You of course don’t want anyone to say your site sucks, it’s “pants” or that you should be embarrassed to have a website like that. But in polite society, these statements are rare, and instead we hear some other more common things!

What do you do again?

Your website should make it immediately clear what you do and what makes you different. It may take you quite a while to explain to someone who is not in your industry what you do, but if they can say it back to you in a simplified way, it means that the penny has dropped. It’s that simple description you want to harness, and that should be clearly communicated on your website.
Example: Our client Jonathan had a company name and website which made people think he does fundraising for charities, when in fact he helps charities build meaningful partnerships with businesses. See www.remarkablepartnerships.com

Yeah I think I have seen it – not sure!

If people are saying this, it means your website is forgettable. People are not seeing the difference between you and the other people who do what you do! There are many ingredients to be adding to your website to ensure you show what makes you different – including strong taglines, slogans and headlines, well written client stories, testimonials that resonate with other clients similar to those featured, bespoke design and well taken photos of your team (and if relevant, venue and product images), an engaging blog; and regular, personalised social media activity that shows personality and your expertise. Consider all these ingredients, and you’re on your way to making your site stand out!
Example: We revamped the website for The Skills Farm – to the point where on Facebook on the day they launched it, they say “It’s us in webiste form” – see theskillsfarm.co.uk

I couldn’t make it work on my phone

Gosh, nowadays you really can’t have a website that’s not “responsive” or mobile friendly. Websites, in essence, need to be designed twice – once for the browser, and once for the phone. Both are equally important, and it should be easy to navigate on any device. You can test your websites compatibility with mobile devices on Google’s checker here and you can check your site’s mobile speed here.
Example: Jayshree, business coach, already had a website when she got in touch, but the design was out of date and wasn’t responsive.  We simplified the messages, updated her branding and added in a lot of personality – see www.pipaltree.net

Not much web presence, huh?

While we love the “less is more” approach, sometimes potential clients like to see something substantial on your website. For some types of businesses, they want to see pictures of your team so you look like a “proper” operation.  They want to see evidence of your track record in the form of client stories, case studies and accreditations. They want to you to demonstrate credibility and personality. So, in these cases it’s necessary to have a multiple page website. But be sure that you keep an eye on the design on all the pages – sometimes homepages look good but if you click around things fall apart. Quality is important everywhere you look!
If you’re feeling there are murmerings of discontent about your website, either from others or from your own mind chatter, we are here to help change that – get in touch for a free discovery call or meeting – we want you to have a website you’re proud of, which is memorable, engaging and effective – so let us help you do that!