Build it and they will come! “I just need somewhere to send people to”. “I need a website to be more credible.” As a website strategist, I hear so many of these whopping big website fiberoonies that actually stop business owners in their tracks and prevent them from growing a successful online business. That’s because a website is really not what we are told it is! In this Blog I will be smashing my Top Five WRONG Website Myths so that you can see how powerful your website really should be for your business when it’s firing on all cylinders.
I’m Kat Reynolds and I help entrepreneurs build profitable websites to grow their business, get more leads and make more sales. So, come on: let’s debunk those myths together! I’d love to hear below in the comments if any of these are a surprise to you and whether you’ve had any ‘a-ha!’ moments. This could be the thing that really changes your business!
Website Myth #1: A website is a brochure for my business
Many website owners get a website as somewhere to send people to, so they can check them out online or make them seem more credible. Or because they just think all the cool kids have one, so they have to have one too. This little myth may sound harmless but it’s the most damaging misconception about websites. Effectively, it takes away all of the customer attraction, money-generating selling power of your site.
The important part for a business.
The best reason to build a website for your business is with the intention of making more sales. It’s not a nice to have, cherry on the top “look how well I did” business card. It’s a marketing tool that helps you to grow your business! So, if you’ve got a nice little website just sitting there looking pretty (but not doing much else) then you actually have a powerful marketing tool that you haven’t even started to utilize. You can:
- Add calls to action on every page
- Start list building
- Start attracting new customers through Google search
- Sell your stuff on your website
- Automate your marketing
…the list goes on!
What potential! A website is really a powerful little beast.
* I hope that gets you excited to start putting it to work create some website goals. If you’re stuck on this one, I have created a useful little free website strategy cheat sheet. You can download here. *
Website Myth #2: My website is all about me and my business.
Sure, you want to sell your things, you want to tell people what you do, why you do it and why you love your business. I know you do. But this little website myth can stop our websites from actually doing their job. It encourages us to write and design a website journey about ourselves, our business and what we want. Really, to attract visitors, generate customers and make those sales we need to write about what our customers need to know. To answer their questions, to solve their problems and guide them through the website to buy.
So, have a read through your major web pages. Do you focus on who you are helping? How you are helping them and showing them how they can find the solution and buy from you? Because that’s what it needs to do
Website Myth #3: A website is where people go to find information
(and the more information the better right? Oh no!)
Many website owners pack in as much information as they can. Things like:
- The whole history of their business from the year dot
- A detailed breakdown of their staffing structure
- Pages of core values
- Endless technical breakdowns of all their products
- An essay on how they know everything about a certain topic, their unique approach – why it’s their unique approach – and all the certificates they have to prove it
The temptation is to throw more content into your website without thinking about how it moves your potential customer from problem to solution. From asking a question in Google to buying from you! People don’t want to know how much you know or whether you’re the most innovative bestest, biggest business on the planet! They do want to know how your product or service can benefit them and they want to find that out in the easiest way possible.
So, take a look at your web pages, your product pages, sales pages and even your blogs! Is the information on there written to move your customer on that journey from problem to solution?
Website Myth #4: A good website is expensive
This one is a game-changer! Things have changed so much since websites had to be built in the olden days. Built from scratch by a developer, a design team and probably overseen by an expensive graphic design company. (Who charge you extra for every little change you need to make now and in the future!)
Ah I remember those days!
Nowadays, the power is in your hands. Not only do you have the tools to build your very own website, with very little experience or techie know-how but, even if it is built for you, you can update, change it around, and test it! You can now work with it, so it works for you and your business.
I build all my websites on WordPress using an easy to use builder- Divi by elegant themes. Here’s a link if you want to check them out. I highly recommend them and use them for all of mine.
The websites I design or teach other entrepreneurs to design are planned, designed and built unique to that business’s goals and objectives. There’s nothing cookie-cutter about it. No restrictive template-looking sites and it’s not expensive. The website tech itself doesn’t cost the earth.
You can get started just with the cost of hosting, which can be as low as £40 a year, and nothing more than free themes and plugins. There’s no big digital design company to brief and manage, no cost for using your own website and no waiting around for somebody else to change that typo!
Power to the people!
Website Myth #5: Once you’ve launched your website, the work is done
Sorry…but no!
Your website is a big part of your marketing. It’s a tool that you can use to attract a bigger audience, get more leads and make more sales. Much like Facebook or Instagram can be, but you own it! Once it’s launched and out into the wilds of the internet, the fun can begin. Some of the best ways to use your website include:
- A well-structured SEO’d-up Blog! You can stop churning out and constantly changing content on all the social platforms and concentrate on creating permanently useful content that will continue working for your business for many years to come.
- Getting list building – inviting your website visitors to take the next step and experience working with you.
- You can start networking with other, relevant websites in your niche to build up your website’s ranking and Google search. Get even more people clicking onto your site!
- You can send people through from your socials…Yes it’s that way round!
- To convert them to sales, you can start to send paid traffic through to your site.
As you do all of these things and more your website will grow and grow and generate more of the good stuff. It’s all a big lovely snowball effect.
I love websites – can you tell? Probably because I’m just a big control freak who doesn’t want to let Facebook rule the world!
I want to!
If you’ve had a long-held website myth busted today I’d love to know in the comments below. And if you’re on the fence about choosing between using a landing page and a website to sell your thing- then this blog here is the one to read next!
