Do you LOVE your website?
It will soon be Valentine’s Day and everyone’s going to be blogging about love. So, to hell with it, I’m going to get in on the act, too. And anyway, it’s a serious question – because if YOU don’t love your website who else will?
A couple of weeks ago I was talking to a potential client who was thinking about revamping her website. So how do you feel about your current site, I asked. ‘Well, it’s OK,’ she said. ‘I mean it’s kind of fine…. It’s just that I don’t LOVE it.’ I thought that was sad. I mean, would you drive a car that was just OK? Would you buy a house that was ‘fine’?
And the thing about your website is it’s not just about you. It’s out there for all the world to see – which is obviously the point. If your website doesn’t bring you joy then, honestly, how can you expect it to excite your clients or customers?
‘I’ve changed – it’s not you, it’s me’
As your business grows, things change and maybe you’ve dropped one of your services or you’ve added different ones. Trouble is, you never got around to updating your website. So now your website doesn’t reflect your business and you don’t feel the same way about it anymore.
Thing is, you don’t have to go through a messy breakup to put this right. If it’s just one service you’ve dropped, you can probably get it sorted yourself – delete the service page and make a few amends to remove all mention of it on your Home page. Need to add services? If you haven’t already, maybe now’s the time to use a copywriter to create clear, focused content that perfectly sums up what you do.
‘I’ve been faking it…’
Oh dear, all this time and people didn’t know. That the person on your website isn’t actually you. I’m not suggesting you’re an imposter – but are you truly being yourself? I mean, I understand. You want to give the ‘right’ impression to sell your services or stuff. So maybe you’ve toned down your personality or diluted your message hoping to please everyone. Except you’re not feeling the love ‘cos you don’t love who you’re pretending to be.
It can be scary putting yourself out there as the real you. Honestly, when I wrote my own web content I worried that I’d put people off. Who was going to love a self-confessed sweary copywriter like me? Plenty, as it turns out, including ‘serious’ people like mediators, IFAs and accountants. Of course I’m not everyone’s cup of Earl Grey (decaffeinated, black, no sugar, thanks) but that’s perfectly fine. And it’s going to work out fine for you, too. Unleash your brand personality. Be yourself, be real, be genuine, be authentic. Though don’t tell people you’re authentic – cos that’s just an unoriginal cliché. Show your authenticity in the way you communicate your brand’s message, language and tone of voice.
‘Yes…. Yes… YES!’
You should love EVERYTHING about your website. The words, the design, the colours, the photos. If your website isn’t hitting the spot on all counts, no wonder you’ve lost interest. I’ve seen websites with great content and crappy stock photos that totally kill the moment. I’ve come across beautifully designed websites with hideously muddled content that makes me want to cry.
What about your website? Do you love every inch of it or is it a turn-off for you and your clients? Well for gawd’s sake then – give your website some love!
* Would you love me to make your web content more attractive? Get in touch
PHOTO: Jamie Street/Unsplash