Let’s jump right into it – here are 10 things you should do (today!) to improve your website conversion:
1. It all starts with an audit.
First thing’s first: in order to make changes to your website—even if they’re small, incremental changes—you need to look at your website holistically.
During this audit, you should be keeping 2 things top of mind:
- Look for outdated info across your pages. Are your services up to date? Client testimonials? Do you need to update how much experience you have on your about page? Etc.
- Read the following 9 tips in this blog post first, and keep them all tip-top of mind while doing your audit.
Don’t overthink this step: Simply go through your website page by page and jot down anything that feels outdated or in need of an update. Then you’ll have a list of changes you want and need to make, and can better decide the best path forward, whether you choose to make some of them incrementally by yourself, or decide to hire professional help.
Want a little extra help auditing your site? I offer complimentary website audits — book one here!
2. Focus on the results you get for your clients.
One of the biggest mistakes I see business owners make is that they’re trying to sell the service instead of the result. Remember: your audience doesn’t necessarily care much about the logistics of the service—rather, they care about how the results of your offer will ultimately help them in the end.
For example, as a branding and web designer, I’m not necessarily selling the monthslong branding and web design process… I’m selling the fact that having a cohesive brand presence will help you feel confident marketing your business, will help you to attract your ideal clients, and ultimately will help you grow your business and make more money.
Make a bullet pointed list of the results your offers bring, and then make sure your current website focuses on those.
3. Use clear calls to action throughout.
When it comes to your website, you need to be the one telling your audience what you want them to do next. Do you want them to visit your Services page? Book a free consultation? Download your freebie? Decide on overarching goals for each page, and then use those goals to write clear CTAs. Your calls to action are an example of when simpler and clearer is better. CTAs like, “Book a call,” “Inquire here,” or “Learn more” are likely going to take you further than anything that sounds too creative or fluffy.
4. Simplify your navigation.
Your top navigation is going to help literally navigate your visitors—so make sure you’re pointing them in the right direction. Think of the journey you want to take them on, and carefully consider the pages you want to showcase in your nav—not every page of your website should necessarily be up there. There’s no one size fits all approach to this, but for Crafted by Carly my nav includes (in this order): About, Services, Portfolio, Blog, and Contact Me. This is roughly the journey I imagine a new visitor wanting to go through to learn more about me and ultimately contact me for a call.
5. Make contacting you easy.
One of my biggest pet peeves with websites is when there isn’t an easy way for me to reach out to the company to inquire about their services, ask a question, etc. So on your website, make sure you’re making it easy to contact you! Remember—different people may prefer different ways to reach out. Some may prefer the structure of a contact form, others may want to just send an email, and yet others may prefer a phone call. So consider making it easy regardless of their preferences. For me, this means including a contact form that asks the most important quetsions I need a potential client to answer (such as what they’re interested in, their timeline, and budget), but ALSO including my email address front & center in case someone just wants to send me an email instead.
6. Write compelling headlines + clear messaging.
Copywriting. Copywriting. Copywriting. I can’t stress the importance of having clear (and compelling!) messaging on your website. Whether you decide to DIY your copy or outsource it, make sure you’re focusing on a few key things:
- Compelling headlines
- Writing about the benefits and outcomes of your services
- Being as concise as possible, while still saying what you need to say (nobody is here to read a novel)
- Cutting out fluffy buzzwords that don’t mean anything
- And we already said this but I’ll say it again: clear, to the point CTA buttons
For what it’s worth, if you have the budget I definitely recommend hiring a professional to write your website. That will also help give you a foundation for writing other materials moving forward, whether it’s a social media post, blog post, or email.
7. Use social proof + testimonials.
No matter how much marketing any of us do, there’s one thing that will likely convince people to work with us over everything else: social proof. Whether it’s buying a new pair of sneakers, making a reservation at a restaurant, or finding a new doctor—think about the one thing that will help you confidently make the leap above all else: the REVIEWS! Sometimes, even if a website is incredibly janky and hard to navigate, if a friend says “you MUST try [this thing],” you bet I go ahead and try it. So make sure the testimonials and feedback you have is all up to date on your website. Make sure the testimonials are bite-sized, and if they’re too long cut them back. Again, nobody is here to write a novel.
8. Create connection on your about page.
Hot take: your about page is NOT all about bragging about your credentials. It’s also (and in some ways moreso) about telling your story to create connection with your audience. Don’t just slap a generic bio on that page, or list out a few fun facts—instead tell them how you came to do what you do and why it’s relevant to them! A simple formula I like to think of when designing an about page is:
YOU + ME = US
Start with a compelling headline that taps straight into the problem your audience is trying to solve. Then talk about how your unique story makes you the right person for the job. And finally, wrap it up into the results you get when you work together.
9. Simplify your services page.
I always say: when in doubt, simpler is better. Services can be a hard thing to explain because, for many of us, we customize our services based on our client’s individual needs. My approach to solving this is to emphasize your approach to your services up front: are they customizable? Do your clients need to pick a specific package?
From there, you can do a breakdown of just the basics within each service. You do NOT need to get into every nitty gritty detail here. Remember: when your audience is initially browsing for the right person to hire, they are going to care more about the results, not the day-to-day it’s going to take them to get to those results.
10. Make it beautiful & on-brand!
Obviously I’m saving my favorite for last: your branding (including your logos, colors, fonts, graphic elements, and photography is SO important for infusing personality, standing out, attracting the right people, and looking professional. If your website isn’t using your branding consistently (or if you don’t have branding yet at all), I highly recommend prioritizing that because it will help you in so many other ways across your business, from your marketing to your client experience.
Need help implementing these changes?
Book your free website audit here so that you can improve your online presence & book more clients with ease.
