Book more right-fit clients with your website: a before and after case study
In this episode, I’m diving into a before and after case study, addressing the common question of converting website traffic into clients. I’m sharing my approach to evaluating websites for their potential to convert and strategically moving the right fit visitors towards taking action and becoming clients. I share detailed before and afters for each section of the website so you can see how important functionality and strategic design are in website optimization and avoiding common pitfalls that hinder conversion, and the effective implementation of client testimonials.
Timestamps:
[00:00:46] The importance of optimizing your site for conversions
[00:02:39] Walking through a website before and after focused on converting visitors into clients
[00:03:36] Highlighting common website design mistakes through a chiropractor website example
[00:13:13] Designing a website that creates a powerful first impression and helps us book new clients
[00:13:48] Showcasing how you can design a website that looks great and encourages people to book with you thorugh an update design example
[00:24:17] The top things your website needs in order to convert more leads into clients
[00:26:00] Next steps you can do for your website today
[00:26:44] How my Website Design VIP Day focuses on strategy and design
Key Takeaways:
Converting website traffic into clients
Evaluating websites for conversion potential
Strategic design for conversion optimization
Avoiding confusion and information overload
Focusing on client needs in website design
Recommending client testimonials on websites
Crafting concise and effective call-to-action sections
[00:00:00] One of the number one questions that I get asked when I am talking to people about their websites is how they can take the traffic that is coming to their site and actually get those people to convert into clients.
[00:00:19] Today I am going to be sharing how I look at websites to see if they are going to convert for your business, and making sure that when somebody who is the right fit for your business lands on your site, they are moved along strategically so that they can then take action towards becoming a client.
The importance of optimizing your site for conversions
[00:00:46] You don't want people getting lost on your site or deciding that they will come back later and never actually making it back. The goal of your website ultimately is to get people onto your client calendar so that you can have a more profitable business and so that you can serve those people. I want to share how I look at conversion optimization in website design.
[00:01:25] The first mistake that I see people making when they are designing their website is that they're just thinking about how it looks or they are just concerned with getting something online. When you are getting started in your business, you want to have some kind of online presence so that you can look professional, like you're a legitimate business, but having a website that is just there, even if it looks really nice, is not going to move your business forward.
[00:02:05] So when we think about design for a website, we have to think about the functionality of that website. We have to make sure that it's strategically designed to get people onto your client calendar and not just have them see a place that they can learn a little bit more about your business or that looks pretty.
[00:02:31] No design is worth the investment if it's not actually giving you profitability in your business.
Walking through a website before and after focused on converting visitors into clients
[00:02:39] What I'm gonna do is walk through an example of a website that I see a lot in business. We're going to go through the homepage of a chiropractor website in this case, but this applies to so many service-based businesses who have created a website just to have something online that is available for their clients to find them, but isn't thought through when it comes to conversion optimization.
[00:03:11] If you are listening to this podcast, I'm going to be describing everything on here, but you can also go to my website or go to YouTube and see the actual design so that you can have a better idea of what we're talking about here.
[00:03:27] This is just a generic site that I created, uh, for what I see a lot of people doing in business.
Before: Complicated menus with too many links
[00:03:36] At the top, you'll see they've got their business name, and then they've got a lot of links in their main menu with information about their services and the different ways that they work with people, and they've got a blog and they've got a contact page. There's a lot going on.
Before: Headline focuses on the business instead of the client
[00:03:53] And then you get into the actual content of the website, and the website is focusing on their business and their reputation instead of focusing on client struggles. So when we get to the after, I can show you what that's going to look like. But you'll notice here we are talking more about being the number one chiropractor than we are about our clients.
Before: Subheadings that are too long and multiple options for next steps
[00:04:22] The next mistake that I see is we're giving people just too much content on our websites. We're using really long subheadings. We're giving them multiple call to action buttons at the beginning of the site, so people are getting confused.
[00:04:40] I talk about this a lot on the show, and I talk about this with my clients: if you want a website that is going to convert people, you need to know what the number one goal of your site is, and you need to always be moving them towards that goal.
[00:04:58] So when you want to get somebody who is the right fit onto your client calendar, we don't want to confuse them with multiple buttons. We want to give them one call to action, one button that leads them to the consultation call or the application for working with you.
