5 Things Every Website Needs
When you’re trying to build a business on a budget you learn to do a LOT of things out of your comfort zone, right?!
I know for many of you your website maintenance, SEO, and Google Analytics (<<< there's a helpful little post I did on Google Analytics!) are things that make your head spin! Well, today I'm sharing 5 tips with you that ANY female entrepreneur can implement in no time.
Because here's the thing... you're not only trying to learn (and master) a new skill… like design, colors, fonts, coding, wordpress, squarespace, etc., but you’re also trying to create an online space that will capture the attention of your ideal client and bring them knocking on your front door (err... inbox).
Did you know that when it comes to your website, you only have 3 seconds to capture the attention of your ideal client before they make the decision to click that little X in the corner.
Are you making the most of that time?
If you’ve launched your website and you’re still hearing ***crickets*** then this is the post for you!
Today I’m going to share with you 5 of my top essentials that EVERY website should have in order to capture attention and convert warm leads.
1. To capture attention in 3 seconds, you need a captivating header!! Clear, simple & no fluff!
Your captivating image
Studies show that a header image that shows a person is more captivating and relatable. The result of one study showed that human images with facial features would induce a user to perceive the website as more appealing, having warmth or social presence, and as more trustworthy. http://aisel.aisnet.org/sighci2006/6/
Make sure that your header image is in line with the feel of your brand and how you want your business to be perceived!
Your header text
Are you capturing attention with the copy at the top of the page? Your website home page should demand attention with what is placed ABOVE THE FOLD.
Above the fold traditionally refers to the content that is in the top half of a newspaper page… the content that is literally above the fold. When it comes to your web page, above the fold is the content that is visible without having to scroll down.
You must have both a captivating image and compelling text above the fold that captures attention and helps the viewer understand what you do. This should be a short and concise phrase. Check out these examples below.
Each example gives you an idea of the results this person and business will give you from working with them.
2. You need a great call to action (or two... or more...) per page
You really need at least one call to action on each page. If your website contains pages with a LOT of text, then you may want to consider putting a call to action towards the top of the page and the bottom the page as well (because many viewers won't scroll all the way to the bottom and might miss your call to action button all together!).
You must know your websites purpose!
Is your main purpose to sell product? Grow your email list? Book calls? Whatever your main purpose is, make sure you have a clear navigation strategy to get your viewers to that conversion point!
Your call to action should stand out on the page and be really clear to identify. It should also guide your viewer towards the end result that you're desiring.
Creating call to action buttons that capture attention:
Your CTA buttons will do no good if people aren't actually clicking on them! So you will want to assess the shape, size, colors, location, white space, and wording on your CTA button.
The best advice I can give on this is to do a little trial and error. Remember that the best call to actions take time to perfect. This is where Google Analytics and your email list tracking capabilities are your best friend!
Some things to consider:
The color of your button. Green and orange have been proven to work well, but the best thing to remember that you want the button to stick out and contrast with the rest of the page. Set your CTA button color and then change it a month later. Track if your clicks or opt-ins went up from one month to the next with the different button color.
Button wording. Try the following variations in your CTA button text.
- Try action words like “Start Now” or “Stop the Overwhelm Now”.
- Make your CTA wording personal… “Download Your Guide Now”, “Claim your spot”.
- Convey urgency … “Get it now”, “Sale ends at midnight”.
- Remember that one small change can change your CTA conversion greatly. So make sure to try out different words and phrases and see how it converts.
Shape and size of button. Bigger isn’t always better. Try out some different shapes and sizes and see how they convert.
White space. Don't be afraid to add some extra space above or below the button so it stands out on the page!
3. Keep your home page (and every other page) to the point.
Your viewer is busy. They really don’t care much about YOU… they want to know what you can do for them! They want to know what results you can bring them... and quick!
What are your ideal client’s pain points? What results do they want and NEED? Talk about how you give them these results and then lead them to another page to view more info (until you finally get them to your ideal conversion page).
My favorite tip: Make sure to utilize headers, bolded, and italicized fonts well!
Many viewers will only skim your pages, so I always read through each page and ONLY read the header fonts, bold/italicized fonts to see how it reads. It should still get your message across in a way that makes sense and gets the MOST IMPORTANT info straight into their hands.
4. Give them lots of social proof.
Your viewers want to know what you can do for them! They want to see proven results.
What results have your previous clients got from working with you? Your prospective clients will only buy from you if they trust you! So make sure you are showing them (maybe even bombarding them!) why they should trust you.
Post testimonials on every page of your website! If you have case studies, share these as well.
5. You NEED to be tracking your results.
If you’re not doing this then you are literally leaving money on the table. You need to know what links they are clicking through to from each page. You need to know what pages have the highest drop off rate (this is when they click out of your website). You need to know what sign up forms are converting the best. You need to know what your viewers are thinking when they view your website!
So here’s the deal. I’m going to share all of my top tracking secrets with you… you ready?
Google Analytics.
- The best advice I can give you is to constantly track your viewers. Check your Google Analytics at least every other week and see how things are changing.
- Page behavior & User Flow. When using Google Analytics, make sure to check out the behavior and User Flow tabs! This is SUPER VALUABLE information.
- Make sure to block your IP address! I began to notice that most of my viewers were from Missouri (my home state)… but DUH, I had forgotten to block my IP address from registering in my analytics! Ops!
- Drop off rate. View what pages have the highest drop off rate and what flow your viewers are taking through your website. This is a great tool!
- Average session duration. You can look at your average session duration from the behavior tab and you can see how many of your page viewers are returning vs new viewers.
Check out these and all my other Google Analytics tips in my recent post here.
So the bottom line is that Google Analytics is COMPLETELY FREE and a GREAT resource for your website. If you’re not using it… then start now! It’s super easy to install in your website.
Here’s some other great Google Analytic resources:
- How to set up Google Analytics in Squarespace - https://support.squarespace.com/hc/en-us/articles/205815608-Using-Google-Analytics-with-Squarespace
- How to set up Google Analytics in Wordpress - http://www.wpbeginner.com/beginners-guide/how-to-install-google-analytics-in-wordpress/
- A beginners guide to using Google Analytics - https://blog.kissmetrics.com/google-analytics-5/
- 9 awesome things you can do with Google Analytics - https://blog.kissmetrics.com/awesome-google-analytics/
User Testing.
This is one of my FAVORITE free resources!!! I use this on my personal website and on each of my client’s websites! This is a free service to use once a month so take advantage of it!
You can enter your website address into this User Testing site and then they will send you a video of someone using your web page! Watch their initial reaction of your site, what buttons they click first, and what they think as they view your page.
Now here’s the deal with this… you may not have someone that fits your ideal client profile that views your web page. So take their advice and thoughts with a grain of salt. But it’s still great to see what links they initially click when they view your site! And if you do get a viewer who fits your ideal client profile, then that’s a HUGE bonus!
You get one free test per month… so use it! If you have a few changes to make on your website, then make the changes before you run the test so you can see how your changes are working!
Well ladies, that’s all I’ve got for you today!! I hope this content was SOOOO helpful for you!
Go out there and implement these changes TODAY. Because if you’re an online female entrepreneur, your website is like your brick and mortar of your business! You need a permanent landing location that works FOR you!
Always cheering you on!
