3 Simple Things You Can Do To Improve Your Website
I recently sat down with my friend and marketing guru, Jessica Kerrigan, to talk about some simple changes you can make to your website content and create a more effective marketing tool.
Watch the full interview above.
Visit Jessica’s website, Reson8marketing.com.
Video Transcript
Justin: Well, hi there. This is Justin from Justin Kerr Design, and I've asked my good friend and marketing expert, Jessica Kerrigan, to join me today because I want to talk about websites from the point of view of a marketer. And so my question to Jessica was as a professional marketer, what are the three things, top three things that you look for in a successful marketing website. So just as a quick intro, Jessica founded and runs a company called Reson8 Marketing, which you can find on the web at reson8marketing.com. And just how long have you been doing this on your own?
Jessica: I think we're going on three years.
Justin: Three years. Awesome. and Jess and I have (full disclosure), we had worked on some projects together, and that was the reason I asked her on here today because I've just found her to be a wonderful marketer with a really good head about what the clients and the customers really want to see. Because one of the things that a lot of solopreneurs, entrepreneurs, and business owners suffer from, as we've discussed before Jess, is that inside thinking, right? Thinking that whatever they think is important is going to be the same thing that their audience is going to think is important. So not to steal any more of your thunder, but that's, I think, sort of the running thread through this whole thing. So what are your top three things that you look for in a successful marketing website?
Jessica: Well, I think your lead-in was perfect about the fact that a lot of businesses think what's important to them is going to be important to the customer. Because my very first thing is the website has to be about the customer first. You know, it drives me nuts when I go to a site and all I can see right there on the homepage. And a lot of the content is, "We're an amazing company. We make an amazing product here, incredible service, and we do such a great job of this and that." And you can absolutely talk about what a great job you do, what a great company you are. You should. But to get someone's attention first, you have to talk about what they need, what they're trying to accomplish, what they're looking for, what you can do for them.
That's the most important thing when you make it all about yourself and how great you are, what you do. Someone may be convinced you might do a good job, but it's not easy for them to see right off the bat. Is this company really solving exactly the thing I came here to do? So for instance, I love when websites start with a statement, that's like you know, "Hey, are you, is this a problem that you're having?" Or they make a bold action statement. Like one of my all time favorite slogans was a, it's actually a thought on a yard sign and it was a mosquito, tick, whatever, you know, that company that gets rid of like pests and stuff, "Make outside fun, again." That is a direct thing you're saying to the customer, “Guess what you get to do?” And then you can talk about we're going to help you do that.
Justin: Instead of talking about process and all of that.
Jessica: Exactly, exactly. Cause that's what they want to know once they, the customer, sees that you understand that, from there, having you connect with them directly on the thing that they're trying to do, that’s what they really, really want. The whole reason they came to your website in the first place is because there's something they're trying to do to buy, to accomplish whatever, you need to let them know we get it when we know why you're here and here's what we're going to help you do.
Justin: That's a really good point and I've pulled up some examples. I'll share my screen of what I think are really good examples of that.
So we'll start off with your site because I think you do a really good job. And the statement right at the top, you know, you outlined exactly what you do. And then the statement underneath is for organizations with ambition, you've already identified, you know, the audience and what they may be wanting to do or a goal they may have. And then following it up, down below, you know, “You understand the unique value your business provides, chances are your prospects don't.” So you're already starting to paint like a scenario or a story to say, “Hey, is this your issue?”, you know, so they know right away if they're in the right place or not.
One of my favorite sites, and sort of a thought leader, is Newfangled. And they do a really good job at this sort of thing. And right up front, “Expertise is your greatest marketable asset.” And just like the, the flea and tick, the pest example that you gave, I think this is another example of that, you know, putting the value and saying, here's the value in your marketing. And we can help you leverage that.
And then, shameless self promotion. I worked pretty hard to try to get something that would resonate and be sort of a hook for people. And so I came up with, “Discover your true brand,” and then a follow-up statement about, you know, here's how I can help you discover that true brand. And because my brand is a pirate, it was important. The language is important, you know, sort of backed up by the image. But also, the discovery and going on a journey to discover this authentic or true brand, which I thought would appeal to the people that I want to work with.
