in the planning stages of your website? Use the Basic Website Elements Checklist to guarantee your website contains each essential element from the get-go.
My recommendation would be to print two copies of this checklist and evaluate for each of these elements separately—first on the desktop version of your website and then on mobile and tablet view.
You might be surprised that what looks or sounds good on your computer doesn’t match up to what’s on your phone or tablet.
Okay, you are ready, my friend. You can do this!
Of course, if you have any questions about these four elements along the way, I’m here for you!