One word can make all the difference…

Is your website doing its job?

Perhaps that isn’t a question you’ve considered. If your business is doing well, then checking on the website may well not be at the top of your ‘to do’ list.

But if you’re facing challenging times, then perhaps it should be…

What is your website’s ‘job’?

In essence, its job is to show potential clients that you can help them. And to explain how you can help them. If it doesn’t do that, it won’t get you any business – because they are very unlikely to take the next step, whether that’s contacting you for more information, or placing an order for the goods or services you’re looking to sell.

So the first page they see is crucially important. And so are the first words that they read when they get there.

Because those words will create the very first impression a potential client will have of your business.

So how does your website come across?

It’s difficult to put yourself in the shoes of a visitor who’s never heard of your business. Obviously. After all, you know all about it already. But there are a couple of things you can watch out for. And one of the most obvious is over-use of the word ‘we’.

Of course, you want to talk about how you help your clients. Your qualifications. Your track record. Your achievements. But that may not be what the client needs to know. At least, not on the front page of the site. What they do want to know is what you do, how it can help them, and why they should talk to you in the first place.

And – if you’re not using a professional copywriter to write your web copy – there’s a relatively simple formula you can use to deliver that information.

Creating a front page that works…

• Firstly, aim to use the word ‘you’. A lot. And start by using it to describe an issue ‘you’ are likely to have. (As in the first line of this article.) Put yourself in the client’s shoes, describing the frustrations and challenges they are likely to be facing.
• Secondly, describe a solution. (‘How would it be if you could…?’)
• Thirdly, introduce your business as the gateway to that solution.
• And fourthly, quote a few testimonials from satisfied clients, ideally touching on the pain points you’ve already described. And then explaining how you dealt with them.

Written like that, your front page hardly needs to use the word ‘we’, or even the name of your business, at all. And it will use the word ‘you’ a great deal.

It’s a tried and tested formula. It works. And it could very well get you more business.

Like to know more? Just give us a call on 01638 741079. Or drop us an email.