The missing piece to your website

I’ve been working on a client’s website over the past several weeks, which got me thinking about why so many websites miss the mark.

A marketing agency created her site a handful of years ago, based on data points and phrases that were supposed to increase her organic SEO ranking.

And that’s exactly what she got…a website that looked and sounded nothing like her or her brand. It was a smattering of bland text, stock images, and had a confusing amount of information, without the strong SEO results.

There was no focus. There was no STORY.

When it comes down to it, your website is a vehicle to tell a story. Just one. And it needs to be compelling. That story needs a hook, some tension, the promise of success, and the path to get there.

For this client, the primary purpose of her website is to generate leads. So, I want to see every page, paragraph, and photo tell that story. Lead to that climax. Nothing else.

How do you incorporate story into your website? It all starts with a solid understanding of your ideal client—this is the essential first step that far too many businesses skip over…and then they wonder why their marketing doesn’t work. Don’t be that business owner.

Once you’ve got your ideal client figured out, here are a few essential building blocks:

A HOOK: What’s the scroll-stopping problem you solve?

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SOME TENSION: Call out the struggles your audience is dealing with as it relates to your offer. This is where your audience will start to warm up to you because they begin to believe you actually understand what they’re struggling with.

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PROMISE OF SUCCESS: Most of the time, your audience can verbalize the pain they’re feeling, but they don’t know what the solution is. They might have some ideas, but it’s up to you to paint a picture of success that your audience didn’t dream was possible.

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THE PATH TO GET THERE: You don’t want to give too much away, and you DO want to keep it simple. Include 3 basic steps. Obviously there’s more to it than that, but this distills the process, provides some mile markers, and sets expectations.

The steps are 1) Request an estimate, 2) Design your layout, and 3) Love your cabinets.

Tell a story, and put your dream client at the center of it. So many websites have a story that wanders, is confusing, features the wrong characters, or is just plain boring.

If your website is serving as a digital paperweight right now, view it from your dream client’s perspective, and ask yourself, “What story do I want to tell?”