What is the difference between a good website and a poor one?

The pandemic changed how people see websites. This is no longer just a company calling card. It is your salesperson, working around the clock, 7 days a week. In that time it tells stories, communicates your values, handles client objections and gives them concrete answers. That makes it your most important investment in winning clients today.

From this article you will learn:

1. How the role of a website has changed in recent years.
2. What tasks and goals a good website will help you achieve.
3. What should be on a good website.

Why has the website become so important?

Over the last 3 years a website has become one of the main factors that affect sales in a company. That is the result of two overlapping trends: the pandemic and a change in buying habits.

The impact of the pandemic

Lockdowns and the fear of getting sick limited face-to-face contact for a long time. They also meant more and more decisions started being made from behind a screen. Even though the restrictions are no longer that strict, some habits stayed. That reduced the effectiveness of selling through a meeting and a conversation with the owner or a salesperson.

A change in buying habits

Today clients want to buy on their own and do not like being sold to. That is why they are less and less willing to take meetings or phone calls. And even when those happen, they first educate themselves with materials available online and make preliminary decisions. Ubiquitous content marketing makes that easy: there is an article, a podcast or a video for almost every question.

A website supports a salesperson. Or replaces one

If you want to understand how a professional website supports sales, you first need to know the model user journey online:

1. Looking for a concept.
2. Initial research.
3. Comparison.
4. Choice.

A good website makes it easier for the client to decide at each of those stages and leads them to a purchase. If it is poorly made, it does the opposite: it makes decisions harder and pushes the user to look for solutions somewhere else.

What are the jobs of a well-made website?

A professional website delivers several important goals:

• It helps people make a purchase.
• It shows how your company can solve the client’s problems.
• It lets the client achieve their goals.
• It lets the user fulfil their aspirations.
• It presents the benefits of working with your company.
• It presents your offer and makes it possible to compare it with the competition.

For your site to do those jobs, you have to keep a few important things in mind while it is being created.

What makes a good website?

Building a company website cannot be limited to technical care. It also has to look attractive, be readable and be aimed at a specific audience. Below are the most important traits your site should have if it is going to meet its goals.

Build it for a specific target group

A good website is not for everyone, only for your key clients. Create a persona, a model user who will want to use your services. Also take into account the client journey mentioned earlier.

Already running a business? Then you know your clients’ problems, questions and needs best. If you build the website on that foundation, it will promote your services effectively.

Use the “mobile first” rule

For most people the primary device is no longer a computer, but a smartphone. Global internet use confirms that. Mobile devices account for 55.4% of users, and computers only 41.88%. That is why sites should be designed for smartphones first, and only then adapted to computers.

Take care of how the site looks

With websites, appearance matters. If something in that area bothers the user, they will simply leave.

Here is a list of things you should pay attention to:

• Font size and type: safe choices include Roboto or Lato. Fonts at 14–16 give comfortable readability.
• Bold text and bullets: they let a reader pick up the most important information even when they are only scanning.
• The right length of text: besides a catchy line you also need a description that answers the buyer’s doubts.
• Consistent design: take care of a colour palette that fits the concept. Fill the site with good photos (your own or from paid stock) or graphics (ideally vector, they scale better) that sit alongside well-designed text.
• Think through the placement of CTA sections, banners, sliders, animations and buttons: they catch the viewer’s attention, so put the most important information there.

Answer questions before the client asks them

Try to give the user clear answers to these questions:

• What is it like to work with your company?
• How do you solve problems if they appear?
• What completed work can you show to prove your skills?
• How long does a project take?
• What guarantee do you give that the cooperation will be fruitful?

There can be many more questions. You should not answer all of them. Why? Because the client is looking for answers to reduce risk. If you tell them something that increases it, you can be sure they will choose a competitor.