[00:05:22] We wanna make it easy because people do not want to have to make decisions. Especially when they are coming to you because they need help now. They want that transformation now. We don't want them to get lost in 'oh, do I need this or that? Do I need to make sure that they cover this exact thing that I'm looking for?' We wanna make it really simple for them to make a decision, yes or no, based on you, how your business runs, and what you specialize in.
Before: Focusing on you and your credentials instead of addressing your clients' concerns
[00:05:59] The next thing that I see on websites is right after we have that headline section, we start focusing on who you are as a business owner instead of who your clients are.
[00:06:10] So in this example, we are focusing on the chiropractor who is running this business and going through an entire story, four paragraphs worth of content about. Her history, her training, what she is up to, what she enjoys.
[00:06:31] And I know that this is so common, right? We want to connect with the people that we're going to be working one-on-one with. There is a time and a place for that, and it is certainly not on the homepage of your website.
[00:06:45] When you are designing your website to convert people, you want to show them that you understand them and move them forward. We don't want them to get caught up in reading long sections of text.
Before: Sharing too many details about your services, the conditions you treat, or your industry
[00:07:00] Next, what I see a lot is that we focus so much on the details that we give too much information. So in this next section, what I see a lot of businesses do is have a conditions we treat or services we offer, and instead of making it really simple for people to see, 'yes, I fall in this category or that category', we are giving them a list of absolutely everything that we can do in business. And we are giving them so many words to read through, which people do not have time for when they want to make a decision quickly.
[00:07:39] In this instance, we are giving them six different conditions that we treat with images here that are not consistent with the brand design. They're not consistent with one another. And in this example, the paragraphs under the descriptions aren't even the same length. And so we are creating something that is not pleasing to the eye. They are having to figure out whether they fall under one of these things and we're just giving them too much information.
[00:08:06] This is such a trap that I see people fall into when they are experts in their fields, is they give people too much information because they want to communicate, 'I understand you. I do have expertise in this.' But people don't need all of this in order to make a decision towards moving forward with working with you.
Before: Testimonials that take up too much space and distract from the goal
[00:08:31] The next problem that I see on websites is one of two things. Either there are no client testimonials or we are including too many. So in this instance, we have a client testimonial section, which is great, but we are listing them one on top of the other. In this case, there are three and then there's a button to go read more client testimonials.
[00:08:56] I love having testimonials on websites. I tell everybody to make sure they have at least one on every page of their site. But what can happen is if we don't design strategically, we spend a lot of the real estate of our site talking about those testimonials, just listing them out instead of giving people the option to read them and then moving them to the next section.
[00:09:27] I never recommend sending people to a more testimonials page on a website unless they are looking at a portfolio because you do something that is visual. We can include testimonials throughout the pages. We can include case studies on our sites that people can navigate to.
[00:09:49] But when they're just landing on your homepage, they just need to see that you have worked with other clients, that you understand what clients need, and that they are giving you a recommendation because of the way that you work and the results that they've gotten. We don't need to list out 20 different reviews trying to prove to people that we are in fact a real business and that we can help people.
Before: Giving visitors multiple options for next steps instead of one clear choice
[00:10:20] This next section on the website is a final call to action section, which is great. I always like to wrap up with a call to action, but what I see people do here is, again, they're too wordy. They've got too many words. They've got an entire paragraph of text, and then they have multiple calls to action where you are sending people to call to schedule an appointment, or you are sending them to learn more about a new patient special. Choose one call to action and use it throughout the page.
Before: Making leads call you to schedule an appointment
[00:10:53] The other thing that I see on a lot of websites is we are still pushing people to make a call to schedule an appointment, and I will talk about this more in depth in another episode, but people do not want to get on the phone with you anymore.
[00:11:14] If at all possible, you should make your call to action something that they can do directly on the computer, that they do not have to take another step to pull out their phone or get on a call and then sit on hold. If you can allow people to schedule online with a scheduling software, please do that.
[00:11:38] Even if you then have to email them with a confirmation that that time is available, people are much more likely to book with you if they can do it without ever having to talk with somebody directly over the phone and sit on hold and wait for that.
Before: Using a location map in your footer
[00:11:57] Many businesses also wrap up their websites with a big map of where they're located. And while I appreciate this if people are coming to your office, we don't need to make this front and center on your website.