Jessica: And here's what I love about both of the pieces of that you're including in your subhead. “Discover your true brand” is one of those like direct action statements that says to the customer, here's what you can do. And it's an exciting thing. Like, yes, I want to discover my true brand. Who doesn't? But, underneath that, your subhead talks about the value they're going to get from doing that. You know, you're talking about having clear and compelling communication. That's what they get by working with you. So it's not just like, Hey, you get to do this, but also hear all the benefits of that too. I think that's really important.
Justin: Cool. Well, I'm glad I've passed the test. So what's number two for you?
Jessica: So the number two thing, and it amazes me how many companies kind of missed the boat on this, but having clear and compelling calls to action throughout the site. And so there are two aspects of that clear and compelling, but clear is just like, make it easy to figure out what it is. You know, you, the business are trying to get the site visitor, the customer to do something so don't get super cute with the wording. You can have some fun with it, especially when you're doing things like you know, pop up modals for getting people to sign up for emails. But the thing is, the language you use has to be very clear about what the person is actually going to get by hitting a certain button and what it requires of them. But also having them throughout your site. Like, don't wait until the very bottom of the page to put any kind of contact us or call to action, or just having your little like contact link, you know, up in like the main nav. Like halfway down the page, or even like peppered throughout the page. Put some more calls to action in there. You may want to direct people to other pages. You may want to have them contact you. Give them a reason. Like once they've read something, give them a reason to engage with you now.
Justin: Yeah, that's really good example. And that's where, on my site, I fall down a little bit on that. You know, my calls to action are in the footer on every page. So while they are throughout the site, they're at the bottom. So now you've forced me to rethink like, you know, how I can get some of those interspersed and you do a really good job on your site in having those calls to action throughout so that there can be a decision point at any place in the journey, you know? And it's not just, okay, you've read a thousand words. Now here's a decision point. I mean, they may be sold right after they leave your statement at the top. They may be like, “Hey, I really want to talk to Jessica because I think she can help me with what I'm dealing with.”
Jessica: Exactly. So I love that you point out decision points all along the way, give them something to do. The second piece of it is that they have to be compelling. So, you know, I see a lot of people who will just put like “Sign up for our newsletter” somewhere on the site, but don't give you any reason to do it. What are you going to get in return? Or even if they say, “Hey, you know, download this guide that we created or a white paper,” make it really clear what benefit the person is going to get from giving you their email address. That is a sacred piece of information. You have to make it worth it for them to take that risk, invite you into their inbox. So talk a little bit about what they can expect in return.
Justin: You know, this whole thing that we've been talking about, I've just been thinking. And it has been a long time since I did this, but I was thinking about dating, right? So you're out on a first date. And the person you're across the table from is only talking about themselves. And they're not interested in you, or they're not asking you questions well, that's it, you're not getting a second date. And the point that you just made is, you know, a clear and compelling reason to engage. It's like, why should I want a second date? Is there something here that would compel me to go, “Hey, can I get your number?” And I've never experienced it from your side of things, but you know, for a woman to give up that piece of information and say, “Okay, I'm going to give you my phone number” has to be huge, right? There has to be a compelling reason for them to do that. And otherwise you get the 555… you know, the fake number.
Jessica: So, that’s really my number!
Justin: Oh, really? Oh, okay.
But that's what I've been thinking about as we've been talking about these things. Another way to think about it is you are, in sense, trying to convince this person to engage with you in some way, either, you know, purchase a service or buy a product and you have to think about their point of view.
So anyway, what's number three?
Jessica: Did you have examples of number two?
Justin: Two? Yes, I do actually. Thank you for reminding me.
Jessica: Yes.
Justin: So going back to your site here's a good example. So right at the top, you know, “Schedule a call.” You also have a really conspicuous contact us link at the top, which is great because that follows you through the whole site, but a little further down, here's another one “Let's talk.” And then after you've gone down a little further it's, “Book a free consultation.” So effectively, they're all the same thing as far as how they're going to engage with you, but you put it in different ways of talking about “let's talk, let's have a conversation, let's do a consult.” And so, at some point, they may say, “Yeah, it's a free consultation. Why not? Let me find out more about what Jessica can offer.” So I think you do a really good job of what you just said is, you know, sprinkling them throughout the journey and making sure that you've got several decision points on the page.
