The #1 Thing You Need To Know About Designing Strategic Websites

If you do a quick search on Google or Pinterest for something like “Increase email opt-ins”, you’ll find a lot of quick tips for getting more signups on a website. Do those things work? For sure. But those simple steps aren’t going to get you or your clients the best possible results.

Thinking an effective website is as simple as adding a full-width call-to-action and a static homepage is one of the most common mistakes I see from those getting started in strategic web design. While simple changes like that can certainly be effective, there’s a lot more to it.

Instead of using strategies you’ll find in “5 ways to X” posts, there are a few things you need to keep in mind to build the best possible websites for your clients.

Consider their goals

First, consider your clients goals in every single design decision you make. You might find that many clients are focused on email opt-ins, but due to the nature of another client’s business you may need to focus more on building trust with their audience through the design. In addition, keep in mind that every single item on a website should trace back to a specific goal that your client has.

Add purpose to each page

Next, make sure each page on your client’s website serves a purpose. And taking it a step further, make sure every section on each page on the website serves a purpose. For example, an About page is important on any website, but is the purpose really to teach your client’s audience more about them? What action should that page encourage them to take?

Design a journey

And last, make sure every page ties together to lead the audience on a journey. That journey, if crafted correctly, is what will convince someone to make a purchase.

Is it worth the extra work?

What you just read might sound like quite a bit of work. In addition to making a gorgeous website that reflects your client you now need to create a journey through a series of pages.

But trust me when I say it’s completely worth it. In doing this for your clients you’re going to give them amazing results that they’ll start to see right away. From those results you’re going to get:

• Happier clients
• Better testimonials
• More referrals
• Better portfolio pieces

Those four things will work together to give you the ability to offer higher price points, meaning more freedom for yourself and your family.

To get started on your first strategic website design, download my quick guide using the button below!