Some of my favorite people to work with are really good at what they do. They have integrity, they always do their best work, and their customers love them. But when I look at their website, it doesn’t show any of that.
The good news is that a website that gets more business doesn’t need tricks or a flashy design. It needs clarity. Whether you’re a solopreneur, a small business, or a nonprofit, these are the five things I look at first.
1. Say what you do, right away
Visitors decide quickly whether they’re in the right place. Within seconds of landing on your site, they should know what you do and who you do it for. If they have to hunt for it, they leave. That means a clear headline at the top of your home page, in plain words, that says exactly what you offer and who it helps.
Try this test: show your home page to a friend for five seconds, then ask what you do. If they can’t tell you, your visitors can’t either.
2. Spell out your offerings
If people have to guess what you offer, they won’t hire you. List your services or products plainly, with a short description of what each one includes and who it’s for. Visitors shouldn’t have to piece it together from clues or email you just to find out what you do.
Clear beats clever. A creative name for your service doesn’t help if visitors can’t tell what they’re getting. When in doubt, describe it the way you’d explain it to a friend over coffee.
3. Name the problem, then show your solution
Your customers come to your website because something isn’t working. Maybe they’re overwhelmed, stuck, or tired of searching for the right fit. Tell them what they’re struggling with and how you solve it, near the top of the page instead of buried three clicks deep.
When visitors see their own problem described in words they’d use themselves, they know you understand them. That’s when trust starts, and it’s what keeps them reading.
4. Make it easy to contact you or buy
I was recently on a website with no phone number and no email address, just a contact form. It was a huge turnoff. I wanted to reach a real person, and I couldn’t tell who or where they were. Some visitors love a form, and others would rather pick up the phone or send an email. Give people all three.
Then make those options impossible to miss. Put a clear call to action on every page, and repeat it as people scroll, in your menu, near the top of the page, and at the bottom. Visitors shouldn’t have to search for the next step.
If visitors can’t reach you, they can’t hire you.
5. Make it about them, not you
Your customer wants to know what’s in it for them. Lead with the results they’ll get, not your résumé. Your experience matters, and it belongs on your site, but it supports the story instead of leading it.
Read your home page and ask, “Is this about me or about them?” If it’s mostly “I” and “my,” flip it. Talk about what your customer will gain, how their life gets easier, and what it feels like to work with you.
When your website reflects how good you are
When a website does these five things, it builds trust, and the leads start coming in. The owners I work with feel more confident, and they’re proud to share their website. Often the website even does the selling for them.
If your website doesn’t show how professional you really are yet, let’s talk. I’d love to help.