Before: A footer with too many or irrelevant links
[00:12:13] And then we wrap up with the footer of the site, which generally has way too many links and way too much information.
[00:12:20] Again, we want to make sure that we are directing people to that one call to action to book with us as a client, and we're giving them just enough links that they can find the things on the website that they need. People do not need your phone number, your fax number, your address, all of this information in the footer of your site.
[00:12:39] You should be focusing even your footer on getting people the information that they actually need in order to make a decision. And that means we can condense a lot of stuff on your site to focus more on your clients and what they need and less on what your business is all about and throwing all of that information on them in hopes that they will understand that you are an expert in what you do.
Designing a website that creates a powerful first impression and helps us book new clients
[00:13:13] Okay, so you've seen the before and again, if you are listening to this on the podcast, I've walked through it, but you can see these examples in the show notes. Let's talk about what it looks like after. Let's talk about what you could do to create a really powerful website with similar content that is actually going to be designed to convert more clients into your business. How do we design something that looks great and gets people onto our client calendar?
After: A simple menu and easier navigation
[00:13:48] Here is the after, and this is a big change with the images, with the layout, and also with the amount of content.
[00:13:58] So we'll start at the top. We're still including the business name as a logo, but we have condensed significantly the number of links in the main menu.
[00:14:09] So instead of having all the conditions we can treat and all the ways that we can work with people, we have now condensed to an About Us page where you can talk about not only your business, but also any of your staff. We're talking about services, which is going to include information about all of the things that you work on instead of having individual pages for those. We have a Blog that is labeled as blog, so that is very clear what that page is about. And then we have a Contact page.
[00:14:41] And remember, the whole goal of this website is to get people to book an appointment, and in this case, they are booking an appointment through an online scheduling software.
After: A headline that focuses on what the clients needs and an image to highlight their ideal outcome
[00:14:52] As you scroll down, what you'll see is that we've changed up this headline and the image so that we are focusing more on what somebody is struggling with and what they want their life to look like. So instead of "Genovia's #1 Chiropractor," we are saying, "Don't Let Pain Hold You Back."
[00:15:11] And we're using an image that shows the life outcome that somebody wants when they come to work with you. So in this case, when they work with a chiropractor, what they want is to be pain free. They want to have a holistic approach to wellness, and they want to be able to live their life and enjoy their family.
After: A single button with a clear next step
[00:15:36] I've also condensed the call to action buttons down to just one where we're saying, schedule your appointment. In this case, that would be going to a scheduling page where they could do that directly on the site.
After: Connecting with clients with your approach
[00:15:50] The next section is instead of talking about the doctor running the clinic, we are talking about the mission behind the business. Why does this all matter to us? Therefore, why should it matter to them?
[00:16:05] So in this case, we're saying "long-term wellness for the whole family. We're a business that's focused on serving families," and then we're talking about providing comprehensive care, a holistic approach, lifestyle adjustments, all the things that people are going to be looking for as keywords to say, 'yes, this is a business that I am aligned with.'
After: Focus on the outcome your client wants
[00:16:26] The next section, instead of talking about the conditions that we treat, we're actually going to be talking about what is most important to these people, and that is the approach to how you approach your business.
[00:16:42] So the headline here is "Get Your Life Back," and then we are talking about life without pain, a holistic approach and prevention as treatment. These are things that people are going to connect with because this is what they are looking for if they are reaching out to a chiropractor. They don't want to be put on more medications or have to go through all of these different doctors to get answers. They want to live without pain. They want to give their life back, and they want to do it naturally and holistically.
[00:17:15] Instead of having six different conditions, we have three different columns here with images, a short headline, and then a description underneath that just talks about that headline so that you are reaching those people. You're talking about what it is that you do, what your overall approach is. You're getting in those keywords in that content without overwhelming them with the information that will make them wonder, 'okay, do I fall into this category or that category?'
[00:17:46] This is more about do we align in our values and in the way we work? And then again, we are including a call to action to schedule an appointment because at this point people could be saying, okay, I like the way that they approach this. I like their business. I like that they treat families. I am going to click and book an appointment.
