fbpx

The Blog

How to Build a Website That Converts

by | Aug 15, 2022

girl on laptop how to build a website that converts

Websites should be easy. I bet you’ve heard the saying “keep it simple stupid,” and the principle applies when building a website that converts. Every business needs a website, but having one is not enough to make sales.

Your website is your business’s first impression to potential clients, so to make conversions, it has to speak to them. Psychological research shows that humans don’t purchase products. They purchase emotions. When planning your site, focusing on client connections should be at the forefront of your mind.

Eliminate the decision

To begin, let’s focus on the most critical content on your site. The “hero” section refers to the top section of any webpage. It is sometimes referenced as “above the fold,” similar to a newspaper. The hero section on your homepage will be the first thing visitors see.


This section should display an image of your product or service in use. For example, if you make jewelry, it should be an image of an ideal customer wearing a necklace. In addition, there should be clear header text describing your customer’s feelings while wearing that necklace.


The button linking to the product, in this case, your necklace, should stand out. Make it a contrasting color so your visitor’s eyes will go directly to it. The text on the button needs to say precisely what action your customer should take, “Get your sparkle now.” Ideally, the link should automatically add the product to the cart.


Choose only one product for your hero section. Too many decisions can add time to your customer journey and result in fewer conversions overall.

Eliminate Confusion

I’ve been helping business owners for 5 years now and by far the most difficult thing for my clients to do is write copy for their site without using industry jargon. You have to remember that you are the expert when it comes to your business. You know all the language associated with your product. A potential customer is not an expert on your product. This means that the language on your site needs to reflect the actual language your ideal client would use.

When you write a section of copy for your site, take a step back and ask yourself, “Is there a simpler way for me to say this?” Then, read what you wrote aloud; imagine you are talking to a friend. Would they understand what you are trying to say?

Another great way to ensure you speak your customer’s language is to do a little research. I love using Answer Socrates to find exactly what customers are searching for when it comes to a product I am selling.

Eliminate Skeptiscm

From the moment a visitor lands on your homepage, it is your job to convince them that your product is valuable and worth the price you are charging. The best way to squash any skepticism a visitor might have is to include social proof.

Testimonials should be displayed prominently on all of the pages on your website. This not only proves that someone has used your product before but that they have done so successfully.

Not to worry if you don’t have any testimonials yet, here are 3 ways to get them;

  • Send a few products out to people in exchange for a review or testimonial. 
  • Ask for a testimonial or review in exchange for a coupon.
  • Send an email with a link to fill out a satisfaction form with a place to write a testimonial.

Conclusion

Creating a website that converts shouldn’t be a struggle. Everything you include on your site must be simple and straight to the point.

The great thing is that customers visiting your site are already considering purchasing from you. That’s why they clicked on your site in the first place. Your job is to make it as easy as possible for them to make their purchase in the shortest amount of time possible.

Hello, beautiful human!

I’m Katie

Owner of Katydid PGH. I help business humans like yourself create beautiful websites that make sales while you are sleeping! Because isn’t that what we all want. I mean I want another puppy but, that’s something I need to take up with my very possessive Jack Russell mix.

Rank higher on Google in 5 minutes free checklist

FREE RANK ON GOOGLE CHECKLIST

easy website content guide brainstorming online store

Struggle no more. Get my Easy Website Content guide, it includes proven tips and tricks I use with every one of my clients to make brainstorming content for their website EASY PEASY.

Boss Business Tools

Siteground

Seriously, the best website hosting on the planet!

flodesk

Create a powerful mailing list and get more revenue.

hautestock

Get powerfully aesthetic stock photos!

Honeybook

Manage your business in the most organized way possible!

Business Coaching

Everyone starts their respective journeys as a novice and owning a business is no different. Now that I successfully run a business (which is a crazy thing for me to say, but I am so proud of it!) I want to share my knowledge.

Written by Katie

Katie is the founder of Katydid PGH, a web design and development company. She thrives on collaborating with cool humans and making the design and development process as simple as possible.

She graduated from PSU in Dec 2009, spent 8 years in the banking industry until she finally listened to her husband and learned how to code.

When she is not empowering others to discover their potential you can find her practicing yoga, walking her 2 dogs, obsessing about what cheese to eat next, and googling important things like “How to write a cute bio in under 15 minutes”.

More Reading…

How to Get More Website Visitors in 5 Minutes

How to Get More Website Visitors in 5 Minutes

In my last 2 posts I talked about how I am exploring ChatGPT as a business tool. I want to give you a real world example of how I’ve been using it lately. That is, I’ve been using it to get more website visitors for my clients websites, by assisting me in writing meta...

read more
Business Owner Meets ChatGPT: What You Need to Know

Business Owner Meets ChatGPT: What You Need to Know

Unless you’ve been living in your bunker since Covid, you’ve heard of ChatGPT. And even if you haven’t, you’ve heard of AI. AI stands for "artificial intelligence," a technology that allows computers to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence. This can...

read more
ChatGPT- Ultimate Business Tool or Skynet Incarnate?

ChatGPT- Ultimate Business Tool or Skynet Incarnate?

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been the subject of discussion and fascination for many years, but its potential impact on businesses has been a particularly hot topic recently. AI and specifically ChatGPT as the ultimate business tool has been becoming a more...

read more