5 Reasons Your Website Is Costing You Dearly
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Ever wondered if your website is silently sabotaging your business's potential? That's the question we're tackling in this eye-opening episode. Victoria ruffles some feathers as she discusses the pivotal role a strong online presence plays in today's digital marketplace. She’s not holding back as she reveals how a lack of a professional website could mean you're leaving heaps of money on the table. Through personal anecdotes and some tough love, Victoria will show you why your services deserve a platform that speaks volumes of your credibility and helps you command the prices you truly deserve.
This episode peels back the layers on just what makes or breaks the user experience on your website and its direct impact on your sales figures. A DIY website might seem like a cost-effective solution, but Victoria is here to tell you why it might cost you more in the long run, especially if you're eyeing the big leagues of B2B or high-ticket markets. Get actionable advice on how to present your business's purpose with punchy imagery and headlines that reel in your audience. And because Victoria believes in walking the walk, she’s offering something special in April to help you tweak your site into a branding powerhouse that draws in your ideal clients. So tune in, get inspired, and let's get that website working as hard as you do.
Ruffling Feathers [00:49]
It’s okay to ruffle feathers, because without doing so every once and a while, we’re rarely moved to take action in areas that we need to take action on in our business. At The Branding Business School, our goal is to teach you the things that are going to help you start and scale powerhouse brands online, and that starts with your website.
5 Reasons your website is costing you dearly:
Reason #1: You don’t have a website [01:13]
If you don’t have a website, you are drastically stifling the growth of your business. It’s totally understandable if you don’t have the ability to invest thousands of dollars in a brand and web designer, however, there are plenty of free options these days. Utilize a template to at least create some landing page. If you have a business and someone does a little bit of research on you and tries to find you online, and the only thing popping up is a Facebook page or an old TikTok that’s linked to your personal account, that is going to say something about your business. Unfortunately, it’s not saying professionalism, it’s not saying you’re legit, it’s not saying credibility, it’s not saying spend money here. It's most likely putting up warning signs and therefore costing you a lot of business.
Reason #2: It’s severely outdated [05:33]
Social media has made it the norm to expect new content as soon as you refresh your page so nowadays you need to be consistently updating your website.One way you can do this passively is to link your social media to your website. Even if they’re not updating their website every month, it looks like it’s been updated within the last few days because they’re posting on social media consistently and that’s automatically showing on their website. Another way to do this is if you have a podcast, a YouTube channel, or a blog, you can include that to your website as well. The Branding Business School does this by turning the podcast into show notes and creating a written blog from the episode! This helps keep the content on the website refreshed which is important to Google. This also helps show someone who lands on your website that you’re actively in business because there is updated and fresh content that can serve them. One more thing that Victoria does to keep the website look refreshed and it takes two seconds to do this – she will change the announcement bar at the top of the website to say “now booking clients for _______”. It takes two seconds to do but it shows people immediately that this site is relevant, has been updated recently, and they’re going to feel like they’re in the right place and not that they landed on someone’s site who is no longer actively offering services.
Reason #3: You have broken links on your site [09:28]
This is way more common than you probably think, so note to self, right after you finish reading this, please go to your website and make sure all your links are working properly. If you have social media links in your footer and they’re linking to the website host’s social media accounts, please change it to your account. Or if you’ve changed your instagram handle recently and never updated the link, please fix that as well. When we as a business are seeking to hire a professional to give us professional services, we are very turned off by links being broken.
Reason #4: You have a poor user experience [12:26]
This can be tricky because if you’re not a web designer and you’re going the DIY route, even though having a website is better than not, you might not have the training and experience to create a good user experience. Here’s a couple tips that can help you with this. First, people need to know immediately, when they land on your website, what you do and who you serve. Your website should be your number one lead generating machine for your business. You want to convey as much about your brand as possible, in just three seconds of landing on your website. Have a really captivating image, or even better, a cool video in the background, your header on your website, and then have a strategically crafted headline that outlines exactly what you do and who you serve. People don’t want to have to look around, and the better you can spoon feed your audience what they’re looking for, without them having to find the information on their own, your website will convert. Secondly, make sure you have call to actions. Never leave a dead end on your website. You want to make sure after every section, whatever you’re highlighting, there is a call to action. It’s the idea of coming alongside your customer and helping them at every stage of their journey, of getting to know what you have to offer, why you’re the right fit for them, and then making it very easy to purchase when the time is right.
Reason #5: Your website screams DIY [16:58]
If your website screams DIY, it is costing you dearly. This is even more of an ordeal if you’re selling business to business or if you’re in the high ticket range. When you have a professionally designed website where it is evident that you have invested in your business, that gives people confidence to then invest with you as well. We’re trying to set the tone for the price that you’re about to pay, and if you have a higher ticket item and your website does not align with the pricing that you’re asking people to pay, you’re going to be losing sales on a daily basis. By having a DIY website, you’re not only losing money, but it’s potentially costing you opportunities as well. Podcast interviews, Guest appearances, or Publications will all look at how you’re showing up online and if your online presence looks DIY, no matter how much knowledge and value you can bring, they might pass you by because your online presence does not make you look like the expert in your field.
Tough love comes with care and a little something special! [21:53]
This topic is one that Victoria is obviously passionate about but it’s because she’s seen the transformation that happens when you have a professional website that was strategically designed to attract your ideal customers and to convert them into clients of your business. Because she’s so passionate about this and wanting to help you all succeed with your websites, Victoria is offering free website audits for the month of April! If you have an existing website and you want to do a free website audit, you can email Victoria at victoria@brandwelldesigns.com and she will review your website, give you a quick 2-3 minute audit, share some ideas that she has, or maybe even some pointers for how you can level up! If you don’t have a website currently and want to set up a consultation with BrandWell Designs, they would love to chat with you there as well!
Key Quotes
“Your website should be your number one lead generating machine for your business.”
Victoria Marcouillier
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