4 Things Every Business Website Must Have w/ Amanda Freeman

This week, we’re talking about the things every business website must have! My amazing guest Amanda is an expert marketer and web designer, and she’s here to share her strategies for getting your site set up right.

First though, we’re going to talk about creating a weekly routine.

Develop a Weekly Routine

Make Life Easier

To try and fit in all of the stuff I’ve got to do, I’ve planned a weekly routine.

Here’s how it works:

• Identify the things you want to work on regularly
• Block recurring time on your calendar for those tasks
• Make small tweaks as you go
• Be sure to keep your appointments with yourself!

Here’s my routine:

• Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday are dedicated to Easier
• Wednesday morning is for Easier’s social
• Thursday is for Lightning
• Friday isn’t scheduled
• Saturday is for personal projects

A couple of tips:

• I resisted this idea at first
• But, I realized it actually allows me to be more flexible and creative. I don’t have to worry about when I’d make time for projects, I could just focus on the projects.

4 Things Every Business Website Must Have

Make Work Easier

My guest Amanda Freeman

Amanda is the founder and creative director of Mixie, a company that believes in the power of digital marketing and the ability to simplify communications, elevate experiences, and engage and inspire people everywhere.

Amanda is a mom of two, a novice ukulele player, and is obsessed with coffee and nachos. She also loves to network, and leads the Livingston County chapter of Tuesdays Together.

Amanda joins us today to talk about the stuff you need to create a killer website!

1. Home page

• The main purpose of your website, and all of its pages, is to get clients.
• A home page is the first impression your business makes
• If it’s a disorganized mess, most folks will leave
• Inspire folks to reach out and connect with you
• Use the words your clients use. Keep the tone casual.
• Be sure to include copy on what sets you apart from others.

Things to include:

• A clear, short description of what you do
• Imagery
• Words your client use
• Short, casual text
• A call-to-action (more below)
• Contact info

2. About page

• After your Home page, the About page is the most visited
• Pay attention to the tone you use. Keep it casual.
• Tip: Try recording yourself speaking your about page, then listen to it.
• Don’t use jargon-y language
• Don’t sound too professional. Don’t sound too casual.
• This page can be tricky to get right, but be patient. It’s worth it!

Things to include:

• Info about your brand
• Info about you
• Imagery
• A call-to-action (more below)

3. Contact page

• Make your contact info super easy to find
• Make it super easy to use (e.g., include clickable links for phone / email)

Things to include:

• Name
• Phone (try Google Voice)
• Email
• Location & map
• Contact form

4. Calls to action

• A call-to-action, or CTA, is the thing that tells your customers what they’re supposed to do.
• Some examples:
  • Subscribe
  • Book an appointment
  • Sign up
  • Join
  • Get started
• Often these are buttons or obvious text / images

Things to include:

• Actionable CTAs (i.e., no “Click here”. See examples above)
• Consistent CTAs throughout your site
• Easy to find, easy to use CTAs
• An email list sign-up CTA (no, email is not dead)

Amanda & my do / don’t list

Don’t:

• Use Internet Explorer, Edge, or Safari! (Use Chrome or Firefox)
• Allow any cheesy animated / Flash graphics on your site (GIFs, when sparing, are okay)
• Have a slider in your header. They’re outdated and terrible for site performance.
• Have music that autoplays
• Hide your contact info! Make it visible and easy to find.

Do:

• Tastefully use common emoji
• Include CTAs everywhere
• Have a brand that represents you
• As promised, check out this awesome (not) photo of me from high school