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The web is full of bad websites, and I’m not just talking about the ones that look like they were created in 1998. Many websites look gorgeous but are impossible to navigate or leave you with more questions than you came with.
It takes more than a beautiful design and the coolest new features to provide a top-notch user experience. From a great headline to clear calls to action, here are the key elements that will help your business website turn visitors into leads and leads into customers.
1. Keep the Navigation Simple
Your site’s navigation is like a map—it lets the visitor know where to find things. Clear and uncluttered website navigation helps users find the information they want quickly.
Each tab on the navigation represents a page on your site, and the title should let the user know what they’ll find when they click. Limit your top navigation to the most important pages. Supplemental links should go on the footer or in dropdown menus.
A content strategist will help you plan your site’s navigation based on your business goals and core messages.
2. State Exactly What You Do
If people come away from your website asking “So, what is it you do, again?” that is not a good sign. Both for SEO purposes and for the sake of your customers, your tagline should be super clear!
Your headline, or H1, is a clear and concise description of what your business does. It should tell the reader what you do, for whom, and the benefit it provides.
Clear copy wins the day.
Check out the homepage for FreshBooks, for example. It’s 100% clear that they provide accounting and invoicing solutions for small businesses. The benefit is that all the services you’ll need are combined into one platform (All-in-One). Boom!
I also love this homepage headline from Meyer’s Tails Up Farm. They managed to clearly state what they do and for whom (retreats for pets). And, they squeezed in a benefit (make animals and people happy).
3. Use Clear Calls to Action
“Buy Now.” “Get a Quote.” “Schedule an Appointment.” These important little statements tell your website visitors what you want them to do next.
Calls to action (CTAs) literally invite people to act, and they’re a big part of getting customers to “convert”. That’s basically a fancy way of saying, getting someone to take a desired action on your site, such as:
- Making a purchase
- Watching a video
- Filling out an email form
- Downloading a resource
- Visiting a key page
Most site designers and strategists will use buttons, animations, or contrasting text colors to draw attention to your suggestion.
4. Tell What Sets You Apart
Known as your “unique service proposition” (USP) in marketer-speak, telling your audience what sets your brand apart is key to getting the customer to choose you over the other guy.
What makes your company stand out might be:
- Faster delivery
- More sustainable packaging
- Customized service plans
- Better employee benefits
- A larger product offering
- You fun-loving employees
Your USP could be the inspiring “why” story behind what you do—or something else that you may not have even thought about yet. A content strategist will spend time learning about your brand to hone in on what you do best in order to help you position yourself in the marketplace.
5. Give Them a Reason to Trust You
People trust people more than they trust advertising. That means testimonials from happy customers and other forms of “social proof” have tremendous power to build trust with your potential customers.
91% of consumers aged 18 to 34 trust online reviews. (Search Engine Journal, 2020).
Social proof may include:
- Online reviews
- Client or partner logos
- Seals of certifications or professional memberships
- Awards you’ve received
Displaying one or more of these things on your site makes two critical things clear to website visitors:
- You’ve done this before
- You’ve gotten great results for others
6. Make it Easy to Contact You
The quickest way to lose a customer to a competitor is by making it difficult to get in touch with you. Online visitors are an impatient bunch, and they can’t be trusted to click through every page of your website to find your contact information.
These practical tips will make it easy for your site visitors to get in touch:
- Always include a Contact tab in your “sticky” top navigation (sticky means it remains visible on every page of your site.
- It’s also a good idea to include contact info on every page of the site such as in the footer, a sidebar, or the top right corner
- Provide multiple ways for visitors to contact you – phone, email, contact form, and an embedded map with your physical location, if applicable
- Consider adding a “Call now” button or a CTA to “Book a Call” which should lead straight to your contact form or a scheduling link
7. Consistently Provide High-Quality Content
In many cases, your website is your first impression on a customer. I like to say that your website is the North Star of your marketing strategy—so make it awesome!
Making it awesome starts with your core brand message, or “brand promise” (remember that headline we were talking about? It all stems from there).
Not only do you want to give the user what they’re looking for, but you also need to give them a reason to keep coming back. Fresh, relevant content is a great way to keep customers interested in your message—not to mention it’s a goldmine for SEO. A regularly updated blog allows you to keep reinforcing your brand message while building authority in your industry.
Does your website have all of these things? Contact me to see how my team and I can help uplevel your business website’s functionality, clarify your message, and WOW your visitors.
