The 5 Elements of a Powerful Website
Your website has the potential to be one of the most powerful marketing and conversion tools for growing your business. But not all websites are created equal. Here are the 5 essential elements of a website that works.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. When you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, I receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). Affiliate links are marked with an asterisk (*).
1. Purpose & Focus
Defining the purpose of your business is probably something you did before you even filed as an LLC but if it’s not, now is the time to get crystal clear about who you serve and how you serve them. Don’t be afraid to niche down. The more narrow you focus, the easier it will be to attract your ideal clients and customers.
It’s important to clearly communicate your purpose on your website. You’ll do this primarily through copywriting (which we’ll get to in a minute) but your visuals (branding and photography) should also support this, albeit in a less explicit way.
2. Visual Branding
Visual branding includes your primary and alternate logos, submarkets, brand colors, fonts, illustrations, patterns, and the overall aesthetic of your brand.
I strongly recommend working with a skilled brand designer to develop your brand visuals. Unless you’re a designer, going the DIY route doesn’t usually work out too well. Two of my favorite brand designers are Erin Johnson of Kindled and Kindred and MacKenzie Kuhns of Reverie House Studio.
3. Photography
Beautiful, on-brand photos are absolutely essential. When it comes to photography, you have 3 options:
Take the photos yourself.
Hire a professional photographer.
Use high-quality stock photos.
I only recommend going the DIY route if you’re a skilled photographer. And even then, it can be difficult to take portraits of yourself. For this, you’ll likely have to find someone to help you out.
There are also a number of places you can find beautiful stock photos to use on your website. Check out this list of my favorite stock photography websites and my guide on how to choose the perfect stock photos for your website.
4. Copywriting
Visuals are important but the words you write are what will sell people on your product or service. If you’re not confident in your own writing ability, I recommend either working with a professional or taking a course to improve your skills.
If you want to write your own copy, start with my copywriting guide. I also recommend Ray Edwards’ book How to Write Copy That Sells*.
Two professional copywriters I love are Kayla Hollatz and Ashlyn Carter. Ashlyn has an enormously popular course called Copywriting for Creatives, which is a great place to start for DIYers.
5. Strategic Design
Strategic design pulls together all of the previous elements we’ve talked about into a cohesive whole. It’s about leading your audience on a customer journey from discovery to purchase.
As a strategic web designer, I strongly believe that working with a professional will get you the best results. So if you’re ready to build a website that converts more visitors into paying clients and customers, book a free 30-minute discovery call and let’s chat about how we can make that happen.
