89. 5 Things Every High-Converting Website Has

There's a big difference between a website that looks pretty and a website that actually converts. And if yours isn't bringing in inquiries, booking calls, or moving people to take action, chances are it's missing one (or more) of these five things.

We cover:

• What your above-the-fold message needs to do immediately
• The one-CTA rule and why giving visitors too many options is costing you clients
• How and where to use social proof so it actually builds trust instead of getting buried
• The navigation and speed issues quietly tanking your conversions (including the mobile test you should run right now)

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Transcript

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Hello, and welcome back to the podcast. Today we're going to be talking about five things that every high converting website has. And I mainly want this to serve as a tool so you can maybe listen while you're looking at your own website and kind of identifying: do I have these things? Am I missing these things? And like what you can actively improve on. And some websites look terrible, like they're gonna steal your credit card information. But some websites actually look pretty but do nothing. And so there is a foundational difference between a website that actually converts and a website that just like looks good, but doesn't actually lead a potential buyer, a consumer to actually making a purchase. And the truth is that we truly have 0.5 seconds to grab the attention of our ideal client. And I don't think it's actually 0.5 seconds, but you know what I mean. Like people's attention spans are so, so small now. And that's why I like to do bold and vibrant and unique design because I think it hooks people in and it like gives them it's like, oh wow, this is really intriguing and interesting. So it gives you a couple extra seconds to for people to actually like figure out and absorb your information. Whereas if your website is not engaging, you're gonna lose them pretty quick. And so we really want to make sure that your website is serving not just as like a representation of your services, an explanation of things, but more so one that actually works for you and works to convert clients. And these five things are what actually separate sites that sit there from ones that actually book clients and book you discovery calls and book you opportunities while you sleep. Converting someone from doesn't just mean like making a sale, but it means getting the visitor to take the next step, whatever that next step is. And so first things first, you need to identify what is the main goal of my website? Like, what do I want clients to do on my website? Is it that you want them to immediately purchase something? Is it that you want them to sign up for something? Is it that you want them to sign up for your email list? Is it that you want them to book a discovery call with you? Whatever way it is that you then want to nurture them at nurture your audience from whatever place it is, maybe you just want them to get on and follow you on Instagram. Maybe you want them to go right from your website to your Instagram so that way they can see your life and see your brand building. Maybe you want to get them to your email list so that way you can send them targeted emails and keep them in the loop. Maybe you would just want to get on a discovery call with them so you can talk to them and feel their energy and see if they're a right fit. Whatever it is, there's no right answer. It's just what's right for you and your business. But that's gonna guide the flow of your website and the copy and the CTAs and everything that you do from there. And I want to make it clear that a website can be beautiful and have zero strategy behind it. And if it's beautiful but has no strategy behind it, you're leaving money on the table. And design and strategy have to work together because one without the other, it falls flat. You could have the best strategy and the best copy on your website in the world, but if it doesn't have a solid and vibrant and enticing design, people are gonna drop off because they're never even going to stay on long enough to read the words and actually experience the strategy of the site. And vice versa, if the site is beautiful and engaging but has no strategy behind it, people are gonna see it, they're gonna be captivated, and then they're gonna be like, bye, hopping off. Like there's nothing left from there. So the number one thing is a clear, specific, above-the-fold message. So you have three to five seconds before someone decides to stay or leave. And this can honestly probably is less now because of TikTok and social media, our our attention spans are just so much smaller. And so most home pages will open with something vague like welcome or just the business name or hi, I'm whatever. And that's a missed opportunity. Your above the fold needs to answer who you help, what you do, and why it matters the second that someone lands on the page, because that's how they're gonna identify with your work. If you have those things there and someone lands on, and you say that you help with something very specific and niche that they want, they you have already sold them and now they're going to actually navigate your website and do the things that your website is designed to do. So the clearer that you are, the faster someone can self-select them in or out. And both are good outcomes because if they're selecting themselves out, they've identified they're not your ideal client. That's okay. It makes more room for people who are. If they self-select in, there you go, you've just booked a discovery call or you've booked a new lead or whatever it is. And so what to look for on your site is asking yourself, can a stranger tell exactly what I do in under five seconds? The second thing that your website needs to have is one primary call to action. Most websites have way too many, way too many options. And this is kind of going off of what I was saying in the beginning about figuring out your main desired outcome from your client landing on your site. So some websites will have people book a call, follow on Instagram, join the email list, shop, read the blog. And those are important things to have on your site. Like it's important to have a join the email newsletter in your footer and have like your Instagram link in there so people can find your Instagram and having a shop and having a blog and having all the things. But if your main call to action is to book a call, all of your CTAs need to lead people there. And not every single CTA, but all of your main ones, and you need to continuously be reminding people how to book a call, and that that is the goal you're trying to get them to take. If your goal is to get people to book a call, and the first CTA on your website is to follow you on Instagram, and then the second one is to join the email list, and then the third one is to shop, you're not really doing what you say is your actual primary goal to get consumers to do. So when everything is a priority, nothing is a priority. And we want one main way that you filter your leads into your business. And so decide what the one thing is that you want visitors to do, and then make that the through line of the whole site. And having secondary CTAs are fine, but they shouldn't compete with the primary one. And so the question that I want you to ask yourself now on your website is what do you want someone to do when they land on your site? And is that obvious