As business owners, we know the importance of providing value to our clients.
But what does that mean when it comes to your website? How can you add value to your website?
First, let’s talk about why you might want to… Adding valuable, relevant pieces of content to your website can be extremely helpful to website visitors. And, it can be the start to a great business relationship. You can attract and retain more visitors, increase engagement, and ultimately drive more conversions.
Here’s an example. Let’s say you’re a fitness coach, and you create a downloadable eBook that includes 1 week of workouts and recipes – and you have that on your site for free! You’re not trying to sell website visitors anything, but next time the site visitor thinks about getting their fitness back on track, you’ll be the first business they think of.
The key to an effective website is developing trust with your viewers so that they turn to you and your business before anyone else. One of the ways you can start to build trust is by adding value.
Here are 5 ways you can add value to your website.
1. Frictionless access to resources.
Giving customers frictionless access to value-added extras makes them think of you first next time they need something in your industry. While it takes time to put together a really great resource list, the effort is definitely worth it.
Resources can include everything from helpful eBooks and brochures, to white papers and tutorial videos, all of which showcase your business’s expertise. They also help to build your reputation, and make you the go-to business for anything in your industry.
Making content ‘frictionless’ means removing any barriers to accessing that content. An example might be removing any forms (that ask for a name or email address) – that could be a deterrent to someone downloading an asset.
2. Make your website fast.
Attention is the currency of the internet, and it’s in shorter supply than ever before. Website visitors will typically only give you their attention for a few seconds, so it’s up to you to make sure those seconds count.
A slow loading website can cost you business over time, so it’s a good idea to keep your content focused. Analyze your website speed and find out where you can make improvements. Some ways to start are reducing image sizes or compressing files. A faster website can also improve your search engine rankings and increase your website’s visibility.
And don’t just think about speed in terms of loading time – make sure to keep your copy concise as well.
3. Build relationships.
Your website has the potential to be a great communication tool. Websites often work best when they engage visitors and become more of a two-way street, instead of a vehicle for sales copy. Here are some ideas to start using your website to build relationships:
- Start a newsletter to help you cultivate relationships, offer deals, inform readers about new products or services, or share industry news.
- Add a blog and share expertise, advice, and relevant topics of conversation with website visitors. Frequently updating your blog can also give you an edge in search results.
- Leverage social media. Add links to your Instagram, Facebook, TikTok or Twitter from your blog. When you have a healthy presence on social media, website visitors can begin to see “behind the curtain”, which helps build trust.
4. Add an automated booking system or interactive calendar.
How many businesses have you dealt with that are difficult to get a hold of and actually make a booking?
Having an interactive calendar or booking system integrated into your website can make your business more efficient, and can remove friction when customers want to make a booking. With an automated booking system, your customer can get an automatic confirmation via email once they’ve booked. It’s less work for you as well!
5. Create personalized website experiences.
Creating landing pages, blog posts or other forms of content that are personalized to the visitor is an effective way to add value to your website. By using data such as location, browsing history, search behavior or interests, you can provide personalized recommendations, content, offers or web pages that are relevant and customized to each visitor. This can help increase engagement, time spent on your website, and ultimately, win you more business.
At the end of the day, adding elements to your website that aims to help your website visitor is what will be the most effective. Once a visitor feels they are being sold to, the value starts to decrease.
By creating and sharing high-quality content, optimizing your website speed, and removing friction, you can increase engagement on your website, add more value, and win more business.
