How to build a website that converts customers
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Posted: Mon 30th Sep 2024
Having a website is no longer just an option for small businesses – it's a must. Whether you run a local shop, provide a service or sell products online, your website is often the first impression potential customers have of your business.
But simply having a website isn't enough – it needs to work for you by turning visitors into paying customers.
Building a website that converts might sound complicated, especially if you're not very tech-savvy. But it's easier than you think!
With the right approach, your website can become a powerful tool that attracts the right audience, builds trust and encourages people to take action, whether that's making a purchase, booking a service, or reaching out for more information.
In this blog, we run through some simple, practical steps to create a website that not only looks good but also helps your business grow.
What to consider when creating a small business website
1. Know your audience
Before you even think about designing your website, it's important to know who you're building it for. Understanding your audience is the foundation of any successful website because it helps you tailor your content, design and overall approach to what your potential customers actually need.
By doing this, you set yourself up for better customer engagement and, ultimately, more conversions. Taking this step early on will help guide all other aspects of your website's design and content, making it far more effective at converting visitors into loyal customers.
Understand your customers' needs
Think about the types of people who are most likely to buy your products or use your services.
Are they young professionals? Families? Older generations? What problems do they need solved and how can your business help? By identifying these details, you can shape your website to appeal directly to them.
Create customer personas
A great way to get started is by creating customer personas. These are simple profiles that represent your ideal customers.
For example, if you own a local bakery, one of your personas might be a busy parent looking for fresh, ready-to-go options for their family. Another might be a young couple searching for a unique wedding cake.
By visualising these types of customers, you can better understand what information they'll be looking for when they visit your site.
Tailor your content to the audience
Once you have a clear picture of your target audience, you can start creating content that speaks to them. This could be using the right language, addressing their specific needs or highlighting how your products or services solve their problems.
For example, if you know your audience values convenience, make sure to emphasise easy online ordering or delivery options.
2. Keep it simple and user-friendly
A website that's confusing or difficult to navigate will quickly turn potential customers away. When building a site for your small business, simplicity should be your top priority. The goal is to make it as easy as possible for visitors to find what they're looking for and take action.
Easy navigation
Your website should be intuitive, with a clear menu that guides visitors to key pages, such as your products or services, contact information and "About us" section.
Keep your menu simple, with no more than five or six main options, and make sure everything is logically organised.
For example, if you own a café, your menu might include links to "Menu", "Order online", "Contact us" and "Our story". Visitors should be able to find what they need within a few clicks.
Identify your ideal customer journey
A customer journey is the path visitors take when moving around your website. Identifying your ideal customer journey allows you to shape that path to increase conversions, whether you want customers to make a purchase or fill out a form.
Pippa Ridley, Enterprise Nation member and managing director of Etempa, emphasises that successful customer journeys should help customers reach their goal in as few clicks as possible.
"Let's say the journey starts with landing on the home page, then moves to choosing a product, adding it to the cart and checking out. The next step is optimising it. You need to allow your customer to complete the action in as few clicks, with as few distractions as possible.
"If you have a popular product, that might mean having a link to the product in your homepage header and a 'Buy now' button on the product page that skips the cart and sends someone straight to checkout. That's three clicks."
Avoid disrupting the journey with pop-ups
Pippa also warns against using too many pop-ups to distract customers from the journey you have planned.
"Pop-ups can work in specific situations. For example, offering a discount code on a product page would be a good example of when they benefit the customer. But most other pop-ups just get in the way of your user journey.
"Don't interrupt someone reading your carefully crafted sales pitch with a pop-up asking them to give away their email address."
Mobile responsiveness
More people are browsing the web on their phones than ever before, so it's crucial that your website looks great and functions well on mobile devices.
A mobile-responsive website automatically adjusts to fit different screen sizes, making sure that everything from your text to your images displays correctly.
Most website builders like WordPress, Wix and Squarespace have templates that are mobile-friendly, so you can do this without much technical knowhow.
Fast loading times
People expect websites to load quickly and if yours doesn't, they're likely to leave. To keep your website running smoothly, avoid uploading large image files and unnecessary animations that can slow things down.
Choosing a reliable hosting provider is also important for keeping your site fast and accessible.