Going back to one of my favorites, Newfangled, here is an article detail page and down the side rail here on the right, they've got some calls to action. So here they're talking about their newsletter, “learn from us” rather than just “sign up for the newsletter.” Here's the benefit. You're going to learn something. And then a little further down “free resource.” And they give you the title right here. It's a long one, but it's a really good headline. You know, once you see this telltale sign of bad marketing, you'll never look at your favorite websites the same way again. I mean, it's like almost click bait, but pretty intriguing. And you had pointed this out when we were looking at examples before that you thought this headline and this configuration was really spot on.
Jessica: Definitely. Yeah. Very attention getting.
Justin: And then I have on my site a little modal that pops up after you've been on the site for a little while. That is the sign up for my newsletter. But because, again, I'm going on a pirate theme, I'm inviting people to come aboard. I will send them insights about what I know; about my expertise. So it's a way of saying, “Hey, I want to partner with you, share some information, some valuable information with you.
So number three. What's number three for you?
Jessica: So my third thing is just have clear and helpful navigation, make it really easy for people to find what they're looking for. So let's say somebody comes to your website and maybe you are a service provider with number of different locations, serving lots of different communities. What if somebody wants to know where do you look for your services? Am I somebody that could purchase this from you? If that's a question someone's going to ask when they're coming to your site, make it very easy for them to answer it. And I think what this requires is putting yourself in your customer's shoes and your website visitor’s shoes, and thinking through the questions somebody would be asking.
Say your company pops up in a Google search. Maybe they were looking for pest control. And so your name comes up, you know, whatever little blurb you have underneath your meta-description on Google is appealing. So they click over to your site. What might be some of the questions in their head? So the first thing they want to know, chances are, “Do you serve my area?” How much does it cost? Think about like the most obvious things people want and then having a very clear pathway to get there. And let's say they start with, you know, “Do you offer services in my area?” What might be their next question? After that. they go to your service page.
Justin: And it might be, you know, are the chemicals that you use environmentally safe? They might have that concern or are they safe for children?
Jessica: Yeah. So then from whatever page (maybe they started on the homepage) or whatever search page they landed on, think through what questions might they ask themselves next and make it easy to get to those. Have helpful links somewhere on the page, in a sidebar or whatever. Also, you know, make sure that your main navigation bar is really clear and simple. Too many people try and get cute with some of those titles and people have absolutely no idea what that's supposed to be. I'm trying to think of a good example right now, but we have all seen them, like when somebody calls their blog “brilliance.”
Justin: Not sure what that is.
Jessica: Yeah. So I think that putting yourself in your customer's shoes, your site visitor’s shoes, thinking through potential pathways, the questions they're gonna ask themselves after reading each thing is a really great way to create the navigation. That just makes sense. It's intuitive. And it ensures that people go to other parts of your site, which is also important.
Justin: Right. Very practical advice because oftentimes the navigation is not given the consideration that it should be. And also, not giving the consideration to if somebody lands on a page inside your site from a Google search, are they going to be stuck in a cul-de-sac or have you given them some place else to go?
And I have examples. You don't have to remind me this time, I'm getting the hang of this.
So going back to another site that I really liked. This is another branding and marketing site called Big Duck. And I just love the name. You know, if this came up in my Google search I'd be like, “Oh, I got to check these people out,” because they're just a little different. But what I like about their navigation is it's very, very clear as far as they label it. These are our services. This is the work we do. Events. Insights. About. But they also provide these little clarifiers and do it in a very personable way. So services are “what we do.” “What we've done” is work. Events are “where we will be.” Insights is “What we think about.” Who we are. And finally, “who are you?” I just like that because it lets me know already that these people have the kind of personality that I think would be a good fit for me because you can have really great services but the experience of working with this person or these people is for me, it's very, very important. What kind of experience am I going to have if I contact you?
Jessica: Absolutely.
Justin: And the back to your site. So under Content Strategy and Planning under Services you've got very clearly outlined, “Hey, this is what the process is going to be.” And so it speaks right to that thing. What's my experience going to be like? And here you're saying, “Hey, if you go through my process, this is what you'll experience.” Here are the five steps. So it makes it very easy to understand like, okay, this is what I will experience and am I on board or not, you know?
Jessica: And right in the middle of that, I say, “Hey, guess what? We do content writing too.” I'm talking about content. I'm thinking, well, maybe someone's thinking, “Can Reson8 also create the content?” Yes we can. And there's a link to the service page right in the text.