within 10 seconds? Honestly, less than that. Is it obvious in five seconds? Is that your first CTA on your website? The third thing is proof that builds trust. People don't just buy from websites, they buy from people that they trust. And social proof can come in multiple forms. It can come in testimonials, it can come in case studies, it can come in client results, it can come in adding logos of things, places you've been featured, it can come in adding features, like from um as seen on, podcast interviews, um, as heard on, and numbers. And you should have social proof in many forms across your website. If you're listening and you are a woman-owned coaching, wellness, or lifestyle business, and you're ready for a brand and website that actually helps you stand out in your industry and attract your ideal clients, you're in the right place. At Soulbright Studio, we design colorful, playful, vibrant brands and websites for women who are ready to own their authenticity instead of blending in. Everything we create has strategy and intention behind it. Every color, every element, every word is chosen with your business and your ideal client in mind. Working with us is like having a creative extension of your team. We're your go-to design partner, someone who really gets the heart of your mission and helps you bring it to life. We're here to help you anchor into your vision and amplify your impact. Head to Soulbright Studio.com slash contact. That's S-O-L B-R-I-Tudio.com slash contact. The link is right in the show notes. And fill out the contact form and we'll reach out about scheduling a connection call to see if we're a good fit. And where you place it also matters as much as having it. You don't want to bury it at the bottom. It doesn't need to be like the second thing at the top, but it should be like three-fourths down or just above like a final CTA. And making sure that you're auditing and selecting your best testimonials because something like she helped me sign X clients a month is much better and much more powerful than she was amazing to work with. People want to read like real valuable, tangible things that they can expect to receive from working with you, not just like she's so sweet and so nice. So make sure you're selective about the testimonials you're showing and the testimonials that you pick first. And you can even go as far as like including the entire testimonial, but picking like a sentence or two that's just like a real good hook, like it really is the best part of the testimonial, and making that above the full testimonial in a bigger font so people can read the whole testimonial if they want, but they're getting like the juicy part of the testimonial that is like the best part that you want to highlight. And if you're newer and you don't have a lot of testimonials yet, that's fine. Just use what you have, but try to make sure that it's specific to results or the things that you're most proud of that your business does. The fourth thing is having a brand that matches the price point. If your visuals don't match what you charge, there is going to be a disconnect. And visitors will feel that even if they can't name specifically what it is they feel, they're just gonna think like something is off about this. And premium clients really make a split second judgment based on how your site looks and feels. If someone's going on, it's not necessarily that they're not ready to make a to make a premium to pay a premium price or to yeah, to pay a premium price, but they're more so just like scoping you out, looking at your energy and things. And if your website doesn't scream premium, they're going to be skeptical because where you lack that focus and detail in other places shows. And they sometimes people can correlate that with a translation or translate that to that that's the same kind of care that you're gonna put into your coaching and services with them. So if you want to charge a premium rate, you need to make sure your brand identity and your brand experience reflects that premium rate. And you're again, your fonts, your colors, your photography, all of it communicates something. And so your brand needs to do the selling before your words even get read. And the fifth and final thing that every high converting website has is a website that's easy to navigate and fast to load. It is so true that friction kills conversions. If someone's on your site and it's taking 18 years to load, if something is the navigation is tricky, like things just aren't working great, people are gonna drop off. No one wants to deal with something like that. And so if someone can't find what they need in like two clicks, they're gone. And so navigation should be very simple: four to five items max, clear labels, a logical flow, and making it very easy to do the action you want them to. So, for example, if it's to book a discovery call, your menu can even have like home about services contact, and then have a literal button at the end that says book a call. And so it's so easy to have them do what you need them to do whenever they find that button. And your mobile matters because the truth is like over 60% of traffic is on a phone, it's probably even more than that. And if your site is a mess on mobile, you're going to lose people. So your website absolutely needs to be optimized for mobile. Your page speed is also an SEO and user experience issue. Slow sites get penalized by Google, and also visitors will abandon the site if it takes too long. So I want you to ask yourself, when was the last time you tested your website on your phone? Most of the time when we're editing our website in the back end, we're just looking at it on our computer. But most of your consumers or ideal clientele possibly are on their phone and checking your website on their phone. And so you want to make sure that your experience on your phone is just as good as it is on a laptop. Now, bring it all together. I want you to go through all five, a quick self-audit of your business. And I want to make it clear that you don't need to fix everything all at once, but you do really need to know what's working and what's not, because then that's how you change. And a website is never really fully done because it should evolve as you do. And that way you're taking consumers, that customer journey is gonna change sometimes. Maybe originally you wanted clients to book a call, but maybe in this new season of business, you're gonna nurture people through email. And so now you want them to subscribe to your email. Maybe now this season of life you want people to follow your Instagram. Whatever it is, it can change, but you just want to make sure that that flow and that customer journey is clear from the very beginning and that people know what action it is that you want them to take. And so hopefully you pulled your website up while we were doing this and have identified some things that you can change, some things that you can fix, and I hope this helps you to kind of make sure that your website is more conversion ready. And if you're looking at your website and just thinking, I hate all of it, I just need a refresh, well, my friend, you know where to find me. Thank you so much for listening. If you loved this episode, I would love if you could share with a friend who might benefit and might need to do their own website audit. But I hope that this gave you some practical tools and tips and allowed you to kind of check out your own website and see where you could make some changes. And I can't wait to be in your ears again next week.