If your business is anything like mine, your website often serves as the first impression potential customers have of your business. But with many small business going down the DIY route when it comes to launching a new business, sometimes some fairly simple things can get overlooked when it comes to creating a website that is designed to attract and convert visitors.
Making a few simple tweaks can significantly improve user experience and help you convert visitors into customers.
Here are five changes you can make today to improve your website instantly:
Break up large chunks of copy
Nobody likes reading long walls of text online, but sometimes in our excitement to tell people everything about our idea we end up with a lot of copy on a page. This can end up being especially daunting for users on a mobile device.
Break up large chunks of copy into bite-sized, digestible portions so people can scan your site quickly and easily. Use headings, bullet points, and short paragraphs to make your content more readable.
Actionable Tips:
- Use headings: Implement headings (H1, H2, H3) to break up sections and guide readers through your content.
- Bullet points and numbered lists: To make key points stand out, highlight them using bullet points or numbered lists.
- Short paragraphs: Aim for paragraphs that are no longer than 3-4 sentences.
- Visuals: Incorporate images, infographics, and videos to break up text and add visual interest.
Craft a clear message above the fold
Does the message of what you do or what you’re selling come across clearly on the first page visitors see? Sometime,s what we do may be clear to us, but ensuring how we communicate it to our audience, quickly and easily, as soon as they land on our website, is vital to ensuring they stick around to learn more.
Make sure that anyone landing on your site can instantly understand what you offer without having to scroll.
Actionable Tips:
- Strong headline: Craft a compelling headline that clearly states what you do or offer. Three formulas that are known to get results are: 1. Say what it is, 2. Say what it does, 3. Say what you get.
- Brief Description: Provide a concise description or tagline that complements your headline.
- Call-to-Action (CTA): Include a clear and inviting CTA that encourages visitors to take the next step, such as “Learn More,” “Shop Now,” or “Get Started.”
- Hero Image or Video: Use a high-quality image or video that visually represents your brand or product.
Mobile responsiveness
With more people browsing on their phones, it’s crucial that your website looks just as great on a mobile device as it does on a desktop. Ensure your design is responsive and works seamlessly across all screen sizes.
Actionable Tips:
- Responsive design: Ensure that the platform your website is built on is responsive. These days most website builders incorporate responsive design, but you can’t let them do all the heavy lifting. It’s important you design your site for desktop, tablet and mobile ensuring that it looks great across all screen sizes.
- Test on multiple devices: Regularly test your website on various mobile devices and screen sizes.
- Optimise images: Use optimised images to reduce load times on mobile devices.
- Simplify navigation: Ensure your navigation menu is easy to use on smaller screens.
Effective calls to action (CTAs)
Your calls to action should guide visitors along the path you want them to take on your website. Whether it’s signing up for a newsletter or making a purchase, make sure your CTAs are clear, visible, and action-oriented.
Actionable Tips:
- Strategic placement: Place CTAs in prominent locations such as above the fold, at the end of blog posts, and within the content where relevant.
- Contrasting colours: Use contrasting colours to make CTAs stand out from the rest of the content.
- Action-oriented language: Use verbs like “Buy,” “Subscribe,” “Download,” or “Contact Us” to prompt action.
- A/B testing: Perform A/B testing to determine which CTA designs and placements are most effective.
Optimise Content for SEO
Optimising your content for search engines can help attract more visitors to your site. Use relevant keywords, meta descriptions, and alt text for images to improve your search engine ranking.
Actionable Tips:
- Keyword Research: Use tools like Google Keyword Planner or SEMrush to find relevant keywords for your content.
- On-Page SEO: Include keywords naturally within headings, subheadings, and throughout the body text.
- Meta Descriptions: Write compelling meta descriptions for each page that include target keywords.
- Alt Text for Images: Add descriptive alt text to all images to improve accessibility and SEO.
- Internal Linking: Link to other relevant pages within your website to boost SEO and keep visitors engaged.
By implementing these changes, you’ll improve user experience and your site’s performance, as well as increase the likelihood of converting visitors into loyal customers.
Need some help implementing these changes? Get in touch, I’d love to help!