Justin: Right there. Yep. We handle content writing too. So trying to anticipate those questions that they may have and still doing it in a way that is very client focused, very visitor focused on the site. Going back to Newfangled, this is under What We Do, but their navigation items go pretty deep. So like under their Insights, you know, it's more than just a blog. They have this collection of knowledge, some are articles, some are white papers, webinars, events, publications, and podcasts. So you really get a sense of, “Wow, they create a lot of very thoughtful content, and they do it in a lot of different ways.” I may not be up for reading a 1500 word article, but yeah, maybe I'll check out one of their webinars, you know, or see what events they have coming up or listen to a podcast which, you know, I do a lot of. So it's really nice the way they serve this up and make it very clear in their navigation. This is what's inside, you know, before you ever click through.
Jessica: Absolutely. And that content is awesome too. I love it.
Justin: Yeah. Their content is pretty awesome. And the other thing I like is they give you a little preview of what kind of topics you're going to discover before you get into the content. So if there's something you're really interested in, like, I really want to know more about SEO. Well then if you click on this, it filters all of their content by just that topic. And so it makes it very easy, even from the navigation level, to zero right in on what I want to know about. This is what I want to learn more about.
Jessica: Yeah. And on a lot of sites, especially if you have any kind of analytics set up on the backend, it should be pretty easy to figure out what are the most popular topics that you have, what's your most read content? What might people most likely be looking for and then put that front and center?
Justin: Yeah. I had an interesting experience on my own site. So I have a blog that I contribute to about once a month and I carefully consider what I put up there because I don't want it to be quantity over quality. And I was looking at my analytics the other day. The thing that I noticed was the articles people click to the most are the articles that have some sort of personal element about me. Not every article I write has personal information, but where I've told a story about an experience I had working with a client or, maybe, you know my own personal branding journey, those seem to get a lot of hits. And I have to assume that people do that because they really are interested in that kind of information. They really want to hear a story.
Jessica: Yeah. And I think, too, you do a great job of connecting it back to them. So they understand that you're telling the story for the purpose of sharing something they might also have experienced or that they might learn from. And I think, ultimately Justin, as I'm thinking about it, the key to all of this and everything we're saying is going back to the beginning: putting your customer first, putting the website viewer first. You know, they say that the most loved word in the English language is “You.”
When you are paying attention to them and you're focused on them and you're doing something that serves them, it means a lot. And so I think on any website, if there were one thing I'm always looking for, above all else, it's that somebody uses the word “you.” You get this, you know. We'll help you do this. I think it might be really eyeopening for people to go to their own sites and count the number of times they use the word “you” versus the word “we.”
It really comes down to your site is very personal and makes the personal connection with people. You're able to talk about yourself, but in the context of like, “Hey, we're getting to know each other,” and you make it feel very much like you're a human being talking to another human being about something that they need. And here's how you can help them.
Justin: Well, in the same vein. having worked together with you and experienced a lot of your writing you're really good at that too. Putting the person who's reading the copy in the seat of “you” versus I've seen so many websites that have, “We provide this and we're ISO 9000 and we've been around since 1955.” And it's going back to the dating analogy, if you're sitting across the table from this person and they're just going down their personal resume and you're like, “when are they going to get to me? I'm here. Am I not here at this table?” You write in such a way that it gets right to the heart of that really quickly.
Jessica: Yeah.
Justin: So if somebody is watching this and they're going, “Okay, I really need to evaluate my website content and think about these three things that we just talked about.” What do they do? Tell them what to do.
Jessica: Is this where…
Justin: Yes, This is the shameless plug part right here.
Jessica: Well, I honestly love helping people do a much better job of getting a message out to the world about who they are and what they do for people. I really do enjoy it. So if anybody did want to investigate that a little bit and see how I can help them create a better message and more compelling content, they can go to my website, which is reson8marketing.com. Or feel free to email me at jessica@reson8marketing.com.
Justin: Awesome. Well, thanks so much for taking the time to do this today and share some really good information about how people can improve the content on their website and how they can get it more focused toward the client. And obviously that's going to make people that visit the site more prone to engage with them.
Jessica: Thank you. My pleasure. I enjoyed it.