Is your website working hard enough?
The elements EVERY site needs, and the most common mistakes
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Morning, Colleague,
To be honest I’m still feeling a bit emotionally fragile after losing my cat, so I’m looking forward to a week off next week to do a bit of grieving, play some Animal Crossing, and just generally not do any pitching/writing/editing.
This week’s issue is back to more practical matters, after a month of focusing on stress and burn out.
Specifically, it’s about websites: the shop-front of any self-employed person’s business, but one which it’s all too easy to neglect. I imagine those of you with product-based businesses are probably much better at regular maintenance than those of us selling services, but a decent site is pretty essential no matter what type of work you do. Not only can it attract interesting opportunities (and cash) but I’d argue working on a website can often bring some much-needed clarity. After all, it’s a chance to reflect on how your business has changed over the years, where you want it to go, and the dream clients/customers you’d like to attract.
Before we get started on the practical, a quick message!
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Right. Websites…
What does a great website look like?
Primarily, your site needs to highlight your specialism. “The best sites have clarity over what you’re doing,” says Marie Brown, founder of website design company Beyond The Kitchen Table. “For example, if you work with companies as an accountant, you need to be clear on the type of business you want to serve, and how you can help them. When you first start a business you generally work for anybody and it takes time to work out that sweet spot – where you can attract the most clients and work best. Your website should amplify that.”
And here we are again, back at the topic of niching/branding, which I talked about a little bit a few weeks back. It’s such an interesting topic, and there’s really no right or wrong way to do things. However, in this instance you might (like me) have a website you started early in your freelance or self-employed career, which isn’t working hard to promote the type of work you do now. Or, more crucially, the type of work you want to attract.
My site is a hodgepodge archive of lots of articles I’ve written over the years, but I would most likely be better served (given more hours in the day…) to redesign it with a focus on the areas of journalism I now focus on. Or perhaps to have multiple sites, each focusing on a different specialism. * Adds to endless to-do list *
If you’re new in your business and not quite sure where you might end up, perhaps now isn’t the most crucial time to invest in your website. (But on the other hand, don’t be put off if you’re ready to launch one – you can always adjust it as you go.)
The Holy Grail of websites
Before launching or updating your site for the sake of it, spend a bit of time thinking about what you want to gain from it.
For example, if you get numerous emails or social media messages every week from potential clients/customers asking the same questions, wouldn’t it be glorious to address those on your site (maybe even on the home page) so you could just post a link instead of wasting time replying at length? And don’t forget, as well as highlighting what you do, you can also flag up the things you don’t do, so that no one bothers you for work you can’t undertake. You could coordinate the site with your calendar so that people can book a call without having to email you too.
“A good site should save you time, as it’s working 24/7 and people can read about your business and interact with it at any time of the day. It’s basically your number one salesperson.” says Marie. Think of all the time you could be winning back to invest in other areas of your work, once your website is handling some admin on your behalf. The dream.
“The portfolio page is one of the most viewed sections on my website,” says Marie, who is selective about the work she chooses to showcase to deliberately attract more of the work she loves. “I do some corporate business, but I don’t want to do more of it, so it’s not the work I promote.”
What every basic site needs…
While our businesses are all different, there are some common components that suit almost every site:
Homepage (duh). “This is your shop window and its job is to let people know they’ve come to the right place,” says Marie.
About page. Sounds simple but people often get this wrong, according to Marie. “It’s not a history of your life, it’s only about you in the context of what you’re doing – what connects you and your audience?”
Services/product page. “What do you do, and how can people work with you?”
Contact page. “I also recommend people write a blog – time allowing – as it’s a great way to show your expertise, and also helps your site be found by search engines.”
Legal pages. Do you need any terms and conditions, copyright, liability disclaimers or a privacy policy? If you collect data you’ll also need a cookies policy.
Common mistakes people make with their websites
Remember who your site is for. “People often focus on themselves rather than their clients. It’s about aiming to help your clients, and demonstrating that you’ve already helped clients just like them,” says Marie.
Make sure your site makes sense visually, as well as in terms of your message. “Sites can often be disjointed, without coherent colours, images and layouts – it needs to flow through the different pages. It’s a psychological thing – you don’t build up trust otherwise. People sometimes have a fear of white space too, and sites end up looking cluttered.”
How often do I need to update my site?
If you’ve already got a site you’re relatively happy with, it’s a matter of gentle maintenance to appease the SEO gods, and make sure you stay relevant. (I’m planning a future article to help you with this.)
“Regular updates are useful as Google likes fresh content – and so do clients,” says Marie. “Things like new blog posts or updating case studies or testimonials. A bigger overhaul should happen roughly every three years, as styles change and it might start to look dated.”
I’m a technophobe – do I really HAVE to have a website?
If you don’t have a site already because your business is in its infancy, don’t sweat it. “Not every business needs a website. In fact a lot of people – women in particular – can put off starting their business properly by hiding behind excuses like having a decent website, logo, business cards, and so on,” says Marie Brown. “The most important thing is to get going with your business.”
When to get help
I just want to flag up, before we finish, that there’s no harm in outsourcing (one of my favourite topics, as you know). There are lots of cheap sites with easy templates, but if it’s something that’s repeatedly falling off your to-do list, or stressing you out, you can always hire a web designer.
After all, as Marie says: “People believe building a website is something you can and should do yourself. And you can – there’s no doubt about that – but you can also cut your own hair or design your own garden…” (And as someone who has half-heartedly attempted both in lockdown, I don’t recommend either.)
Just to flag that I am TAKING A WEEK OFF. It does mean that there won’t be a newsletter next week (3rd) which I’m sorry about, but I promise to come back at least partially refreshed on Monday 10th.
Before my week off there’s still an accountability chat to go, which will be on Friday 30th at 11am. Free to all Patreons, but you’re welcome to try one out before signing up too - just drop me a line. Everyone’s welcome, and it’s a great way to off-load about any stresses, celebrate your wins, and set some public goals for the coming month.