5 worst mistakes service-providers make on their websites and how you can avoid them
Creating a website for your coaching, consulting, freelance or service-based business can feel really daunting.
First, you have to pick a platform, decide what you want to put on your website, and then actually build the whole thing. It’s not like you started your business to become a graphic designer, copywriter, website designer, developer and marketing expert (unless of course, you did, but even then I bet you didn’t plan on mastering all of these skills!)
So you probably muddled through DIYing your website using free templates and a lot of Googling. Which is great because it got you this far!
But now you’re wondering what all of that hard work was for.
You see people coming to your website, but it seems like the ghost you as soon as they arrive because they never seem to actually reach out to you, and certainly aren’t booking your services through your website!
It might seem like the idea of having client inquiries flooding through your website was a pipe dream, and you may even be considering not renewing your website when the hosting expires.
But, it’s not all for nothing!
You may be simply making a few of these super common mistakes that many DIYers struggle with and are actually super simple to fix to get your website back on track to converting those dreamy visitors into your next clients!
Here are the 5 most common mistakes service-providers make on their websites and how you can avoid or fix them
1. Not having a clear Call to Action on every page of your website
The whole point of your website is to drive clients to work with you, right?
So it’s your job to clearly signpost to potential clients exactly what they need to do to take the first step to working with you. Whether that’s book a discovery call, fill in your contact form or even a more advanced application.
You don’t want to leave any space for questions or convulsions when someone is actually considering getting in touch!
So, adding a clear Call to Action on every single page of your website will ensure that if someone does think you’re the perfect fit, they know exactly what to do next.
And that’s not to say every page needs to lead to your contact page! Sometimes the best next step for a warm lead is to take them to another page on your website to learn more about what you have to offer.
Often on your About page, for example, it might be a bit too early to send people straight to your Contact page. So why not send them to your services overview page, or even a sales page, now they have a sense of who they might be working with it seems logical that their next step would be to look into the different offers you have available to help them.
Finally, make sure those Calls to Actions are super clear and impossible to miss.
A button is always a good idea, but if you do choose to use linked text make sure it’s visually different from your regular text to catch those potential clients’ attention. And always make sure to use super obvious language on your buttons or links, so there is absolutely no question about where they’ll be heading if they do click.
2. Your website is hard to navigate
Once you've got someone on your website, you don't want to make it any harder than necessary to help them move forward towards working with you.
Again, we’re trying to remove any friction from the experience of moving closer to working with you.
So, keep your top menu super streamlined. Ideally, you’ll want no more than 5-7 links maximum in your top navigation menu, and that’s including your logo that links to your homepage! The idea is the top menu is the high-level journey you want to lead your potential clients on from being a total stranger, to getting to know you, getting to know your services, and then ultimately reaching out to work with you.
It’s also a great idea to make good use of your footer (the bottom section of your website). This is the perfect place to share any commonly used links that don’t make sense to include in your top navigation. This not only keeps your top menu nice and clean, but it’s another nice way to save your potential clients the time hunting down links to your other pages since we’re now fairly conditioned to scroll down to look in the footer for all the other important links.
Speaking of links, make sure your links and buttons are really visually obvious and that all language on your links is toddler-level easy to understand. When someone is preparing to click on something on your website the last thing we want is to have them stop and wonder where that link will take them!
And finally, stick to website best practices. Basically, make a website that looks and behaves like the websites we’re used to seeing. Breaking the mold with your website design might sound exciting but if a potential client doesn’t know how to use your website they won’t likely stick around to figure it out…
3. Your website is not written for your ideal client
People are selfish (for the most part!) and they're on your website looking for a solution to their problem.
So if you're writing all about yourself, your process and your deliverables - you're making your potential client work a whole lot harder to figure out how any of this applies to them.
Write directly to and for your client, and you'll be that much closer to capturing their attention. You’re also taking quite a bit of mental energy off their plates by literally telling them that your services are for them!
Hint, a quick way to check if you’re writing for your ideal client is to make sure you are using the word “you” more than “I”.
By using terms they’re familiar with (so avoid any jargon), keeping sentences short and to the point, and using any opportunity you can to make your website speak specifically to their problems, experiences and desired outcomes, you are tailoring their experience of using your website so it feels perfectly fit just for them!
4. Not sharing the information clients are looking for on your website
Like in the point above, we don't want to make your potential clients work to figure out if you can help them.
Share all of the pertinent details about your offers on your sales pages.
Make sure you actually spell out who each service is good for, and even who isn’t a good fit.
Answer frequently asked questions directly on the page to save people needing to reach out to you to find out more.
And if you can share your prices on your website you’ll go a long way to building trust with your potential clients and ensuring that they are actually a good fit for your services. If you don’t feel 100% comfortable listing your prices on your website, or you offer custom packages, even adding a starting at price will help people pre-qualify if you're remotely in their budget which saves everyone time!
5. Not including a way to actually book a call / contact you on your website
Once you've got someone eager to work with you, you want it to be crazy easy for them to do so!
You don’t want them getting distracted as they copy and paste your email address to write you an email or noting down your phone number.
Including an appointment scheduler such as Acuity Scheduling or Calendly on client's website is a great way to empower your interested potential clients to book in their discovery call with you, and saves you both a ton of time emailing back and forth before booking in a call.
For good measure, you can even include a second method to contact you just in case your potential client isn’t quite ready to book a call or fill in a contact form.
Want to make sure your website is pulling it’s weight? Grab my free Website Self-Audit Guide to see if you’re missing opportunities for your website to work harder to make you money in your business!
