Have you ever felt like your website is just… well, a bit blah?
Is your website not quite living up to its full potential? If so, you’re not alone. Many clients ask me to sharpen up or transform their websites, as they want to increase visitor count and dwell time but, most importantly, generate interest and leads.
Building a website that truly wows your customers can feel daunting, especially if you’re not a web design expert. In today’s article, I will share five tips for taking your website from zero to hero – and it doesn’t start with content!
Step 1: Define your brand identity
Before you consider the design or functionality of your website, you need to understand your brand identity clearly. If someone lands on your website and it looks different from all the other promotional material you are putting out, it can lead to confusion or, worse still, a bounce (a bounce is when someone lands on your website and then leaves immediately after). Nobody wants a bounce…
Ask yourself, what are your core values? What makes your business unique? How do you want your customers to perceive you?
Answering these questions will help you create a website that authentically reflects your brand and resonates with your target audience. It’s also really important to consider your tone of voice. Is it friendly and approachable? Sleek and professional? A little bit quirky and fun?
Whatever it is, make sure that tone of voice features throughout every aspect of your website.
Step 2: Create a great user experience
Now that you’ve sorted out your brand identity, it’s time to focus on the user experience.
Remember, your website is often the first impression your customers will have of your business, so you want to make it count.
Start by ensuring your site is easy to navigate. Organise your content logically and intuitively, and ensure your menu and call-to-action buttons are visible. Consider incorporating interactive elements, like hover effects or animations, to keep your visitors engaged and entertained throughout their visit.
Visuals are also incredibly important. High-quality, visually appealing images and graphics can make a huge difference in how your website is perceived. Invest in professional photography or seek an illustrator to design visuals that align with your brand’s aesthetic. Don’t be afraid to add real photos to your website. Your people or photos of your place of work add a degree of authenticity to your website and put your customers at ease.
Step 3: Optimise your website for mobile
In today’s digital landscape, your website must be optimised for mobile devices. After all, more and more people are accessing the internet and your website on the go, and you don’t want to lose potential customers just because your site doesn’t play nicely with their smartphones or iPads.
Ensure your website is responsive, meaning it automatically adjusts to fit the screen size of the device used. This includes ensuring that your content, images, and navigation are easy to access, view and interact with on a smaller screen.
When you build a website using a CMS (Content Management System), you’ll design it in laptop view. But once the page is built, switch it to mobile view to ensure all elements are in the correct place or sized accordingly. Too many people fail to do this and then wonder why their buttons or photos are in the wrong place when their website is being viewed on a mobile device.
Step 4: Prioritise speed and performance
Hold up, Jo, we haven’t even discussed content yet, and there’s only one step to go! That’s right, peeps, as a killer website is, first and foremost, about the user experience. Nothing kills the user experience faster than a slow-loading website.
Your customers are busy people who don’t have time to wait for your site to catch up. If your home page or landing page loads too slowly, your potential customers won’t wait around, which means you’ll likely lose sales or orders.
Optimise your website’s performance by compressing images, minimising the use code, and leveraging browser caching. How do you do that last one? You ensure your website is built on an https:// protocol. The most secure and user-friendly version available.
Step 5: Feature engaging content
At last, we’re on to content. But you’ll see this is the final tip in my article. Okay, we know your website isn’t just a pretty face – it’s also a powerful tool for showcasing your expertise and building customer trust. That’s why featuring engaging and informative content on its pages is so important.
Don’t build a page with boring navigation, like the ‘About Us’ and ‘Services’ pages. Consider creating blog posts, videos, surveys, or lead-gen giveaways that provide value to your audience.
This will keep them coming back to your site and position you as a thought leader in your industry.
A final note: Putting it all together
Building a website that truly wows your customers takes time, effort, and a keen eye for detail.
But trust me, it’s worth it. A well-designed, user-friendly website can be a game-changer for your business, helping you attract new leads, build brand loyalty, and drive more sales.
But don’t just take my word for it. I, too, design snappy-looking websites for my clients. Here are a few examples of some I have created or refreshed recently:
