Susan Friesen — February 25, 2017 Follow @eVisionMedia
5 Key Components Your Website Requires to Attract Your Ideal Client and Get the Sales You Want
Is your website attracting the right people who are actually interested in purchasing from you?
Or is it just sitting there and not really accomplishing what you hoped it would?
Every business owner wants to get more qualified traffic to their site and then convert that traffic into sales. I mean there’d be no point in having one if that weren’t the ultimate goal!
But it seems to me a lot of business owners miss the mark in HOW to make that goal a reality.
The truth is, you’re not going to get the results you want from a purchased WordPress theme or worse, a free WIX or GoDaddy site. Sorry, but throwing up a cheap, pre-built site just for the sake of having something up is not going to win you any Brownie (or Scout) badges in the Business Marketing category (if there is such a thing??)
Why? Because those types of free, low-cost or DIY sites are not going to do the job you want them to unless you have expertise in all of the different factors a website requires that converts visitors into buyers.
This is why we design and build custom websites and never touch the purchased themes or drag and drop DIY sites. They simply aren’t going to get the job done that our clients expect.
What do I mean by that?
First, it’s important to understand your website serves many purposes such as:
- A way to showcase your business and its offerings
- A means for constant marketing and promotion 24-hours a day
- A platform that emphasizes your brand positioning
- A facility for converting visitors into paying customers
- A device for attracting your ideal clients into your sales and marketing funnels so you can continue to nurture them
And in order to accomplish all of that, a lot of planning, strategy and design needs to take place.
This article provides five factors that go into building and promoting a website that converts. Each factor requires the right expertise to make your site a client-attracting, lead-generating machine:
1. Visually-Appealing Branding
Your visual brand is extremely important. The impression people instantly get about you when they land on your home page or landing page will greatly impact their decision to keep exploring or move on to your competitor.
Not Just a Pretty Logo…
Branding is not just having a pretty logo designed by you or someone on Fivrr. It’s a visual representation that shows your understanding who your ideal client is and how to position yourself in front of them in order to appeal to them.
Identify Your Ideal Client
The first thing to do is define who the people are in your ideal target market. You need to clearly understand what problems they have and how your product or service will be a solution for them.
This analysis needs to be a deep exploration not only of the typical demographics such as age, gender and location, but also a psychographics study of what emotional state they are in.
The analysis will then help you understand what specific colours, imagery, fonts and other style assets to use on your website, logo and branding so that it strongly appeals to them.
By going through this process and designing a website with a specific purpose of positioning you favourably in front of your ideal client, you will then “speak their language” and reassure them they are in the right place.
2. Compelling Marketing Messages
Having a visually appealing website is just half the battle. You also need it need to be user-friendly and not cause confusion that will potentially send them away.
But more importantly, when your ideal client lands there, the words they read and the images they see also need to appeal to them.
This is why you need to create a powerful marketing message through excellent copywriting that speaks directly to their situation, needs, challenges and struggles.
Let Your USP Shine
Your unique marketing message needs to be prominent on the home page through the use of headlines, videos, testimonials, and images. This message also needs to showcase your USP (Unique Selling Proposition) – why should they choose you over your competitor?
Here’s more tips on what your home page should include.
Your Home Page is Just the Tip of the Iceberg
The rest of your site pages also need to stay focused with this intent. And having other means in getting your marketing message out to the masses is also a big factor to consider.
3. Consistent Content Marketing
Whether it’s a blog post, newsletter, podcast or YouTube show, pick at least one or two of these content marketing strategies and consistently get your message out there in front of the right people.
Frequency is the key. But not only do you have to be consistent, you also have to create and stick to a marketing calendar where, at minimum, you should be producing informative content on a weekly basis.
Create a Free Giveaway
Most first-time users to a website won’t make an immediate purchase. This is why you want to get them into your newsletter database so you can continue to nurture them where they will eventually make the purchase when ready.
This is often done using a free giveaway. Something that your ideal client would want to receive from you that would be very helpful to them.
Do some market research to find out if a free report on a specific topic would be something they would find valuable enough to provide their name and email address for. It might be a video series that is more compelling to them.
You need to find out what they will find irresistible and then create it.
Create Shareable Content
Your blog is a prime place for you to showcase your expertise and provide solutions to your ideal clients’ problems.
By being consistent with creating and sharing new, informative content, the more you are developing the “Know, Like and Trust” factor with them. This then creates a better chance of them converting to paying clients.
4. Implementation of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) Strategies
Once your website is built, it needs to be search engine optimized in order to be found through Google and other search engine results.
The text, titles, descriptions and keywords all need to be in alignment with what your ideal client will be searching for when they are looking for a solution to their problem, of which your product or service will provide.
Your website should also be submitted to various search engines and directories to ensure it is being properly indexed and found.
5. Active Social Media Involvement
When you know who your ideal client is, it’s easier to find them on social media and draw them to your website.
Provide valuable, informative and inspirational posts you know they will want to receive from you to help build your brand exposure. This will compel them to want to check you out further by visiting your website.
Be sure to use the 20% rule and sprinkle in promotional posts amongst your value-driven posts that will drive traffic back to your website.
Also make sure your visual brand is consistent throughout all your social media accounts. That’s very important for brand continuity so your ideal client will begin to recognize you and your business just by seeing your brand visuals.
‘Cheap and Easy’ Could Be Costing You Qualified Business Leads
As you can see there are several factors involved in having a website that will actually get you results.
So before you convince yourself the cheap and DIY route is the best way to go, take into consideration how much potential business you could be losing because your primary piece of marketing, your virtual storefront if you will, is not appealing to the right people.
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