3. Create strong calls-to-action (CTAs)
Once you've attracted visitors to your website, the next step is guiding them to take action. This is where strong calls-to-action (CTAs) come in. CTAs are the buttons or links that encourage visitors to do something – like "Buy now", "Contact us" or "Sign up".
Without clear and compelling CTAs, visitors may leave your site without taking the next step, no matter how great your products or services are.
What is a CTA?
A CTA is a prompt that tells the visitor exactly what you want them to do. It should be clear, action-oriented and easy to find.
A good CTA can significantly increase your chances of converting visitors into customers because it eliminates any guesswork about what to do next.
Examples of effective CTAs
The best CTAs are short, direct and match the visitor's intent. For example:
if you run an online store, your primary CTA might be "Shop now" or "Add to cart".
if your goal is to have visitors contact you for a consultation or service, use a CTA like "Get a free quote" or "Book an appointment"
These phrases give a clear sense of what will happen when they click the button, making it easier for visitors to take the next step.
Where to place CTAs
The placement of your CTAs is just as important as the wording. Make sure they are visible on key pages, especially the homepage, product pages and contact page.
Don't make your visitors scroll endlessly to find them – you should place CTAs near the top of the page, as well as at natural stopping points in the content. For instance, after describing a service, include a "Learn more" or "Get started" button.
Handling objections in your CTAs
Objections are the doubts that come up when you're browsing a website. Things like:
"Will shipping be expensive?"
"How long will it take to arrive?"
"Will I get value for money?"
It's a good idea to consider these objections when you're writing CTAs and how you can shape the copy to overcome barriers to purchase.
Here's an example of a potential objection and how you could address it:
"Am I taking a risk buying from a small business?"
Include testimonials from satisfied customers.
Demonstrate the scale of your business ("Thousands of orders shipped").
Offer a free 20-minute consultation so customers can see if your service is right for them.
Common customer objections tend to be around time, price and value. But as always, it's best to conduct market research and talk to your target customers.
4. Showcase your products or services clearly
A visually appealing website is important, but even more crucial is making sure you're presenting your products or services clearly and effectively.
When potential customers land on your website, they need to quickly understand what you offer and why it's valuable to them.
High-quality images
First impressions matter, and for many visitors, the quality of your images will be the first thing they notice. Using clear, professional photos of your products or services can make a huge difference.
If you sell physical products, make sure the images are well-lit, high resolution and showcase your items from several angles.
For a service-based business, include photos that reflect the work you do or the results customers can expect. If possible, avoid stock photos, as real images feel more authentic and help build trust.
Simple and clear descriptions
Your product or service descriptions should be concise but informative. Focus on what your product does, its key features and, most importantly, how it benefits the customer.
Instead of getting too technical, write in a way that addresses common questions or problems your customers might have.
For example, if you sell handmade candles, instead of just listing ingredients, you could highlight their soothing scents and long burn time, which are benefits your customers will care about.
Highlight key features
Don't overwhelm visitors with too much text. Use bullet points or short paragraphs to draw attention to the most important features or benefits.
For example, if you offer a service like house cleaning, you might want to list key selling points such as "Eco-friendly products", "Flexible scheduling" and "Satisfaction guaranteed".
5. Build trust with your customers
For small businesses, building trust is essential. When people visit your website, they want to feel confident that your business is credible and reliable.
A lack of trust can cause potential customers to leave your site without making a purchase or inquiry, so it's important to include elements that reassure them.
Include testimonials and reviews
One of the easiest ways to build trust is by showcasing testimonials or reviews from satisfied customers. People are more likely to trust a business when they see that others have had positive experiences.
If you have loyal customers, ask them for short reviews or testimonials, and display these prominently on your homepage, product pages or dedicated testimonial sections. Even short quotes like "Excellent service!" or "Highly recommend!" can make a big difference.
Showcase certifications or guarantees
If your business holds any certifications, awards or guarantees, make sure they're visible on your website. This could be an industry certification, a money-back guarantee or any accolades you've received.
For example, if you own a cleaning business and use eco-friendly products, displaying an eco-certification badge can reassure customers who value sustainability. These trust signals can make visitors feel more comfortable choosing your business over competitors.
Contact information and "About us" page
A trustworthy website should make it easy for visitors to contact you. Be sure to display your phone number, email address and physical address (if you have one) clearly on your website, ideally in the header or footer.
