5 Components of a Winning Website
Your website can be the core of your brand’s marketing ecosystem with a bit of focused attention. Here are the 5 critical elements of a website built to serve!
1️⃣ Strong homepage: You have .3 seconds to make an impression, primarily using the space above the fold. Have a compelling headline, a strong hero image, and your brand name and/or logo prominently displayed. Does your current navigation guide viewers to take the exact journey you would like them to?
2️⃣ About page: Have you heard of the KLT Factor? People want to Know, Like and Trust you, especially as a small business owner. The key here is human to human connection – yes, even in a digital space. Include a great photo or two of yourself. Bonus points for an image that shows you creating your work or in your artistic element. Show them why yours should be their next favorite brand!
3️⃣ Curated portfolio and/or online store: My college photojournalism professor said “Your portfolio is only as strong as your weakest photo.” He pushed us to be very discerning about what was great enough to be included and what truly represented our skills as photographers. The same ethos applies here: Block out some time to audit the work you are putting onto your website. Is everything consistent? Do products naturally fit into categories or themes? Represent your work with pride!
4️⃣ Keyword strategy: Organic search is Free.99, but coming up on the first page of a Google search is definitely an investment of time and intention. Study other successful brands to see what words you might be missing to help your people find and fall in love with you!
5️⃣ Lead capture: Not as scary as it sounds, I promise. This can come in the form of a pop-up, an announcement bar, or during the checkout process. Nurture browsers into buyers by making valuable offers in exchange for contact information - such as free shipping, a free digital download, or a gift with purchase over XX amount.
Don't spend too much time tinkering. Don’t let the quest for perfect get in the way of good enough for right now. Get it out there, then we go back and improve bit by bit.
Prefer to watch a video instead of read a post? Head over to Instagram; I’ve got you covered!
In the next few weeks, we’ll be breaking down a few of these elements even further. Drop your questions here about what you’d like to learn!