It’s no longer enough to sell a pretty website. If you want clients to pay more than a few hundred dollars, you need to sell the results your designs get. However, we all know that this is easier said than done!
Today we’ll cover the 3 secrets to a website that converts for your design clients! Let’s get into it, shall we?
Secret 1: Design that gives direction
Your clients want a brand and website that is visually appealing to their audience, that much is a given. What they may not know is that their website needs to provide visitors a clear direction.
Providing website visitors with clear steps as they navigate through a site is the way to go. You want to direct them to your client’s end goal. This will usually be getting visitors on an email list or selling an introductory (aka low-priced) product or service.
It might take a little education from you to your client, but this is an important step if you want to give your clients much more than just a pretty website.
Your designs should help guide visitors. You want them to quickly understand how your client can help them and share more about who your client is. A central goal of your website design should be to give people a reason to like or trust your client and understand why they need your client’s help with their business, lifestyle, etc.
You can control this journey of information based on the order of content and well-placed calls-to-action.
Secret 2: Keep it focused
Along with having a design that gives direction, it needs to be a focused direction. Avoid filling every page and area with all kinds of call-to-action prompts and buttons.
Work with your client to determine the main goal for each page of the website and keep that page focused on that goal. For example, on a blog post, your client’s goal may be for a visitor to sign up for the opt-in resource available.
The easiest places for your focus to get off track are:
- Home page: your client may want to promote anything and everything on this page
- Sidebar: your client will want every call-to-action highlighted here
- Navigation: clients want to have 20 links to the “most” important pages of their website
Keep your client focused on the goal of the website design, especially when coming across these spots. Don’t let them get distracted by all of the options, but keep them clear on what matters for the final design.
Secret 3: Copy
Last, but not least: copy. You can have a perfectly designed website with a clear direction, BUT if the copy doesn’t connect, it’s not going to matter what the site looks like at the end of it all.
While this may not be your area of expertise, it can be something you’re able to help your clients with throughout the website design process.
Encourage your clients to work with a copywriter before you begin designing. They can partner with someone to write their entire website copy or simply review and tweak what they already have.
Their message will become more powerful and focused. All of the copy work will certainly make your design work far more effective too!
Get your clients results!
Take a second to think about your last few design projects. Were you focused on getting your clients results?
Decide on one change you can make in your design process during your next project to align with gaining results for your client. Add that change to your process outline today so you can implement it with your next project.
