3 Tips to Make Your Website Sell

These days, every business needs a website, but that pretty much goes without saying. Of course, simply having a website doesn’t really help your business if you can’t make your website sell.

The only problem with this is that it can be hard to make sure your site stands out above all the rest.

After all, people searching for your kind of service probably aren’t going to be looking at only your site. Your website is how you present your company, and it needs to be the kind of presentation that makes people want to work with you.

A potential customer’s first visit to your site will tell them a ton about what it will be like to work with you. It’s often their first impression of you.

So let’s review the top three tips on how to make it a good one.

1. Get Your Audience Engaged

In the immortal words of Beyonce, if you like it then you should have put a ring on it. Am I saying your site should propose to your potential customers when they come by?

No.

But in a way…yes.

You wouldn’t want to get engaged to someone you don’t know, would you? I mean, maybe if you really trust your parents you might, but…nevermind.

The point is, your site should help people get to know you immediately.

More than that, it should get them to like you.

To do this, make your website sell more than it tells. If you want to go the extra mile and make it even better, make your site something that engages, enlightens, and entertains your audience.

Here are some ways to keep it interesting and engaging:

• Use Pictures: They’re worth a thousand words. Make sure they’re saying the right thing.
• Use Video: Video is worth ten-thousand words.
• Demonstrate Value: Don’t just tell people what you do, show them how it has helped others and how it can help them.
• Keep it Clear: What pain point are you addressing? In what measurable way will you solve that pain point for your customers?
• Keep it Concise: Really.
• Keep it Simple: If no one can navigate your page, how will they ever know what they’re looking at?
• Free Offers: If you can give someone something good for free, they’ll definitely like you better.
• Use CTAs: There should never be a point on your page where your audience can’t see a call to action to either click through or call to engage further with your business. This is the part where you “pop the question.”

Your goal with your site is to capture the attention of your visitors and direct it toward your intended offer.

Don’t miss out on your chance to help your potential customers find an answer to their problem. When they come to your site looking for a solution, help them find it.

2. Get Your Friends to Say Good Things About You

Recently, while designing a series of web-pages, I was asked what the one thing is I would keep on the page if I had to get rid of everything else.

I realized it was social proof.

This didn’t just help me realize what I should spend the most time on while putting together my site, it helped me know where to put it. Leading with other people’s good experiences with you will help people realize they could have similar results.

But how do you do this? There are really two ways.

Get Testimonials

If you’ve got customers who have good things to say about your company, put their reviews on your site! People trust the experience of others, and the more authentic it is, the better.

A good way to make sure you’re getting testimonials that will be useful is this: know what is important to your potential customers.

If you don’t already have a buyer persona that can tell you some of this info, then do the next best thing.

Ask.

Talk to some of your best customers and find out what made them decide to work with you and what they have liked about working with you.

Ask them for a testimonial, and ask what their experience has been in working with your company. This will give you good insights, and putting it on your site will help your potential customers see just how awesome you are.

Additionally, you should try to figure out what’s most important to your potential customers and see if you can get the testimonial to include something like that.

For example, if you’re looking at working with nonprofits, you should know that they’re concerned with awareness and donation opportunities. Again, you’ll find out for sure by asking current clients, or even your sales team.

Get testimonials that say specific things about how you’ve helped your customers with what they care about most, and you’ll be in a great place.

Use Your Social Media

You know how people will “Facebook stalk” people they may be interested in dating? They’ll do the same thing with people they’re considering working with.

Make sure your social media presence is sufficient to make your business attractive. If you have a lame Facebook page, they’ll probably think you’re lame too.

If you don’t have a Facebook page, they might think you don’t actually exist…or they’ll think you operate out of your parent’s basement.

Either way, make sure that your social media shows people your “Why” of what you do. Tell them why you love solving their problems, don’t just say that you can make everything better.

3. Make it so they can’t stop thinking about you

On top of filling your site with ridiculously compelling copy, make sure to have ways for your visitors to give you their email.

Earlier in this article, we addressed offering people free stuff. You can do this in a way that helps you build an email list of people who are interested in what you have to offer.

Then, once you have their email, you want to make sure that you stay on their radar. Provide them with value (content, offers, etc) and make sure they know that you are available to help them out.

The key to this is being persistent and as personal as possible. This of course means you need to show that you’re always available, not just annoying.

Even if you don’t get their email, you can use this same principle in your remarketing, too.

If someone didn’t leave their email, chances are they still picked up a cookie when they visited your site. This cookie makes them trackable, and you can retarget them with further ads to keep you on their mind.

Conclusion

What it all comes down to when you’re making a site that will sell is this: Make your site unforgettable.

Capture attention and drive it toward the value you can offer. Find people who will say good things about you, and get that highlighted on your site. Last of all, stay in the minds of the people who need you.

People need you. Let your site help them see that.

By the way, if you need some help making your website sell, let me know here or in the comments. I’d love to help!

Do you have any other tips for ways to make your website sell? Leave them in the comments below!