Having a visible "Contact us" page with a form or easy-to-access contact information shows customers that you're approachable and ready to help.
Additionally, a well-crafted "About us" page can help personalise your business. Share your story, introduce your team and explain your values. This humanises your business and makes it more relatable to potential customers.
6. Make sure customers can make easy and secure payments (for e-commerce websites)
If you're running an online store, making the checkout process smooth, easy and secure is vital for converting visitors into paying customers.
A complicated or insecure payment system is one of the top reasons why potential customers abandon their shopping carts.
Payment options
Offering a variety of payment methods is essential to meeting the needs of different customers. Some prefer to pay by credit card, while others may want to use services like PayPal, Apple Pay or even direct bank transfers.
The more options you provide, the easier it is for customers to complete their purchase in the way they're most comfortable. Popular e-commerce platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce make it simple to integrate a number of different payment gateways.
Security and trust
Customers are more likely to complete a purchase if they feel their information is safe. Make sure your website is using an SSL certificate (you'll know you have one if there's a padlock symbol next to your website's URL).
This encrypts the data being transferred, keeping your customers' personal and payment information secure. Highlighting security features like SSL or using well-known payment processors like Stripe or PayPal can reassure customers that their payments are safe with you.
Checkout process
A long or complicated checkout process can frustrate customers and lead them to abandon their carts. Keep the number of steps to a minimum and avoid asking for unnecessary information.
Offering a guest checkout option can also help, as some customers may not want to create an account. The faster and easier it is to pay, the more likely visitors are to follow through with their purchase.
7. Use basic SEO to help customers find you
Even the best website won't convert customers if they can't find it. Search engine optimisation (SEO) is the process of making sure your website ranks higher on Google and other search engines, which can drive more traffic to your site. Luckily, you can implement some basic SEO steps without being an expert.
What is SEO?
SEO involves optimising your website's content to help search engines understand what your business offers. When someone searches for something related to your products or services, strong SEO increases the chances of your website appearing in their search results.
Simple tips for SEO
Start by using relevant keywords throughout your website. These are the words or phrases people might use to find your business.
For example, if you run a bakery in Dublin, include phrases like "best cakes in Dublin" or "custom birthday cakes in Ireland" naturally in your content, headings and page titles. But avoid keyword stuffing – focus on writing naturally for your readers.
Optimising images is another simple SEO trick. Make sure your images have descriptive file names and use alt text to describe what's in the image. This helps search engines and also improves your website's accessibility.
Google Business Profile
For local businesses, setting up and optimising a Google Business Profile is one of the easiest ways to boost local SEO. When people search for businesses near them, having a complete and accurate profile will make it more likely for your business to appear in local results.
8. Track and improve performance
Building a website that converts is not a one-time task – it's an ongoing process. To ensure your website continues to meet its goals, it's important to track its performance and make improvements where needed. Even small tweaks can lead to big results over time.
Why analytics matter
Website analytics tools like Google Analytics provide valuable insights into how visitors are interacting with your site.
You can track how many people are visiting, which pages they're viewing, how long they're staying and – most importantly – whether they're converting into customers. Understanding these metrics helps you identify what's working and what isn't, so you can adjust your strategy.
What to measure
Some key metrics to monitor include:
number of visitors
bounce rate (how quickly people leave after visiting just one page)
conversion rate (the percentage of visitors who take a desired action, like making a purchase or filling out a contact form)
If you notice that people are leaving your site without taking action, it might be a sign that certain pages or CTAs need improvement.
Making improvements
Use the insights from your analytics to test changes on your website. This could be trying out a new CTA, reorganising the navigation or adding more customer reviews to build trust.
Small changes based on real data can lead to noticeable improvements in customer conversions. Regularly updating your content and optimising for SEO can also keep your site fresh and relevant.
Key takeaways
Building a website that effectively converts visitors into customers is crucial. By understanding your audience, keeping the design simple and user-friendly, and using clear calls-to-action, you can create a site that not only looks good but also drives real results.
Whether it's showcasing your products with high-quality images, building trust with testimonials or optimising for SEO, each of these elements works together to boost your website's ability to attract and retain customers.
With ongoing attention to performance and small improvements over time, your website can become a powerful tool for growing your business.
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