“If you build it, they will come”
This quote from Field of Dreams popped into my head yesterday and it got me thinking about how it relates to being an entrepreneur. If you’ve ever had a dream of starting your own business then you can probably relate to the main character, who risks everything (even his perceived sanity) to follow his intuition.
When you first start out in business it’s almost like falling in love – you’re super excited, you can’t sleep and your friends think you’re crazy because your business idea is the only thing you can think or talk about!
I’ve been there and still get that way when I have new ideas for my business.
So you decide to jump in head-first and super obsessive (this is in no way autobiographical 😉) with trying to get your business to the next level and you create content and you put up a website and…
crickets.
Ugh – I’ve been there, too!
That’s when you realize that when it comes to a website for your business, it’s really not quite as simple as “if you build it, they will come.”
It IS totally possible to get a WordPress website up and running really easily in under 5 minutes.
However…there’s a lot of strategy behind optimizing your website in order to attract your ideal clients and convert them into customers.
So what is your website missing? Let me walk you through a few concepts that can help you level-up your website and turn it into a business-boosting machine (AKA what it’s supposed to be).
Why Your Website Isn’t Bringing In New Clients
1. You’re talking to the wrong people.
You need to be clear about who you are trying to serve. You’ve probably heard this phrase before: “if you’re trying to please everyone, you’ll end up pleasing nobody.” This is totally true for your website and business!
If you haven’t yet, it’s important to spend a little time outlining what kind of client you want to work with. From there, you can have a specific type of person in mind when creating the content for your website and you will understand the things they struggle with and the solutions they’re looking for. The goal is to make them feel heard and understood when they read your website and see your offerings.
When your website isn’t focused around your ideal clients, then it’s not going to stand out.
More about attracting your ideal client:
- Why You Should Define Your Ideal Client
- Attract ideal clients and customers by sharing your story
- Why your website copy shouldn’t sound professional
2. You‘re website design leaves something to be desired.
Set a good first impression with the look of your website. If it looks too cluttered, busy or unorganized then it can send people away quick, fast and in a hurry!
Don’t worry if you know nothing about web design – there are tons of great resources out there.
More about creating a nice web design:
- Be sure to think about the most important information your potential clients will be searching for and have it easily accessible in the navigation links at the top of the page and on the homepage.
- Use attractive imagery. Even if you have NO design skills whatsoever, using nice photography or graphics can really make your website look much nicer instantly.
- 3 Ways to Know if your Website Needs a Redesign (Plus Quick Fix Ideas)
3. Your offer isn’t clear.
So now you know who you’re talking to and you’ve made sure your site looks all nice and spiffy. The next thing you want to double-check is that you’re being really clear about what you’re offering. Image your potential client browsing your site for the first time.
Do your services stand out? Is it clear that they will offer solutions to their problems?
Somewhere near the top of the homepage you should introduce yourself and explain, in easy-to-understand words, who you are, what you do and who you help.
It can be fun to use fun and playful language sometimes, especially if it fits your branding. But you want to make sure that it will be very clear to your ideal audience what it is you actually do and what is included when working with you.
4. You’re not asking them to take action.
Things move fast in the world of the internet. You want to make sure you take full advantage of the very limited amount of time you have with your potential client while they are looking at your website. You do this by putting clear calls to action (CTA) throughout your site.
A call to action can be a link to book a free consultation call with you(I love Acuity for this!), sign up for your newsletter (I love ConvertKit for this!) or follow you on social media.
Decide what the most important actions are that you want your potential clients to do, then make it super easy and obvious by specifically inviting them to take those actions. It also never hurts to add a little incentive by creating an opt-in freebie.
More about engaging your audience:
- How to grow your email list with an opt-in freebie
- Tips for Starting Your Email List and Why You Should Start Today
- 5 Common Website Mistakes You’re Probably Making (and how to fix them!)
I hope these tips have given you some good clarity on how to more easily get new clients with your website. Also check out some of my favorite tools for growing your online business.
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