Is Your Website Working for You? [Ep. 13]

So you have a website… but is it working for you? Is it accomplishing what you want it to in your business or brand?

In this episode, I want to share with you 4 things that your website should do if you want it to work for you. These tips will help you whether you’ve had a website for years or even if you don’t yet have one and are getting ready to create one.

Back in episode 3, I shared with you the 3 essentials to growing a business or audience online. If you haven’t listened, be sure to go back and check it out. But as a quick recap, the 3 things are:

Website
Email list
Content

So I thought to kick off season 2, I would dive into each of these a little bit more to help you. I want you to be able to know how to make the best use of these 3 elements and how to use them to grow your business and your brand.

A Website that Works Is…

Simple and easy to navigate

Your website needs to be simple and easy for new people to find their way around. When someone lands on the home page, they should quickly be able to determine what you’re about, what you do, and how you can help them.

They should be able to easily navigate to the places or access the information that they are needing. For example, if you are a podcaster, there should be a menu link that takes them to the podcast page on your website (or a separate podcast site if you have one).

If you offer digital products, they should easily be able to click to your shop to find the products you offer.

The problem I see often with websites, especially home pages, is that we try to put too much information on the site. We try to give them ALL the info rather than keeping it simple and leading them down a path towards the information they need.

Another aspect of clear and easy to navigate is having a clear call to action: one thing you really want them to do, and you emphasize this in several places. Generally speaking, clear and easy to navigate often means that less is more. You may need to remove some info and include it in further pages of your website.

Questions to ask: Is my homepage clear and easy to navigate? Does it make sense to someone who has never heard of me?

Not about you

Next, you need to consider whether you’ve made your website all about you or whether it’s about the user.

I’m currently working on a website for my church, and I’m looking at it from the perspective of someone who has never attended our church before.

What is their experience going to be when they land on our site? How will the words, the images, and the overall look appeal to them? Will they feel like an outsider looking in, reading about how wonderful and amazing our church is? Or will they feel welcomed and invited into a place, visualizing how they might be a part of our church?

You want to consider the same thing for your own site. If someone lands on your site, are they going to be looking at a billboard of your awesomeness? Or are they going to be saying, “oh wow, this person can help ME!”

Question to ask: Is my website all about me, or is it about the person I’m trying to reach?

Branded in a way that reflects you and appeals to your ideal audience

Branding is, in a nutshell, the overall look and feel of your business. Often people think of it as the logo, colors and fonts you use, but that is not really it. It’s how someone feels when they land on your home page and read your words and see the images on your site.

It’s the message you’re putting out into the world about who you are and what you are about.

It’s a good idea to think through this just a little bit… what is the overall look and feel of your business or brand? Who is your ideal audience and what will appeal and attract them?

Now I’m not saying you have to go out and spend thousands of dollars on a branding designer. But I am saying that taking a few minutes to think through this and research it a little bit will result in a better website.

And know that this can and will change over time. My brand has evolved and changed and will likely continue to!

Here are a couple keys for your website branding:

Use consistent fonts and colors
Keep it simple… remember less is more!
Use the same brand fonts and colors for website and your social media
Make sure that the look of your site and social media reflects who you are trying to reach and the vibe you are wanting to put out into the world

Questions to ask: Do I have branding that accurately reflects what I want to put out into the world? Does my branding attract my ideal audience?

Has well written copy

What is “copy”? It’s the words on your website. You may have heard people talk about copywriters… those are people who write the words on your site.

And copy is more important than you probably realize. You can have all the other elements that I’ve mentioned above, but if your copy doesn’t resonate with your person, they will leave your site!

But if your copy pulls someone in, then they may overlook some branding mistakes or even some confusing design.

If they read what you have written and say, “wow, this girl gets me!”, then you are off to a great start.

How to make sure your website copy resonates:

Uses language that is familiar to your audience
Has personality – infuses your unique ways of communicating
Represents your brand
Sounds similar to how you speak

For more resources on copywriting, check out my friend Lindsey at Verity & Co.

Your Next Steps:

If you are in need of 1:1 feedback or strategic insight for your business, be sure book a strategy session or contact me for ways we can work together.