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Hey! So I just got back from my week vacation in Hawaii and I had so much stuff going on before I left I didn't have time to upload a podcast so I missed last week but here we are this week where I am excited to share with you the many parts of a website that are needed for an intentional customer journey.
Making sure your website is intentional will create an experience for your visitors that has a purpose and helps you reach your goals.
In this episode, we will be talking about 10 things to put on your website that every business needs to create a website that truly works for them and leads to more bookings or sales.
Here we go.
1. Call to actions
Call to actions are a simple way to drive sales and get the visitor to accomplish the goal you set out for them. Some examples of call to actions are: 'Download your free guide now' 'Learn more about us' or 'Hurry, only 5 tickets left!'. You can use this type of copy on your buttons or at the end of your paragraphs to nudge the viewer to take action. We don't want to assume that people know the next step we want them to take, we want to be straightforward and give them the next step through a call to action.
Avoid generic call to actions that don't communicate what you want your customers to do. Such as 'Click Here' there's nothing motivating or persuasive about the action.
Here's a list of call to actions you can use on your site:
• Book my demo
• Sign me up
• Select my plan
• Treat yourself today
• Claim this limited offer
• I'm in
• Be a part of our growing community
• Redeem my voucher
• Tryout for free
• Read more
• See how it works
• Talk to an expert
2. Contact information
There's nothing more infuriating than not being able to contact a business when there is no contact information. If people are finding your website organically through Google for example and they've never met you then they don't know that you're a legit person or a legit business.
Sometimes people want to be able to solve their problems via phone or want to hear a real person instead of going through email so make sure you provide your phone number in addition to a physical address if you have a physical store, and email address.
A contact form is also great because you can tailor it to ask certain questions that you want people to answer or you can use it to gather emails and funnel people into your email marketing.
I suggest having both I would have your name, physical address, you can do your mailing address as well, email and phone number on the left hand side of the page and then to the right have your contact form.
Making sure both choices are available on your website will make the experience better for the viewer. I would also add your address, email and phone number to the footer of your website so these details can easily be found on any page.
3. FAQs or Frequently Asked Questions
You want to make your website work for you. A lot of the time when people are searching on your website they are looking for answers to their questions and if you can answer their questions directly on your website you will save them, and you, so much time. It might even be the deciding factor between you and someone else. People are lazy, if they can have their questions answered without a phone call that's extra points for you!
If there are questions that people are always asking you by email or in person provide them in your FAQ page. I don't have a specific FAQ page but I do have FAQ sections for my logo/branding page and web design page which is specific to each page so I can answer questions specific to that service.
4. Using your home page as a navigation page
Your homepage is the most visited page of your website. If people were to only visit your homepage you need to make sure that every section of your homepage leads to all if not most pages of your website.
For example make sure you have a section leading to your about page, your service pages, contact page, FAQ page, blog, online store, and pretty much everything.
It doesn't matter how long your home page is just keep building it.
5. Reviews
Whether you have a review section or a separate review page make sure that you have some sort of social proof on your website. People want to know that they are investing in someone that can give them a good experience and reading other people's reviews is super important in that decision-making process. If you don't have reviews, just ask! You can even do some work for a friend in exchange for a review.
6. An about page
Your about page is the 2nd most viewed page on your website. People want to know the story behind your business. They want to know if they can relate to you and they want to know the person behind the business. People buy from people which is why taking the time to create good copy for your about page is a must.
If possible try and use storytelling to craft your bio. Telling your brand story is way more personable and will set you apart from everyone else, especially if your competitors are writing generic bios like....My business was established in 2005.
Instead, talk about the story that led you to why you started your business. This way you can make a connection with your customers and they get to see the human behind the brand.
7. Your best work
Whether you are creating logos, make-up services, cutting hair, cleaning carpets, or taking photos. People will want to see examples of your past work so that they know what to expect.
This doesn't mean that you should put everything you've ever created on your website. That's going to do you no good. People aren't going to want to look through it all.
What you want to do is find your best work, the work that you want to book more of.
If you're just starting out and don't have much work to showcase then create some passion projects. No one needs to know you created them for fun, they just need to see what you can do.
In your project details tell the story behind your project rather than generically explain the specifics of that project. Talk about the inspirations behind the project, your process, and how you ended up with the final result, and share the entire experience.
8. Starting at prices
Trust me when I say that people come to your website hoping to see if you fit into their budget. I know it can be quite scary putting your prices on your website but it will automatically weed out the people who are looking for a bargain instead of choosing you for you.
Putting your starting rates on your website isn't only great for your customers but it's also a great way to make sure that you get paid your base rate to make sure the project is worth your time.
Feel free to even say something like the average customer spends around $X to $X.
9. 1 or 2 main services or a best sellers section
Once you've made it to the point in your business where you have niched down to 1 or 2 main services then make sure those services are clear on your website. Not only are people more willing to pay for a specialized service but your website will convert better when you're not trying to serve everyone.
If you have an online store make sure you have a section showcasing your best sellers. Narrowing down the options for everyone will make the buying decision easier.
10. A footer
The footer of your website is the junk drawer at the bottom of your site. It can hold website links that you don't want to showcase on the main navigation of your website such as privacy policy and terms and conditions. Be sure to add a copyright and all rights reserved disclaimer this means that no one may use your work unless they obtain your permission. You can even add important links that you want people to visit like an online course.
You can also add a place for someone to subscribe to your list or grab your freebie. Other common things you can add to your footer are social media icons. Be sure to also include your phone number, email address, and physical or mailing address so visitors can easily contact you from any page on your website. I even added a message me button on my footer to make it even easier for the visitors to my website to contact me.
And there you have it, things you should put on your website. Here they are again
1. Call to actions
2. Contact information
3. FAQs or Frequently Asked Questions
4. Using your home page as a navigation page
5. Reviews
6. An about page
7. Your best work
8. Starting At prices
9. 1 or 2 main services or a best sellers section
10. A footer
If you're in the process of building your own website but you need a starting point then head over to www.zsquaredstudio/webtemplates
Stay tuned for next week's episode where we will be talking about design tips that will help your DIY website.
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