The world is different than it used to be. Now, when potential customers need your number, they generally end up on your website. That makes it a prime opportunity for a positive impression! Moreover, it’s a great opportunity to generate engagement with your site’s visitor (more on that later). Are people arriving for one piece of information—like your phone number— and getting much more?
In short, is your website working for your business?
Your Homepage
This is the landing spot where most potential customers start. There are elements you absolutely need on a homepage, and their arrangement will be according to your branding, image, and knowledge of layout, color and design.
If you aren’t a professional in layout or design, these tips will help you establish your homepage.
Required Elements
All of these elements should appear in a standard place, in a standard format on every webpage. Your name, or business name, and contact information are critical. Main phone numbers and an email address are also basic. Nowadays a Twitter username, Facebook handle and other social media links are often even more important than a brick and mortar mailing address; include the ones that are best for you, or all of them.
Marketing and Informational Must Have’s
On your homepage, a visitor should quickly be able to see:
- Who you are;
- What you do;
- What you offer; and,
- Why people should want to do business with you.
For Example
I recently visited a law firm’s website. The homepage was clean and uncluttered, with all required elements clearly displayed. In addition, I could tell from the links on the homepage that this company was a) worldwide, b) conscious of their role in the community, and c) offered pro bono work and other philanthropic giving. Did they expound on all of that right there on the homepage? No. The links were clear, precise and informative without my having to click on them until I really wanted more information.
What did that provide me? It provided me insight into what this law firm provided, who they were, and why I should consider working with them — (they were solid; worldwide!). I gathered all this from a clean, crisp homepage.
What was I originally looking for? An address.
Required Structure: About Us, Contact Us, Blog
Obviously, you’re not going to pile everything someone needs to know on the homepage. Having additional pages helps people pinpoint specific information they want, and keeps everything neat and uncluttered. Have standard pages that appear like tabs, buttons or icons: About Us, Contact Us, Blog. Install an easy-to-use Search Box.
Call to Action
This is the engagement part. At a minimum, include a Contact Us form. Offer an incentive for folks to contact you, like a free evaluation, sample, or discount coupon.
Additional Advice
Graphics. Be wise in your use of graphics, even if your company is geared around visuals. One rule of thumb is no more than three graphics per page, unless it is specifically a gallery. Only use high-quality pictures, and beware of copyrights.
Easy to read. People don’t want to struggle with small fonts, light colored text on dark backgrounds, or weird text. Keep it clean, clear and simple.
Testimonials. One of the best ways to tell people why they should work with you is with great testimonials. Request them from satisfied customers. If they’re too busy to write their own, try approaching a good customer with prepared text and ask permission to put their name to it.
Proofread. Proofread. Proofread. If you don’t have a friend who can spell, use a spell checker. You can also read things backwards to catch typos you might otherwise miss. A good style manual can help with ever changing grammar and punctuation rules.
At Three Girls Media & Marketing, we love “before and afters.” If these tips are helpful to you, we want to hear your success story! Take a before and after screenshot of your website, and send with a brief description of what you changed. We would love to feature your website’s transformation in future Three Girls newsletters!
Special Offer: Three Girls Media & Marketing Inc. loves working with small and emerging companies to raise their brand awareness and name recognition. We offer a complimentary 30-minute phone consultation. Email info@ThreeGirlsMedia.com to make your appointment today!
Photo Credit: Sean MacEntee