Some people think that websites are outdated and antiquated. I see where they might get that. Websites are a weird thing these days. I mean, most people don't even read anymore. In an article I read recently, humans now have the attention span of a goldfish. Def not proud of that. 🐟
Despite what some might say, we still believe that websites are a vital part of a successful business' marketing mix and here's why:
Websites are a business' digital storefront. It's where your potential customers can learn about why your business is different and what you offer. A website displays your brand and business vibe. This will always be important.
A website can be your 'round the clock salesperson. Anyone can fill out a lead form or make a purchase at 3am on a well-functioning site, bringing in sales at any time of the day.
A website makes you legit. Name a mid-large size brand without a website. Go ahead, I'll wait... That's the thing, small businesses may assume they don't need a website because they're small. On the contrary. Any small business not using a website is robbing themselves of legitimacy and customers.
I know what you're thinking.
"So what you're telling me, Laurene, is that I am supposed to create a dynamic, beautiful digital storefront for an audience of people comparable to a buncha goldfish? Cool (insert eye roll)."
Don't worry, y'all. We got your back. To best accommodate the over-stimulated modern-day customer, here's a few things you can do to make your site shine✨:
Have a compelling statement "above the fold". This means, put it at the very top so that someone doesn't have to scroll to read it. Place this message on the first piece of real estate on your site. This statement should say what you do + who your business exists for. Tell people what you offer and how their life will be different after choosing your product/service. We want them to immediately connect to this statement, so evoke emotion. Make yourself memorable. Most importantly, make that line about THEM and NOT about why you're the best. When it comes to messaging we love the simplicity of Donald Miller's Building a Story Brand. Seriously SUCH a game changer. You can order it here.
Put calls to action high up on the page. Make it easy for people to do what they came to do. Do you want them to call you? Put a call button? Do you want them to shop? Make sure that is front and center on the first page. Don't make people do too much work or you will likely lose them in the process.
Include testimonials. Many people want to hear about someone else's experiences before purchasing a product/service. Don't make it hard for them to find out how great you are. Collect some of the best reviews and add a section with reviews to your home page. This could honestly make or break a decision, so don't be shy about picking the best ones. After all, this is someone raving about you; not you raving about yourself.
Make sure it's built for mobile. There's nothing worse than visiting a mobile site that is not mobile optimized. When text is scrunched and overlapping or the same functions don't exist that are on desktop, it can annoy the user. Let's not annoy users, k? Approximately 55% of your traffic will happen on a mobile device to give just as much weight to that as you do the desktop version.
Keep the home page simple. In the website world, less is more especially on the home page. If someone visits a home page that is full of text that isn't formatted for easy reading, the user feels overwhelmed. Make sure to format the text to make it as digestible as possible. Include bullets, or number your points. Bold for emphasis. Pick the words/keywords that will be most impactful.
As far as website tips go, let's start with the above so your head doesn't explode. At Mariposa Marketing, we are a preferred Wix partner and we choose to use Wix over any other web building platform. It offers so many functional tools that can make running a business so much smoother. Wix works for businesses of all sizes and is very intuitive for even those who are only semi-tech savvy.
As always, if you find that time is limited and you want to look into professional help, Mariposa Marketing loves building websites and we can build a stellar website for you. We are confident the tips listed will generate greater results for your website. Here's a few of our website builds:
Stay tuned for Part Dos and make sure to subscribe so you don't miss business content that will make you stand out from the crowd. Keep shining you business owner you. ✨
Much love,
Laurene
Comments