If you’re an entrepreneur or blogger, you know it’s important to have a website for your brand. A website helps your audience find you, discover what you have to offer, and connect with you.
But here’s the thing: if you really want to succeed as an entrepreneur or blogger, just having a website with some slick copy and attractive images isn’t enough. To maximize your credibility, attract targeted traffic, and convert that traffic into subscribers and customers, your business website or blog needs to contain specific elements. If your website is missing these elements, there’s a good chance that it isn’t giving you the best results possible. And I know the last thing you want to do is leave money on the table, right?
What might your business website or blog be lacking if you’re not getting the traffic and conversions you’ve been hoping for? Here are 10 essential things you may be missing on your business website or blog.
Want to generate more leads, win over new customers, and boost your sales? Learn how to write a killer about page that tells your audience why you’re the brand for them.
Download my free about page template.
1. A visible unique value proposition
Have you ever visited a business website or blog and not been able to figure out what the brand is really all about? This is what happens when a website is missing a visible unique value proposition.
Your unique value proposition tells visitors what you offer as a brand and why it’s better than what your competitors offer. So not only does it educate your audience about what you do, but it also distinguishes you from other brands. This is why it’s important to place your unique value proposition in a highly visible spot on your home page.
If you don’t have a visible unique value proposition on your website, you may lose out on potential email subscribers and leads. After all, if people can’t tell why you’re worth paying attention to, they’ll be quick to move on to someone else.
Example: Amy Porterfield communicates her unique value proposition front and centre on her home page.
2. An audience-focused about page
Don’t think visitors to your business website or blog read about pages? Think again. On many websites, about pages receive one of the highest number of page views. That’s because when people are interested in learning about your brand, they don’t just want to know what your brand does at a high level. They also want to learn about your story and the people behind your biz or blog. And that’s where an about page comes in.
Now, although you want to use your about page to share your story, you don’t want it to be all about you and your brand. That sounds crazy, I know. I mean, it’s called an “about” page for crying out loud!
But remember that even if your website visitors are on your site because they want to learn about you, they’re doing it because they want to know if you can help them. They’re concerned about their needs, problems, and desires, not yours. That’s why you want an about page that focuses on your audience and frames your story in a way that illustrates how you address THEIR needs.
Related: The #1 website copywriting mistake most businesses make + free about page template
Example: Melyssa Griffin keeps the focus on her audience on her about page.
3. Calls to action in all the right places
It’s great to have a business website or blog that attracts a lot of traffic. But if your website doesn’t have clear and compelling calls to action (CTAs), it won’t be able to convert that traffic into leads and email subscribers (the people who can eventually become your customers).
CTAs are the links, buttons, and linked images that direct people to an offer you’re promoting online. This can be a product, service, or a free resource. To you, it may seem obvious that if people are interested in your offer, they’ll take the initiative to find it on your business website or blog. But the reality is that people are much more likely to take action on your website if you explicitly tell them what you want them to do next. And that’s what CTAs are designed to do.
By having clear and compelling CTAs on every (or nearly every) page of your business website or blog, you can boost your leads, email subscribers, and conversions.
Related: The 62 best words to use in your call to action + 80 free call-to-action templates
Example: Todd Herman places CTAs throughout his website to encourage his visitors to take various actions.
Want to generate more leads, win over new customers, and boost your sales? Learn how to write a killer about page that tells your audience why you’re the brand for them.
Download my free about page template.
4. An enticing email opt-in form
What’s a type of CTA every business website and blog should have? A CTA encouraging visitors to opt in to an email list.
Why is it so important to get people to opt in to your email list? Isn’t social media the place to be? It’s true that it’s important to have a presence on social media if you’re growing a business or blog. But an email list is much more important to have than a social media following. Yup, you read that correctly.
Unlike with your social media accounts, you own your email list. So if Facebook or Instagram decides to shut down your account tomorrow or seriously limit your reach with a new algorithm, you won’t be out of luck. Email also converts better than social media does, so if you want more conversions, build that email list and build it now!
Back in the day, it used to be enough to ask people to sign up for your email list for the sake of being on your list or receiving a newsletter. But this strategy usually doesn’t cut it anymore. That’s why you’ll be able to boost your email sign-ups if you offer a free resource (or lead magnet) as an incentive. This can be as simple as a cheat sheet or template that helps your audience accomplish something related to a key problem or need they have.
