The 5 Things You Must Include On Your Website
As I talk to business owners about their message + writing, one subject keeps surfacing.
It’s that many of you don’t like how you come across on your website.
It’s your red-headed stepchild.
The thing I want us to have a conversation about is that certain things are important on your website, and certain things LOOK important… but aren’t.
The Basics — what’s important on a website
- A clear message – the urgent problem you solve, who you solve it for, and your “point of view” on the subject (for example, if you’re a weight loss coach, what’s your take on dieting?). It’s your point of view that will set you apart from others in your industry.
- Offering an “awesome free gift” – if you are going to fill group programs, sell your book, or attract clients online, you need a list. Your Awesome Free Gift – with a sexy title on a “gotta have it” topic – is the thing that gets people opting-in.
- A BRIEF overview of how you work with clients. This is your Services or Programs page. Most pages I see like this are way too long, which will actually confuse people. You really only need to showcase 3 programs, tops. And remember to write about the results – what will the program or package DO for a client.
- An energetic and quality-looking banner that makes it clear what you do. Please, no clever taglines. Just be clear about what you do. No need to come up with some hokey networking pun. Please. I’m begging you.
- A powerful story about how you came to do this work… and why YOU are the perfect person to help your clients get the results you help them get.
This last one is often overlooked – but it’s your secret weapon online. Because when you do it right, you come off as every bit as genuine and wonderful as you are in person. There are too many people out there “hiding” behind impersonal websites… where you can’t really tell WHO is behind the curtain. Buck the trend and share who you REALLY are.
In my Write Your Website production lab, I teach how to turn actual events in your life into a powerful story that connects with your audience. Because I believe that the internet is a wasteland of empty promises, hucksters, and get-rich-quick schemes… but it’s also a place where people like you and me can win, simply by being real about who we are + what we have to offer.
What’s not that important on a website? I’ve heard of business owners spending $10K on “branding”… when they don’t know what they actually DO. This breaks my heart. I get that you want to look like a pro, but first things first. Figure out what you do, and how you make money at it.
I come from a bootstrapping background (I was a public school teacher and non-profit gal before I started my business), so I tend to invest in foundations first, and then shoot to make it pretty later.
My first website was a generic WordPress theme that I built myself, with a simple banner with my business name and tagline. No headshot. I had that same website (with some REALLY hideous pictures of me with a bouffant, hiding behind an Underwood typewriter) when I crossed 6-figures. I uplevelled after about a year and a half to the website you see now.
A website that makes you money and attracts great clients may be less about appearances than you think. You want a website to feel expensive… but really, if you focus on the results you get for your clients, I’ve found that’s the key. You can have a really effective, simple website that builds your business… but your message really has to be clear and compelling.
Mighty thanks to Nicole Annetan flickr photostream for the point of view.
I’m curious – what have you learned about what’s important on a website? Share it in the comments below.
