4 Key goals to make your website successful and high-performing

As a small business owner, this question may have come to mind at some point (and if not, it should 😉) —>

How can I make my small business website successful?

Today’s digital landscape is competitive. With thousands of websites vying for attention, having a high-performing website that stands out from the crowd is essential for your business.

What makes a website high-performing?

In short, your website should capture the attention of your ideal customers, engage your target audience by informing them of what they are looking for, and invite them to take action (i.e. conversion - more on that later).

Your website is more than just having a digital presence…

…It is a tool to grow your business online.

A well-designed website can attract, engage, and convert visitors into clients and loyal customers. It can also enhance your brand image, increase your online visibility, and drive organic traffic. A high-performing website is important for achieving the vision you have for your business.

So let’s take a look at what you can do with your website to make it successful.

4 Key goals for your website:

1. Attract AND keep visitors. This is one of the primary goals of a high-performing website. With attention spans shorter than ever (some say it takes visitors less than 10 seconds to decide whether to stay or leave a website!) capturing the attention of your ideal client within seconds is crucial.

2. Provide a seamless user experience, ensuring that visitors can easily navigate through your site and find the information they need.

3. Convert visitors into customers or leads. This involves implementing effective calls-to-action, relational web copy, and intuitive lead generation forms.

4. Optimize your website for search engines. By incorporating relevant keywords, meta tags, and quality content, your website can rank higher on search engine result pages and attract organic traffic.

Goal #1: Attract and keep visitors on your website

The first goal of a high-performing website is to attract AND keep visitors there. And, not just any visitor, but your ideal client. To achieve this, you need to create a visually appealing and user-friendly website designed with your ideal visitor in mind.

First step when designing your website is to establish who your ideal client is and what they are looking for. The look and feel of your website should not only reflect your brand but also your ideal client. With those things in mind, incorporate the following into your design:

• Use eye-catching and relevant photos that correspond well to your website copy

• Use H1 and H2 headings that speak to what your client is looking for (BONUS: this will also boost your SEO!)

• Go for a simple and clear look, being mindful of using white-space and not over-cluttering pages with large chunks of text

• Choose a color scheme for your website that aligns with your brand, and ensure that the typography is easy to read and reflects what your business is about

How your website looks should draw in your ideal client. How functional it is will determine how long they will stick around.

(And you want them to stick around!)

 Which leads us to our second key goal:

How to keep visitors on your website.

Goal #2: Provide a seamless user experience and make it functional

When you read a book, you want it to tell a good story, right?

In the same way, you want your website to capture its visitor’s attention and keep reading until the end of the book.

How do you do this?

User experience.

User experience, or UX for short, is the process by which your ideal client experiences your website along with their perceptions (good or bad) of their time on your website. A high-performing website aims to provide a seamless user experience.

The design, layout, and website copy of your site play a significant role in creating a positive user experience. Visitors should be able to navigate through your site effortlessly and find the information they need.

How?

• Ensure your website's navigation menu is ordered in a way that makes sense with your website “story” (i.e. logical page hierarchy)

• Use web copy that speaks to your ideal client (pretend like you’re having a conversation with them and not like you’re writing an essay)

• Break up long paragraphs with subheadings (H2, H3, P1)

• Place calls to action (more on these in goal #3) strategically throughout your website to invite visitors to keep reading and learning more.

Plus, a well-designed website not only looks great but also enhances functionality and usability.

 What makes a website functional?

A functional website flows from top to bottom in the same way a good story draws in readers. It invites visitors to “flip pages” by seamlessly moving them from one page to another to learn more about what you have to offer.

However, if your website isn’t streamlined and is difficult to navigate, you’ll loose a potential client’s attention! Think about the last time you entered a website browsing for what you hoped to find, only to get frustrated because it wasn’t clear where to go to get the answers you were looking for? How long did you stay there? Hence, the importance of working on the front end to strategize the functionality of your website.

The end goal of creating a positive user experience for your ideal visitor is to engage them in such a way that they want to hang around a little longer in hopes of converting.

What is website conversion?

Goal #3: Build conversion-worthy strategy into your website

Website conversion is when a potential client or customer engages with you in some way and takes a desired action, such as signing up for a freebie, booking a free consult, making a purchase, etc…

To convert visitors into customers or leads, you need to bake the following into your website:

• Effective calls-to-action (CTAs). Place strategic CTAs throughout your website, guiding visitors towards the desired action.

• Well written website copy. Web copy that speaks to what a potential client is looking for helps bring them one step closer to signing on with you.

• Short and simple lead generation forms. Eyes glaze over and attention is lost when a large form pulls up on a screen. Make sure your lead generation forms are intuitive and easy to fill out.

Goal #4: Optimize Your Website

Mobile Optimization

In today's mobile-first world, it is essential for a good website to be mobile-responsive. A mobile-responsive website adjusts its layout and design to fit different screen sizes, providing an optimal user experience across all devices. By prioritizing mobile responsiveness and accessibility, you can reach a wider audience and improve user satisfaction.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process by which you make your website easier to find on search engines such as Google, Bing, etc..

SEO matters because it tells search engines whether your site is worth popping up on potential clients’ search results.

How to incorporate SEO into your website?

• First, do a keyword search for words or phrases that your ideal client would use when searching for your type of service or product. What questions do they want answered in their search? Ubbersuggest, Semrush, and Ahrefs are good places to start for a keyword search tool.

• Then, incorporate these keywords into your H1, H2 headings and into the rest of your website copy. Use these keywords in a natural way and don’t try to “stuff” them into your text. Remember, your copy should sound like you’re having a conversation with your ideal client. (Plus, search engines will recognize if you overstuff and “ding” you for it).

• Include your keywords in your site’s meta tags (the short description of your website page that shows in search results).

• Photos should also have your keywords included in the image ALT text field if they are relevant to that picture.

Incorporating SEO in these ways can help your website rank higher on search engine result pages and attract organic traffic.

Would you like help incorporating these goals into your website?

I would love to do the heavy lifting for you! I’ll work with you on the front end to strategize your website’s design user experience and functionality. I’ll also do the work to determine how best to set up your website SEO, giving you more time to spend on what matters to you!