Website Design Checklist for increased sales
As a creative business owner and entrepreneur, you rely on your website to be your businesses 24/7 sales representative. Your website is a crucial tool for attracting and converting potential customers. It's often the first point of contact for potential new customers, and it needs to make the right impression. A well-designed website will bring you paying customers while you do other things like work in your zone of genius or sleep. It should tell your brand story, engage your audience, and drive sales. In this blog post, I’m sharing my website design checklist of the top 5 must-haves for a website that is optimized for sales. I'll also highlight the importance of incorporating relevant SEO keywords to drive traffic to your website. The more items your website is missing the more you’re missing out on converting website visitors to paying customers and it might be time to think about a website redesign.
Calls To Action (CTAs)
The call to action is a key element of any effective website design and is the first item in the website design checklist. It's a prompt that tells your visitors what action they should take next on their customer journey through your website and with your business, whether it's signing up for a newsletter, making a purchase, or contacting you for more information. When someone takes the next action they are moving along into your sales funnel. CTAs should be prominently placed on your website and designed to stand out. They should use compelling language and be easy to click or tap on, regardless of whether your visitors are using a desktop or mobile device. It’s important that they are placed thoughtfully and there aren’t too many options for people to click on otherwise, the purpose of guiding them through the buying experience just becomes disorganized and chaotic.
When creating CTAs, use active voice—action-oriented language that encourages your visitors to take immediate action. For example, instead of "Join our newsletter," you could use "Get exclusive tips and discounts - Sign up now!" or "Sign up now to join our community and get insider access." This creates a sense of urgency and motivates your audience to take action. Additionally, consider offering incentives such as freebies, discounts, or limited-time offers to further encourage conversions.
SEO (search engine optimization): Drive More Relevant Traffic To Your Site
Although not part of your website design per se, SEO is a must have on your website design checklist. Incorporating relevant SEO keywords in your CTAs can also help drive traffic to your website. Research and identify keywords that are commonly used by your target audience when searching for products or services similar to what you offer. Incorporate these keywords naturally into your CTAs to improve your website's visibility in search engine results and increase the chances of attracting qualified traffic. Incorporating relevant SEO keywords in your brand story can also help improve your website's search engine visibility. Use these keywords strategically in your headings, subheadings, and body copy to optimize your website for search engines. Incorporate relevant SEO keywords in your image alt tags and file names to optimize your visuals for search engines.
Copy That Makes Your Audience The Hero Of Your Messaging (Your Brand Story)
Before any design begins for a website, there should be a strategy in place that is based on an understanding of your industry market, where your business exists within the industry, and your target audience. This is why all of my website and brand identity projects begin with a strategy phase. Again, this isn’t technically part of design, but is an essential part of my website design checklist because good design doesn’t just look pretty--it solves problems.
Your brand story is a powerful tool for connecting with your audience and creating a sense of identity and loyalty. It should form the basis of your brand strategy. It's important to craft copy that resonates with your target audience and makes them feel like the hero of your brand story. Your copy should focus on how the product or services you offer will positively effect your customer’s life, rather than just listing features.
When writing your brand story, consider the pain points or challenges your target audience faces and how your brand can address them. Use language that speaks directly to your audience and demonstrates how your products or services can improve their lives or businesses. Your copy should be relatable and emotionally resonate with your audience.
Copy that Engages Your Audience
Engaging copy is crucial for keeping your audience interested and invested in your brand. Your website copy should be concise, easy to read, and compelling. Avoid jargon or technical language that may confuse or alienate your audience. Instead, use conversational language that resonates with your target audience and invites them to take action.
When crafting engaging copy, consider the following tips:
Use headlines and subheadings: Clear and concise headlines and subheadings help guide your audience through your website and highlight key messages. Incorporate relevant SEO keywords in your headlines and subheadings to improve your website's search engine visibility.
Use bullet points and lists: Bullet points and lists are an effective way to break up long blocks of text and make your content more scannable. This helps your audience quickly grasp the key points and benefits of your products or services.
Incorporate storytelling: Storytelling is a powerful tool for engaging your audience and creating an emotional connection. Use anecdotes, case studies, or testimonials to tell stories that illustrate how your products or services have positively impacted your customers' lives or businesses.
Use high-quality visuals: Visuals such as professional brand photography and videos makes your content more engaging and memorable. Use high-quality visuals that align with your brand and resonate with your target audience.
Professional Brand Photography
Professional brand photography is a necessity for every size of business and no website design checklist would be complete without it! It is an investment that can greatly enhance your sales. This is backed by consumer studies that show 95% of consumers make purchasing decisions based on photographs. Brand photography can showcase your brand story through creative direction and brand strategy. In other words, brand shoots should be planned and based in your brand strategy. Professional brand photography will make your target audience connect with and trust your brand. Brand photography isn’t just for big brands. All businesses can benefit. Showcase your products, services, team, and behind-the-scenes processes.
A Solid Brand Strategy Is The Basis For Everything In The Website Design Checklist
A solid brand strategy is the foundation of an effective website design. It provides the framework for your brand story, messaging, visuals, creative direction, and overall online presence. Your brand strategy should align with your target audience, business goals, and unique selling proposition, and it should be consistent across all aspects of your website design.
I have seen many times how brand strategy has impacted the businesses I work with and resulted in effective websites that drive sales. Whether it starts with a rebrand or not, each website design project begins the development of a comprehensive brand strategy that serves as the foundation for all my design work. A well-defined brand identity, coupled with engaging copy and visuals, can create a memorable and compelling online presence for your business.
That is why I also offer professional brand photography services to showcase your brand story and products in the best way possible. As a professional brand photographer and marketer, I am experienced at showcasing brands, their products, and services in a way that is captivating for their target audience. From lifestyle images to product photography, to personal branding photography.
Are you ready to elevate your brand and drive more sales through your website? Inquire today about brand design, website design, and brand photography. Let me build a solid brand strategy, and create engaging copy and visuals for your business. Get started with your rebrand today and take your business to new heights.
