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Are you ready to rumble?
With our next monthly episode of Website Throwdown just under a week away (HubSpot’s Luke Summerfield is our guest, don’t miss it!), I wanted to take a minute to share some of the biggest takeaways from last month’s broadcast.
Joined by Brent Summers, Digital Telepathy’s Director of Marketing & Content, we critiqued a variety of different websites selling everything from legal services to bacon-scented soap for men.
While the businesses came from drastically different industries, as always, there were several valuable UX lessons that Marketers from all walks of life could learn from.
Here are 6 of most prominent, ready and waiting for your retweet.
1. “Bring industry proof to the forefront. That helps build trust and credibility instantly.”
Bring industry proof to the forefront. That helps build trust and credibility instantly. #WebsiteThrowdown
— IMPACT (@Impactbnd) September 29, 2015
You know what they say; if you’ve got it, flaunt it.
If your users, peers, associates, or past and current clients have nice things to say about you, capitalize on that to build new relationships.
Showcase your social proof (be it testimonials, case studies, partner logos, certification logos, or industry awards) prominently on your homepage or landing pages. Seeing this early on in their journey, will help you form a credible, trustworthy image in your audience’s minds from the get-go and ultimately support your case when it comes time to convert.
2. “Use real photography and imagery for more credibility.”
Use real photography and imagery for more credibility. #WebsiteThrowdown
— IMPACT (@Impactbnd) September 29, 2015
Imagery and photography on your website can be a powerful tool in building credibility as well.
Whether it is a hero on your homepage or in a gallery on your careers page, strive to use high-quality, real photography of your team and offices.
Original photography feels more authentic. It helps humanize your brand for your audience and build trust by showing them exactly what to expect when working with your company and teams.
As our CSO, Tom DiScipio, discusses on the Throwdown, you don’t want people seeing an obvious stock photo on your site and say to themselves “that person doesn’t even work here!”
If you must use stock photography, try lesser known sites like those listed here, and look for options that truly align with your brand’s values and culture.
3. “Always follow-up! Show or send your user confirmation of their actions.”
Always follow-up! Show or send your user confirmation of their actions. #WebsiteThrowdown #CRO
— IMPACT (@Impactbnd) September 29, 2015
You know that annoyed feeling you get when you text or call someone and they never respond?
That’s the feeling you want to avoid giving your user when they are on your website.
Have your website respond to your responses interactions. Give them confirmation of the actions they take using subtle, visual cues. For example, if they hover over a link or button, have it change colors. If they scroll onto a menu, highlight it.
Similarly, if they fill out a form, take them to a page that says that it went through successfully and follow-up with an email. These little affirmations, provide reassurance and “delight” by making the cyber experience feel more tangible and secure.
4. “Always have a call-to-action readily available so people convert as soon as they're ready.”
Always have a call-to-action readily available so people convert as soon as they're ready. #Websitethrowdown #UX #CRO
— IMPACT (@Impactbnd) September 29, 2015
When people are ready to work with you, don’t make them hunt for how to do so. Reduce friction and make conversion as easy and convenient as possible by always having a bottom-of-the-funnel CTA button within reach.
To accomplish this without being spammy, make sure that you have a BOFU CTA in your website header and footer. You can also consider adding one in a sticky-navigation bar; that way whenever the mood to reach out strikes your user, the option to do so will be right in front of them.
5. “Optimize for the human first, then think about search engines.”
Optimize for the human first, then think about search engines. #WebsiteThrowdown #SEO
— IMPACT (@Impactbnd) September 29, 2015
SEO-friendly content is nothing if no one ends up reading it. So, optimize for humans first. Know your buyer persona and cater your website to their wants and needs.
Write copy that addresses their pain points and reflects value that will resonate with them. Design your user interface and experience around how they are actually browsing.
Showing true understanding of your persona and what they want out of your brand through your website will reduce friction and make people much more likely to convert.
6. “Differentiate yourself. If your homepage says the same thing as all your competitors, why should they choose you?”
Differentiate yourself. If your homepage says the same thing as all your competitors, why should they choose you? #websitethrowdown
— IMPACT (@Impactbnd) September 29, 2015
In other words, make your unique value clear when visitors first arrive on your site.
Remarking on the website of a law firm, our Marketing pros explained how certain industries are in desperate need of differentiation.
What is it that sets one law firm apart from another? They both show a courtroom and promise the same things in their copy; How do you choose one over the other?
Define your value proposition and showcase it prominent on your homepage and throughout your website. The most effective are short sentences that answer questions:
- What do you do?
- Who do you service?
- How do you do it differently from our competition?
Jump in the Ring!
Submit your site and tune in next week on Tuesday, October 20th at 2:00PM EST to see our Founder & CEO, Bob Ruffolo, Partner & Chief Strategy Officer, Tom DiScipio, and Luke Summerfield of the HubSpot Growth Team give their unbridled feedback on this month’s crop of viewer-submitted sites.
While not all submissions can make the broadcast, feel free to join us in the audience to gain valuable Marketing and Design insight you can adapt for your website strategy right away. Also, make sure to join the conversation using and monitoring #WebsiteThrowdown on Twitter.
We’ll see you ringside!
Free: Assessment