Related: 10 effective opt-in incentives that help you grow your email list + free tip sheet
Example: Caitlin Bacher offers a Facebook group roadmap to encourage people to sign up for her email list.
5. Fresh content (often on a blog)
Blogging may seem like an old-school strategy compared to being on Instagram or Pinterest. But whether you blog for your business or as a business, it serves an important purpose for your brand. You see, Google and other search engines will rank your business website or blog higher in search rankings if you continuously update it. It’s hard to find a reason to change your about page or services page every week, even with small tweaks. But if you regularly publish posts or other content on a blog, it’s easy to show Google that your website is fresh.
Blogs and content are also great for attracting your audience, building a relationship with them by offering value, and converting them into leads and subscribers. They also help you establish your credibility as an expert in your niche.
Related: 9 reasons why you should have a business blog + free blog post template & example
Example: I publish a new post about once a week on my blog to provide value to my audience and keep my website fresh.
6. Social media links
Growing a following on social media can take time. What can you do to speed up the process? Add links to your social media profiles on your website. You can place these links in the navigation or footer of your business website or blog, on your about page, and even on individual blog posts. This makes it easier for your audience to find your social media profiles and follow you.
Related: How to write social media copy for 5 different platforms + 7 free social media copy templates
Example: Spout Social places its social media links in its website footer.
Want to generate more leads, win over new customers, and boost your sales? Learn how to write a killer about page that tells your audience why you’re the brand for them.
Download my free about page template.
7. Easy-to-find contact info
Most brands provide their contact information somewhere on their business website or blog. But just including your contact information on your website or blog isn’t enough. You want to make sure your contact information is easy to find so that you don’t miss out on potential leads because they don’t know how to get in touch with you.
To make it foolproof to find your contact info, place it on your home page and on a dedicated contact page that’s listed in your main navigation or footer.
Related: 10 key things to include on your contact us page + free template and example
Example: Neil Patel places a link to his contact page right in his navigation menu.
8. Testimonials or reviews
You can brag all your want about your brand on your business website or blog. But if you really want to convince your audience that you’re the brand for them, don’t save all the bragging for yourself. Let your biggest fans do the talking too!
Customers who love your products or email subscribers who adore your content can do a much better job of convincing your audience that you’re worth their time and money. And what’s the best way to let your fans do some of the talking? Include testimonials or reviews on your business website or blog.
Example: PayPal uses testimonials to establish credibility and promote its payment platform.
9. Search engine optimization
One of the best ways to get a steady stream of targeted traffic to your business website or blog is to optimize it for search engines. After all, when people use Google and other search engines, they’re searching for things they’re interested in. If you can capitalize on searches that are relevant to your niche, you’ll attract people who are actively searching for the very info, products, or services you provide.
Although search engine optimization (SEO) can sound super scary and technical, the basics are pretty easy to pick up. Check out my SEO Basics for Blog Posts ebook for simple blog and website SEO tips. You can also use the free version of the Yoast plugin to insert SEO elements and assess the SEO “health” of your webpages.
Related: How to implement on-page SEO to boost blog post visibility + free blog post SEO ebook
10. Mobile-friendly design
It’s becoming more and more likely that if people end up on your business website or blog, they’re getting there on a mobile device. This is why it’s critical to have a website or blog that’s optimized for mobile devices. I’m talking about a site that fits any screen size properly and is just as functional on a smartphone or tablet as it is on a desktop.
When deciding how to rank your website, mobile-friendly design is a key factor Google and other search engines pay attention to. So even if rankings are your only concern, mobile-friendly design is something you definitely want to pay attention to.
Example: Marie Forleo’s website looks just as fabulous on a mobile device as it does on a desktop.
Ensure your business website or blog has everything it needs
Your business website or blog doesn’t have to be super sophisticated or innovative to stand out and give you stellar results. But it does need to have the elements that help you generate traffic, convert visitors into subscribers, and establish your authority.
That’s why I recommend reviewing the list of common missing website elements above. It’ll help you figure out where you’re leaving money on the table so you can boost the results you get from your website or blog and grow your brand.
Want to generate more leads, win over new customers, and boost your sales? Learn how to write a killer about page that tells your audience why you’re the brand for them.
Download my free about page template.
