When it comes to creating a website, many business owners focus on the design or optimizing it for search results.
In reality, the Wix websites that are the most successful take into account three things:
Design - with a focus on answering the five W's
Usability - site is easy-to-navigate, functions as expected & guides a visitor
SEO - site is optimized for target keywords & can be found in search results
Website Design
Your design should look professional and clean (uncluttered - less is more). It should feature colors and fonts that compliment your brand, as well as images that show:
You/your team (humanize your brand & put a face to the name)
Your client in their current state (showcase the problem they're experiencing)
Your client in their future state (showcase what life will be like after working with you)
You can also feature decorative images that go with your theme (for example, landscape photos, or abstract imagery), but these images are there to be a decorative backdrop to your main content.
A nicely designed website will help to build trust with a visitor because it shows them that you are willing to invest in your brand, intend to stick around, and care about how you are perceived.
Answering the 5 W's:
What You Do - explain in 1-2 sentences what you do without using terms that only your industry would know
Who It's For - be specific so a visitor reading it will think "hey, that's me!"
Why They Need It - communicate what problem you solve and how much better life will be after working with you
Why Trust You - share what differentiates you from the competition, as well as awards, certificates and years of experience
What to Do Next - this is usually above the footer and should guide a visitor to either learn more, book a call or make a purchase
Website Usability
This is often forgotten in favor of creating an unusual website, or focusing solely on optimizing the site for target keywords.
At the end of the day, your website needs to be easy to use and support a visitor in completing the goal (reaching out to learn more, booking an appointment, subscribing to your newsletter, or completing a purchase).
No matter how beautiful your website is, if it's confusing, you will not get the conversions you had hoped.
Key Usability Areas to Pay Attention To?
Header displays contact information and your logo, which links to your homepage
Navigation displays key pages and each page title is linked to a page
Main banner or slideshow features buttons that link to pages within the website
Buttons are linked and easy to click
Site is optimized for mobile devices
Visitor can submit a form, book an appointment, or complete a purchase
Offering a pinned chat feature, back to top button, or book a call button
Compelling messaging that helps guide a visitor to the next logical part of the site
Website SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
You can have a great looking website that is easy to use, but if no one can find it, you wont get the results you'd hoped.
SEO might sound overwhelming when you're just starting out, but if you look at it as organizing content on your website with the goal of making it easier for your audience to find you on the internet, it's less daunting.
Quick tips to help you when building your site:
Pay attention to the text you use for your titles, headings and descriptions and make sure the copy you include is relevant, features target keywords, and is compelling to your audience
Describe non decorative images through alt text so screen readers and bots know what's depicted in an image
Focus on using descriptive keywords or keyphrases
Make sure the site is optimized for mobile
Include a blog and prepare to create content
Your not just creating a website for bots crawling the site, it's important that a visitor also has a good experience and gets the information they need!
The great news is Wix offers many great built-in features for SEO, which will make your life easier. To learn more about SEO & discover some top Wix SEO Tips, click here.
If you're more familiar with SEO and are ready to jump in, start with optimizing your site for local search. Even if you service a wider area, targeting a specific location is going to benefit you, as keyword phrases that include the location (for example, "running springs dog walker vs "dog walker") will have less competition compared to just the product or service.
Need Help Creating Your Wix Website?
We can help! We're Wix Legend Experts with 17 years experience in building successful businesses online. Book a free strategy session with our team to get started.
Click here to view our portfolio and see more successful Wix websites!
