Recently I talked a little bit about why your website isn’t working anymore and I focused on the recent changes that Google has made as well as the big shift to mobile surfing.
Today I want to tackle a different problem that has the same result: crickets!
Feeling like your website doesn’t work quite as well as it used to?
If your website used to work but over time has slowly seemed to become ineffective, it’s probably the result of something else. Something entirely unintentional: Website creep.
Website creep is that slow morphing from a clear and concise website to an unwieldy, overflowing, and unmanageable website that leaves visitors fleeing in droves. Particularly for your visitors who are just trying to figure out if you have what they need at a price they can afford.
Often we think that the more information we give our potential clients, the better the decision they can make. WRONG.
The more information you give them, the more overwhelmed they will be.
You have to make it specific, targeted, strategic information designed to walk them from ignorance to understanding.
Rather than discuss how to prevent website creep, I want to talk about how you can fix it in a weekend and without throwing out everything you’ve done up to now.
First, it’s critical that you understand the purpose of the copy (the words) on your website. I’m not talking about how they’ll make people pick up the phone or sign up. I’m talking about the role of each individual word. I’ve talked a little bit about copy in the past but it’s worth repeating: The job of each word on your website is to get the visitor to read the next word. That’s it. No more, no less.
If your copy isn’t leading people word by word, it’s failing.
The biggest bonus of making over your website in a weekend? Your freshly made site will inspire more trust, forging new relationships for you. It will also take your site to a new level that is more effective at clearly presenting who you are and what you do.
Error-free, high-quality writing is imperative for your business’s credibility and legitimacy.
A website that works as hard as you do makes you more effective and your life more workable.
By now I’m sure you’re wondering what you can do to turn your website around in a weekend. Inside this article you’ll find a few simple tweaks you can do over the weekend (or in any 24-48 hour period) that will tremendously improve the effectiveness of your website.
A few simple tweaks you can do over the weekend
// Step 1: Define the purpose //
The first thing you need to do to makeover your website in a weekend is to figure out what people are visiting your site for and then laying out a clear, concise structure so they can find it.
Tip #1: Make sure what you do is the biggest text above the fold (in the header if you can or as part of a slideshow) so that within 2 seconds, any visitor will know what you do.
Are they coming to join an online course or book you for a one-on-one session? Keep their goal in mind as you work through this process and remember, make it EASY for them to hire you.
{Not sure what their purpose is? Sounds like you need to spend some time digging into your ideal client. You can google “ideal client avatar” or you can go through the foundational process with me, helping along the way. It’s just something I do as part of my strategy focused design work.}
Our jobs as business owners (and marketers) is to reduce the amount of friction or obstacles between our potential customer and making the purchase.
In other words, make it as simple as possible for them to gain access to you.
// Step 2: Evaluate your Navigation//
Navigation! I know we all get tempted to label our pages/menu with something other than “contact” and “pricing” but honestly, that’s what most (80%+) of people are looking for and when they can’t find it, they get frustrated and leave.
The goal with navigation is to ASSUME NOTHING. Can you have success with other words? Absolutely! The key is to do so intentionally, with your audience in mind.
For instance, I know that it’s a common practice for creatives to use “Say Hello” in lieu of “contact” so I can safely use that. I run the risk of a few people being confused but I’m okay with that because my ideal clients understand the terminology.
// How to structure your navigation //
Tip#2: Keep it simple! The fewer options the better. Make it clear what you want them to do.
Instead of having a link to everything you could possibly offer, limit your menu to what you WANT to be doing. You can talk about the other options on your blog or include links to “additional services” from your main pricing/services page.
A bare-bones navigation should look like:
- What you do (services/pricing)
- Who you are + Why you do it + Who you do it for (about)
- How they hire you (hire me/work with me/contact)
- How to reach me (contact)
- What’s new (blog)
PRICING | ABOUT | BOOK ME | CONTACT | BLOG
This navigation structure is the bare minimum people need in order to figure out how to work with you.
Note that I’m not saying you can only have a single depth menu with no drop-downs. You absolutely can if it’s truly necessary.
Be intentional about each addition, asking yourself it removes a barrier between them and hiring you before you add a thing.
// Step 3: Evaluate your copy //
Evaluate the copy (words) on your website. All of them.
Ask yourself “Does this remove a barrier, create clarity, or answer a question the prospective client has?” If the answer is yes, you can keep it. If the answer is no, let it go. When it comes to website copy, more is overwhelming so keep it as clean and concise as possible.
Once you’ve cleared out entire sentences that don’t improve the website experience, it’s time to dig deep and look at each word. Eliminate any words that aren’t necessary to keep the person reading.
Tip #3: Make it easy to read
Keep sentences on the shorter side. Use headings, bold, and italics to break up the writing and make it easier to digest visually. Headings allow you to scan the text, getting the gist of what’s written without reading word for word. Know that people absolutely skim so use that to give them the most salient bits of information.
Tip #4: Write conversationally
This isn’t an exam and there is no grade so write how you would talk in general. That means it’s okay to use contractions instead of spelling things out. Unless you’re aiming for an obtuse, very corporate speak that you want few people to understand, it’s best to make it sound like how you talk.
Tip #5: Eliminate marketing hype
If it’s meaningless puffery like “we’re the best”, you’re wasting your breath. People don’t believe marketing hype (do you?) so don’t use it on your site. Be concrete, share real facts. Remember that old adage of “Show ’em, don’t tell ’em?” you learned in writing class? It’s time to use that. Be descriptive without being fluffy.
// Step 4: Clean up //
Now that your copy is looking good, it’s time to clean up!
Read through everything with fresh eyes and make sure it all flows. Invite a friend or two to proofread it to make sure you didn’t have a moment where things went haywire. If it makes sense to them, you’re good to go!
Fill in the gaps
Part of cleaning up is making sure to fill in any gaps that may have been created. It’s also a good time to make sure that your website addresses the questions and concerns your visitor has. If you aren’t sure what those are, it’s time to really dig in and get to know your customer. That’s something I do with every Design + Strategy Partnership client but there are resources out there for you to get at least more clear on your ideal client out there. They’re not as in depth and someday I plan to turn this portion of my foundational work into a course so everyone can benefit from it.
Time sensitive
Reading this before May 21st, 2015? KissMetrics is having a webinar about the 7 most common usability issues where they’ll be talking about improving your navigation and how to give your customers assurances of privacy. It’s free and you can register for the webinar here I’m signed up because I’m always looking to make sure what I share is current and backed by data.
Dig deeper with this exercise from Kyla Roma on how to make your blog better in 5 minutes (make sure to scroll down to the exercise!) It’s a really good exercise that pairs nicely with this work.
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