When it comes to a website, particularly a homepage, you want to think of it as your digital storefront.
The very first thing that visitors should know when they first land on your website is exactly what you can do for them. That’s it. That’s the big secret.
Now there is a standard flow that’s based on psychology but also aesthetics. Here it is:
- At the top of the page, before the scroll, is a header describing what you can do for someone. It should immediately answer the prompt: I’m here to help you….
- Under this can be prioritized differently, but it’s generally the following:
- A brief about section (so, who you are)
- Your offerings (so, what you offer or your services or products)
- Testimonials (so, how you’ve helped others)
- Blogs, podcasts, videos, links to subscribe (so, what you know)
- How to connect (so, how someone can reach you)
One of the most important things you can do is be crystal clear on the reasons your website exists – for you and your visitor. What are your objectives? What specific goals are you trying to achieve with your website?
Sample objectives include the following (but are not limited to the following!):
- Grow your email subscriber list
- Sell your product or program
- Book a service or appointment
- Subscribe to your podcast
- Inspire visitors to comment on blog posts
- Enroll people in a rewards or loyalty program
- Build trust and credibility
You will see that these objectives all involve taking action in some way. This is frequently called a “call to action.” Whether it’s buying something, opting in to something or subscribing to something, your goal is for them to take any action to become a new or future customer.
One of the biggest mistakes that a lot of entrepreneurs make is when they start filling up their website with all kinds of links and graphics and social media icons that drive traffic away. You want your visitors to stay on your website and then take an action on your website.
Ask yourself these questions to discover your website objectives:
- What are the top 3 objectives of your website?
- Why is my ideal customer visiting my website? What are they hoping to learn, solve or purchase from me?
- What emotions are they hoping to feel by visiting my site?
- What information do they want from me right away? Use the words or phrases they would use.
The way to figure out if your website is functioning like a digital storefront and actually working for your objectives is through the 3 C’s.
The 3 C’s of an Effective Website
The First C: Connecting to your audience: Your website should be able to instantly connect your ideal customer to your business. You want to make sure that your messaging and the way you format the website is really customer-focused. Think about what your ideal customer wants to see and read.
How to make sure you’re connecting:
Ask five people (preferably ideal customers or favorite clients) for their honest feedback. Send them your site and ask them the following questions:
- When you look at my site, do you instantly know what I do, who I serve, and how I can help?
- Is there anything confusing about my website?
- Can you easily find where to sign up for ___? (This could be the newsletter, opt-in, free report, webinar, etc.)
- Does my website seem cluttered or unprofessional in any way?
- Is there anything else you’d like to share about the site to help me improve it?
The Second C: Collecting potential leads: As part of your marketing strategy, your website must be able to collect and capture names and email addresses for the purposes of marketing to your customers and reminding them that you can solve their current problem. Besides making sales, growing your list is the most important reason for your website. It’s a way to build that “know, like and trust” factor of your business. Most people won’t purchase from you on the first visit to your website, so collecting emails in an effort to continue marketing to them is a great way to build genuine trust over time.
How to make sure you’re collecting:
Now you have to find out if your website effectively collects people’s names and emails. Aside from sales, your website should also collect sign-ups through opt-ins or forms, enabling your potential customers to have an opportunity to stay engaged with you and hopefully become buyers one day. So, simply conduct tests to ensure that these forms are working.
The Third C: Converting leads into customers: As mentioned, your website is your digital storefront – allowing you to convert leads to sales and generate business. It allows you to really showcase your products and services, make offers, and sell! It should include enough information and make it as easy as possible for the visitor to buy from you.
How to make sure you’re converting:
There are two primary ways for visitors to convert into buyers. One of the ways is through an opt-in or subscription form. The other way is through sales conversions, or the number of people who purchase your products or services. The only way to know you’re converting is to set up an analytics tool to track it.
Google Analytics is a great tool to measure various elements of your website. From tracking demographics to visitor counts, this analytics platform is perfect for small business owners.
And those are the 3 Cs to test your website effectiveness! Hopefully I’ve provided some valuable tips as to how you can get your website to do what it needs to do for you – SELL.
Need more help? Check out my 1:1, group and self-study offerings: https://christinagiordano.com/offerings/