5 SECRETS OF THE BEST-PERFORMING WEBSITES
At Web Design Pros, we are 100% sure that any business needs a website. But what we advise our clients before embarking on the website-building trip, is to define what the business wants the website to bring to it. Let's be honest. We hear this a lot: "My business doesn’t need a website." Well, to us this translates to "I haven't really thought of what my website can bring to my business." No one needs a website for just the sake of having one. It is not showing in search, it has never been updated, it brings zero benefits to an eventual customer that comes across it, and what is most important—it does not bring you new customers or increase the level of loyalty of the existing ones.
A website is the most powerful weapon a business has. It works across the globe, it is accessible 24/7/365. It can communicate the might of your brand to the world. It is the first one to put the promotional offers in front of your client and it feeds the clients with useful (yes, useful to the client) information. Not to mention that the website can accommodate an online shop, a blog, and perform stock management.
So, why do some websites work for their owners and others are only a yearly (or monthly) cost in the accountant's book? We have analyzed hundreds of websites and discovered these 5 secrets that we hope will help you in your work.
5 Secrets of best performing websites
1. About/About Us Section
Contrary to what the title suggests, this section should not be about YOU. It is about your customers. What it is about you makes you useful for your customers. What is the fact about you/your business that the customer will associate himself with? What is it that will make him feel that he will be better served, and better understood?
And what is more, this is not a random part, and by no means is meant to appeal to everyone. The About section is a very important section and you should only write it after you have completed your market and your client insights study.
And what about all the fun facts about me, you ask? The best place for these is social media posts.
2. Easy Checkout in the Shop or No Shop at All
Recently I came across an ad that directed me to a website that sold really nice vintage lamps. They were well photographed and described. Despite it being obvious to me that the website was not made by a professional, it still wasn't too bad. So, I chose a lamp and clicked on Buy, expecting to see the delivery price to my destination. And then it happened. A screen came up advising me to contact the shop. It actually listed steps that need to be taken in order to buy the lamp:
You need to email us and say what lamp you want to buy ---We will contact our shipper and find out the cost of the shipping ---We will email it to you ---You will email us back and tell us if you want the lamp ---We will send you the payment instructions ---You pay and send us a confirmation ---We pack and send your lamp.
Needless to say, my experience with that online shop ended right there and then. What I want to say with this is: if you want your customers to buy online from your shop, your checkout process has to be as easy and quick as possible. I repeat: EASY. Like a 2-step easy. And it has to start and end within 1 minute. My advice—hire a professional to design and implement your online shop. But if you cannot, then list your items on Etsy, eBay, or wherever, and redirect the buyers there.
3. Contact Section
This one often drives me insane. Contact information has to be very easy to find. It has to be as a separate Menu item, or at the bottom of the page, and every now and then, you have to have a Contact button popping up.
I have come across websites where you literally have to spend 10 minutes looking for contact info. Customers need to feel a human presence behind any website, especially in small businesses.
People deal with people. So, make sure they can reach out to you.
4. Don’t Proclaim Your Strength in General Words
Once I was looking for a graphic designer. I met someone who was a relative of someone and had a small graphic design business. Before the meeting, I studied their website. It said, "Every client is different. We provide personalized service, tailored to every client." When we met, he stated some standard procedures and when I asked about the possibility of doing it differently, I heard "No, this is how WE work."
My point is: be honest with yourself. Don’t just put beaten phrases on your website because you think that sounds great. Ask yourself: do you really believe in this? Does how you do business align with what you proclaim? How many times have you seen the website of a coffee shop with AI photos of smiling personnel and the statement "We provide the best service in the world", and in reality, you will be served by a grumpy person who will never answer you "thank you", when he brings your coffee spilling it all over the saucer as he puts it in front of you.
Instead of creating a website that is a thousand miles away from reality (that is if you are not able to shape the reality), talk about something real. I have seen a website of a coffee shop where they talk about support and inclusion for ex-prisoners by employing them in the cafe. THAT is real. A Ukrainian clothes designer has amputee men on prostheses modeling his clothes. THIS is real. I will repeat it again: people do business with people. Only here I will add "honest and real people."
5. Do Not Make Empty Promises
What I learned from my many years of being an entrepreneur, is that making promises and giving guarantees is not always a good thing.
Recently I bought a roll of bubble wrap online on a website where on every page in gigantic letters they promised delivery in 72 hours. Once I placed the order, I got an email informing me that the item was out of stock and would be in stock again in 7 days. That is, I will receive it in 7 days plus the 72 hours.
Guess what. I got it in 3 weeks. It was not dispatched in time, and then the shipping company closed for holidays for 2 weeks, because it was Christmas time. My point is: if you make a promise, if you guarantee anything you MUST deliver what you promised. Do not promise if you cannot. No excuse, no Christmas. Yes or No at all.
