Designing a website is a lot of work and it's hard to know what goes where. There's a lot of pressure on making an impact in the first 8 seconds of landing on your site.

Our entire job is around designing websites. I’ve learned a lot about the dos and don’ts of website design. After years in this industry, I’ve seen a pattern of mistakes business owners have on their websites.

If you have a website (DIY or pro made) that means you invested in it. Your website is your online real estate, it should be the place that speaks the most about you.

If you want to…

Here are the 5 ways you can optimize your website and get it working for you.

Like everything in business, your website needs to be intentional. Think about the ultimate purpose it serves for your business. Do you want people to inquire? Do you want to inform people about your services? Are you selling a product? Think about what you want visitors to do when they get on your website and build from there.

A beautiful website is useless without a call to action. Once on your website, where are people supposed to go? Think about this as a path. How can you guide your visitors to end up in the right place on your website? Calls to action tell people where they need to go on your site. Avoid using generic terms like “learn more” or “book now”. Instead, use an on-brand but clear call to action! If you need help with developing your brand voice, we can do it for you.

This is by far the biggest mistake I see on websites. You need to let your visitors know what problems you can solve for them at the very top of your home page. Yes, it needs to be on-brand but more importantly, it needs to be clear. Too often I see people trying to use clever phrases that their message get’s lost. Copy is about clear messaging in a brand voice that’s all your own.

Think about how people landed on your website. If your site isn’t SEO friendly, it's unlikely they found you through Google. More likely they found you on a social media platform like Instagram. If you have a dope brand and the visitor was attracted to your visuals, make sure those visuals are on your website! Colors, fonts, logos, and photography all need to be on-brand on your website. People love consistency! And if they found you in a visual place, trust me they’re going to want to see more of those visuals. If a professional photoshoot is out of your budget, try using quality stock photos. This one here and this one here are my favorites. Then, edit them using the Tezza app to make them on-brand for you.

This might come as a surprise but people often have questions before saying yes to you. Give them an easy way to get in touch with you. A contact form would be ideal but an email address works too. Showing your visitor that there is a human behind the screen makes them feel at ease. Gain your visitors' trust so they feel confident turning into paying clients.

Optimizing your website doesn't have to be that hard. Avoid feeling uncertain that your website is properly optimized by implementing these tips.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, head on over to the contact page. Fill out the form and let us handle the design and optimization of your website.

How do your visitors feel when they land on your website? Let me know in the comments!