1. A Strong call to action

Book a service, sign up for a newsletter, or make an appointment? Think about what you want someone visiting your website to do. Make it clear and make it be the first thing they see.

2. Mobile responsive

Let’s face it your website will most likely be viewed from someone’s cell phone or tablet. When designing your site make sure it looks good while on a cell phone. Online tools like https://responsivedesignchecker.com can be a great help.

5. A Contact page

Your customer/clients need to know how to get a hold of you. Later in this blog series, I’ll teach you the most important elements for your contact page.

6. The story of you and your company:

When I wrote my blog series on branding (you can check it out here.) I emphasized the importance of getting your customers/clients to know who you are and to like and trust you. Sharing your story and a bit about yourself will help you to be more relatable. Don’t be someone hidden behind a website especially if you run a service business.

Let us begin with the end in mind. What do you want your website to do for your business?

• drive customers to an email list
• encourage customers to make an appointment
• drive sales for your latest product or service

The list goes on and on. – Once you have determined what you ultimately want a new customer to do you can design a home page that fits your unique needs.

This is your “Call To Action” and all the elements on your home page that are “above the fold” (meaning on the screen without the need to scroll) must lead your customer to this action.

Now let’s think about the problem you solve because that’s really why someone is visiting your site. They have a problem and they are hoping your service or product can solve it.

Have a benefit-driven headline

How can you solve their problem? – What can you do that your competition can’t?

Talk about who you help

Who can benefit from your product or service? Think of your target market and target them.

Finally, your home page should include testimonials. This is social proof that you can deliver on the promise to solve your potential customer’s problem.

Your Story and Your Company’s Story

Your visitors want to know your story and the story of your company. I encourage you to keep it real, but it keep it simple. Your visitor is not looking for a full autobiography. Just share some key moments that define you and your business making sure you can connect what makes you the choice in your respective industry. You should also include some fun facts about yourself that reflect your personality.

Your Picture

Don’t hide behind your website, let your visitors connect a face to the brand. This is key to earning trust.

Try Video

While not mandatory on an about page, adding a video of yourself will boost credibility as well as trust. In a video, your visitors will get a good opportunity to see your personality first hand. One note on this subject though, don’t use video to replace writing about yourself and your business, use your video as an enhancement to what you have already written.

Your Contact Details

Make sure your visitors will have an easy way of getting ahold of you by including your contact information on your about page. If your about page includes a team of people make sure to have their contact information also.

Customer Testimonials

Let your past customers help share your story. Pick some of your best testimonials that reflect who you are as a business owner and highlight them on your about page.

The bottom line when it comes to your about page keep it simple and don’t over complicate your page. Remember:

• a little bit about you
• a little bit about your company
• a photo and/or video to bring a face to the brand
• your contact information to show you are open to communication and finally
• testimonials to let your past clients/customers tell your story.

Tell them why 

What can you do for your customers/clients? Tell them why contacting you will help solve their unique problem? 

Your contact information

Include an alternative format to get ahold of you. Add your email and/or phone number on the page.

Set the expectation on your response

Either on the page itself or within an automatic response pop-up or email after they have submitted the form.  In your response include a thank you as well as your expected response time. 

Add a picture of yourself and/or your team

As I’ve stated in all my previous posts. Don’t hide behind your website.  Your website is your tool to get a new customer/client to know you, like you and trust you. Adding your picture will only benefit you and help you achieve your goal. 

Add your CTA (Call to Action)

Sometimes a visitor is not ready to contact you. Give them something else to do while they are visiting your page.

Ask the question “How did you hear of us?”

Getting this information accomplishes two things. First, it will let you know where your marketing efforts are most successful, and second if this is a referral from a past client you now have a reason to reach out to that client because you will certainly want to thank them for referring you.

Add a checkbox – “to receive future communication click here.”

Are you working on building your email list? By adding this checkbox you can immediately add this inquiry to your email marketing campaign.  

Add a checkbox – “By clicking here I agree to the GDPR terms of this website.” 

