Happy Friday, friends! Raise your hand if you’re ready for another classic #FridayChatter post! 🙋🏼♀️ I can’t even believe that this is my final blog post OF THE YEAR! Yup, you read that right! That went fast… I’m looking forward to a few quiet and relaxed weeks, hanging with my fam and our pups, baking, watching ALL the Hallmark movies, and wedding dress shopping with my sister!
Today is one that I am really looking forward to sharing with you because I truly believe that it will be so beneficial to you and your business! What do I look for on every website?! This one may seem a little random, but as I network with other creatives, search for second photographers, or look to hire small businesses myself, I’ve noticed an absence of some pretty important details on websites. Most often I notice these lacking details as I build out vendor lists for my wedding couples. I have a goal to send all their vendor images after the wedding AND also want to link to them on the blog and social media to give them credit for their work!
Which leads me to the point of this post… I want to share with you what I look for in every website, both as a professional AND as a consumer!
Before we begin though, I want you to open up your own website… as you read through this post, flip back and forth between your site & the list below to ensure that you are crossing all of your I’s and dotting all of your T’s! Is this EVERYTHING you need have on your website? Nope! BUT, I’ve found that these three tiny details are the most common items that I see missing on websites that could really be hurting business owners!
Ready? Got your tabs open? Perfect! Let’s do this…
Email Address
“But I have a contact form, right?!” Yes, it is so important to have a functioning contact form on your website, but just as much as that (if not more so!), you should also have an email address listed that you check regularly. I have my email address listed on my about page and also list it on my contact page as well.
A Photo of You
I say this all the time, but guess what? Your audience wants to get to know you… yes, YOU! In so many service-based industries like photography, floral design, wedding planning/coordination, web design, etc., a client spends a pretty long period of time getting to know the person or team that they will be working with. Yes, potential clients want to know who they are connecting with, but even more than that, you need to build trust. As humans, we are so much more likely to trust someone that we know. Without seeing your face, how can you expect someone to get to know you?!
Your website should have a current and professional picture of you somewhere on it! (If you need help with that, let me know!) I recommend placing this image as close to top of your homepage as possible and also recommend including another image of you on your about page. Your photo should be consistent with the style of the images on the rest of your site and should not have anything blocking your face.
Bonus points here: share a little bit about what makes you, you throughout your site!
Your Location & where you serve
This applies to every business, but especially to my friends in the in-person service world! You should always list your current location and the places you serve. Get as specific as you need! It always breaks my heart when I see gorgeous websites with amazingly talented business owners that I want to hire without a note on where someone is located… this creates confusion for potential clients and will cause more people to bounce. Please, please, please include where you are located on your website in multiple places! Right now, I have this listed on nearly every page on my website. If it isn’t listed on the page, you can always find the information in the footer.
A note here: even if you are a shop owner, online service provider, or destination service provider, list your location or the region you primarily serve somewhere on your site! Continuing from point #2 above… people want to get to know you, and this is a great way to begin fostering a connection with people!
Bonus: Easy Navigation
One more point before I let you go! All websites should have easy desktop and mobile navigation with a link back to the homepage. I’m always surprised to see how many sites do not have an easy way to get back to the homepage or have inconsistent or confusing navigation systems. When in doubt, keep it simple (Even if something else may be “prettier”).
As a bonus to this bonus point: DO have your social media links listed and current in multiple places on your site. Seriously… go check in on these now! I find it super beneficial to have these listed on my footer, allowing easy access to connecting with me beyond my website! You would be surprised by how many websites link to a dead link or the social media homepage, instead of social media profiles
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