5 Ways to Up Your Website Game

Top tips for easy and quick website improvements

Your website should feel like having a friend over for coffee; inviting, warm, conversational.

With the slew of content marketing strategies available today, it’s even easier to maximize your little piece on the interweb.

Here are 5 ways to up your website game NOW:

1. Clarity

We have just a handful of seconds to communicate our message to new website visitors. Since we are intimately connected with our business and offerings, it’s easy to assume who we are and what we do is crystal clear to everyone. This cannot be further from the truth! Perfecting our elevator pitch can help us to clarify the following important questions:

Who am I?Who do I serve?How do I solve my ideal client’s problem?

Tip: Look at your homepage and see if a new visitor could easily answer the above questions. If not, go back to the drawing board and revise.

2. Simplicity

The adage less is more definitely applies when it comes to website design. If you confuse your website visitor, they will quickly “bounce” off your site and move on to the next business that makes it easier to understand and/or is more visually appealing.

Tip: Minimize unnecessary graphics or elements that are just taking up space. Whitespace is a necessary part of the design and makes assimilating information quicker and more enjoyable for the visitor.

3. Navigation

Think of your navigation toolbar as the GPS for your online destination. Do you make it smooth for your web visitor to tool around, experience the terrain, and hang out in a place of interest? It goes without saying that all of your buttons and links should be active. There is nothing more frustrating than clicking on a broken link or being directed to a 404 page not found URL.

Tip: Keep your navigation bar limited to one line. Clean, clear, and simple titles are important here. Prioritize straight-forward language over being clever (i.e. Work With Me vs. Let’s Get Jiggy).

4. Stay Current

It takes 2 seconds to manage your content or dash an email to the professional that you have to take care of things for you. Please, remember to remove all outdated promotions, links to past events, copyright footers with last year’s date, etc. If your site reflects that you’re not paying attention to the details, your visitor will assume that’s how you handle all of your business.

Tip: Staying current also includes up-to-date photos of you. A selfie from 5 years ago is not your most professional first impression.

5. Continue the Connection

I saved the best tip for last!

You’ve worked hard to get website traffic, don’t lose the opportunity to capture their information to continue the conversation. Having a place or places to collect your visitor’s name and email is imperative. A common way to accomplish this is through an opt-in a.k.a. lead magnet. This is a free offering in exchange for the visitor’s information.

Popular lead magnets include a cheat sheet, checklist, video series, eBook, discount, etc. The main question to ask yourself when developing your opt-in is — What problem can I help my ideal client solve with this free and valuable piece of content?

Tip: Once you start growing your email list via lead magnets, it’s important to nurture your contacts with a series of follow-up emails that will continue to build the know, like, and trust factors.

Now that your site has a clear message, is clutter-free, and is super intuitive to navigate, remember to check back often with “fresh eyes.” Update your current offerings, add highlights, change out your home banner, refresh testimonials, etc.

Your website is just like your home. It is a reflection of YOU. Keep it clean, updated, and modern.

Throw pillows, anyone?

Until next time…breathe joy,
Kc

P.S. To continue to stay in the loop, join my Free Facebook Group- Women Developing Brilliance® — Strategies for Heart-Centered Solopreneurs.