GDPR stands for General Data Protection Regulation and if any of your website visitors are in Europe then this simple checkbox is a must. The GDPR are government regulated guidelines website owners need to follow when it comes to handling the data of the visitors on their website. While the United States has not adopted these guidelines yet, I believe that these or very similar ones will be required of all websites in the near future.  To learn more about the GDPR visit https://eugdpr.org

High-quality product photos

Your customer wants to know what they are buying. Make sure your product photos are placed on the top of the page called “above the fold”. This means your customer will not need to scroll down the page to see it.

Product images best practices:

• Make sure your photos show your product from a variety of angles.
• Does your product come in different options? Make sure you have photos that cover them all.
• Are your photos clear?  Avoid using photos that are blurry or grainy.
• Use custom product images, avoid using stock photos.
• Include photos that are close up and show your product details.
• Be consistent keeping your photos the same size and quality within all your product pages.

Need help taking product photos? I found this article very helpful.

Detailed product descriptions

Just like your photos need to be “above the fold”, so does your product description. In fact, your description should also be below the fold. Have your description be persuasive and really sell the product. My favorite example of amazing product descriptions is from The J. Peterman Company. Their product descriptions are stories that make you want to live them out yourself. Check out the description for their Gingham Western Shirt – “Before you do up the snaps on this shirt, you should consider your intentions. If going around town unnoticed is your aim, pick a different shirt.” (from The J. Peterman Company). I just love that!

Remember when I said above and below the fold? – Use your longer more detailed description below the fold and a shorter description in the same wit and style above the fold.

Clear pricing

To keep your customers from having to search around, make sure your pricing is above the fold

Pricing best practices:

• Place your pricing near the product title or near your “add to basket” button. 
• Use a large font size
• Use a contrasting color 
• If you are having a discount – be sure to highlight it.

Online Reviews

According to this article from OptinMonster – 97% of consumers say that online reviews help them with their purchasing decisions so make sure your star rating is “above the fold.”

Have your customer reviews placed further down the page and don’t be afraid of negative reviews. Reply quickly and politely and resolve the issue. How you handle a negative review is one of the biggest ways to build customer confidence.

Product Recommendations

I spent 7 years working retail sales and the ability to upsell is what can make or break your month. Give your customer the opportunity to see additional products that go with their desired product. A great example of upselling on line is Amazon. As soon as you add a product to your cart, the next screen takes you to additional items that you might like. I have even noticed this tactic when I shop for groceries on Instacart.

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Writing your blog post – include:

• A great title
  • Top-performing blog posts use the words “how-to” or a number “top 10 ways to” or even “guide to.”
  • Make sure your main keyword or phrase is also in your title.
• Strong opening paragraph
  • Just like you learned in school, use the first paragraph to pull your readers in and get them to want to read more.
  • Include your main keyword or phrase within the first line of your paragraph.
• Use subheaders and bullet points
  • As readers, we tend to skim over blog posts articles and pull out just what we need. Using a subheader will help your reader easily find the answer they are looking for.
  • Using bullet points helps break up your text and makes it easier to read.
• Include images
  • Let’s face it people come for the photos. This is even more important if you are sharing a how-to post. Having images to go along with the steps will be helpful and make your post more valuable. 
• Use Tags and Catagories
  • Allows readers to find posts easier by using relevant tags (keywords).
  • When creating categories best practice is no more than 5. 

Also, add to your blog post:

• A call to action
  •  Think of what you want your reader to do after they have read your blog post.
  • Common actions are: Leave a comment? Share your post? Visit another page on your website? Schedule an appointment?
• Include an opt-in
  • Email marketing is the 2nd greatest tool in your tool belt. Provide an offer to your customer that makes them want to give you their email. 
• Social sharing buttons
  • Make sure your blog post gives your readers the opportunity to share on social media. 
  • Shares are like a thumbs-up vote telling Goggle this is quality content people will want to see.
• Include your bio
  • Many people will find your post through other means besides your home page. Give them the opportunity to get to know you by including a short bio at the end of your blog post.