It’s been a while since I wrote a blog post…the work just takes over sometime. But no excuses, blogging is great for clearing what’s on your mind and sharing knowledge you have with others. Things that sometimes feel so ‘normal’ may just be the right message someone else needs at the time. So, if you haven’t tried it yet, I challenge you to start blogging. It’s fun!
What’s prompted me to write this blog? I recently ran a promotion for small businesses for a website design and I got to talk to a lot of small business owners. They all had one common challenge – They knew they want a website but they had no clarity what website should be.
Sure you can say, website is a website, some are nicer then others, but it’s a website.
They all wanted to have a beautiful looking website, yet almost none of them knew what the real purpose of their website is.
There are only two purposes for having a website:
- Website is your business card, a place where people can come and check you out to see if you are legit. A person already knows you, has you details, knows your website address and checks you out.
- Website is your lead magnet machine. This means that your website is created to serve your ideal customers and gets them to contact you, sign-up to your list or buy from you.
The first website is all about you and what you do. This is fine, if you don’t plan to make any direct money with it. The second one focuses on clients, their problems and solutions you have for them. Very different proposition, isn’t it?
The purpose of the website drives the design of the website. It’s easy to make things look pretty and fun, but how is it perceived by a visitor that lands on your website?
Now, look at your website and think about it by answering these 3 questions objectively (or better, test it with your family/friends):
- What is it?
- What is it about?
- What’s in it for me?
This is what every visitor’s mind does, when they land on your home page. If they don’t get clear answers, they are out of there, and you’ve lost a business opportunity.
What if your website doesn’t answer these questions well? What to do to fix this?
Oh, you need a new website, now! Just joking. Most websites can be easily tweaked, so:
- Decide the purpose of your website
- Change content and functionality on the home page of your website to support the purpose
- Contact your web designer to make changes, if you can’t make them yourself.
And if you’re not sure, if you website is what is should be, don’t hesitate to contact me for a quick chat about it. I love websites, so it will be my pleasure to look at yours.