After: Highlighting the main pain points your clients is facing as a bullet-point list
[00:18:10] Then the next section we do talk about some of the things that we could be addressing. So I've created a headline here that says, "no matter the cause we can help," and it includes those same pieces from that conditions we treat on the before, but it's just in a bullet point list so we can treat back pain, neck mobility, headaches, and migraines. But we've condensed all of that so people can really skim and see, 'okay, I have this issue. I understand that we can work with this' and move on, because they don't need all of the details about how you're going to do that.
[00:18:51] I've also included another image here, and in this case the design throughout is using the circular design and then this kind of spine graphic. We are including that throughout so that the design also looks really nice and clean and simple and is recognizable and doesn't feel like just another website that somebody threw up that was built in the year 2000.
After: Testimonials in a carousel
[00:19:18] Then we get into testimonials. I told you I want testimonials on your site, but I don't want them to take up all the space. What I like to do is create a slider, a carousel of testimonials so they can see that you've got "real clients, real results" as the headline, there is a testimonial here, and then they can choose to scroll through to see other testimonials if they are interested, but we're not taking up a ton of real estate on this section of the site.
After: A short bio and link to the about page
[00:19:50] Now is when we go into actually getting to know the person behind the business. So this is where we are doing your short bio introduction, and I do mean short. In this case we've got a headline, we've got two paragraphs, and then a link to the about page where they can learn more. You could make this as small as one paragraph.
[00:20:13] In this case, you would be sending them to another page if they are concerned about your credentials and they want to learn about your business, some people aren't even gonna need that. They have already been sold because they understand your approach, they understand your philosophy, and they agree and they're ready to book. We do want to give them that option in case they want to learn more about you and your history and everything.
[00:20:36] So this section has a headline with your name. It's got a short description about your history and what you believe in, and then it has an image of you that fits with the rest of the style of the site. And we've got a call to action button that would lead to the about page.
[00:20:55] If you're not looking at this on the computer screen, I want to note that this button is not the same intense blue as the rest of them. It's a much lighter button because it's not the main call to action. We want to give them that option, but we don't want them to see it as the of the same importance as booking an appointment.
[00:21:17] For user experience, we want these decisions to be easy. If one button is going to be a bold blue color and the other is going to be white with just an outline, people are much more likely to click on that bold colored button. And when we decide that's the call to actually, we want people to take, we are making it easy for their brains to see that and make that decision.
After: A list of blog posts to highlight your expertise
[00:21:43] The next section that I've actually added to this website is the blog. So when we have content to share, it is very helpful in highlighting your expertise in connecting with people. And I always recommend that businesses have blogs because it helps so much with search engine results.
[00:22:07] In this case, we have three different blog posts that would have a small image, a headline, and an excerpt, and it's also designed to follow that same kind of spinal alignment graphic that gives it just a little bit more interest and doesn't make it a standard chiropractor doctor website.
After: A final call to action focusing on the transformation you offer and an easy next step
[00:22:32] Then we get into that final call to action section. But in this case, we have made it an image that again represents the life that your clients want to have. We've changed the headline to "take the first step today" and changed the call to action to "schedule your appointment" so that people are really understanding what they're going to do when they click on that button and they see what they're working towards.
[00:22:57] This makes it super easy to make a decision on whether or not you want to click that button and schedule your appointment, because we are always addressing the clients and their pain points and the transformation that they are looking for.
After: A footer with only the most important links
[00:23:14] And then finally when we get down to the footer, I've condensed this so that we have a couple of important links. Again, we have our logo for the business, and in this case I've included a newsletter section. So the main call to action for the site is to get people to book an appointment, but not everybody's going to be ready for that. So if you have something like a newsletter to send them to, you can include that in the footer without it feeling like you have to throw every different way people can connect with you throughout your site.
[00:23:46] The footer is a great place to just include your newsletter for people that scroll down that far and want to sign up.
[00:23:53] And then I have an Instagram feed. I like to include Instagram feeds on websites. It gives people another way to connect with you if they're not ready to schedule an appointment, and then you can continue to show up. You can showcase your personality, your approach, your philosophy behind your business, and that will continue to build trust until they are ready to say yes with working with you.
The top things your website needs in order to convert more leads into clients
[00:24:17] Okay, so as we've reviewed these pages, you'll notice a couple of things. One, I always want you to know what the number one goal of your website is, and your call to action on for everything throughout that page should be focused on getting people to take that action.
[00:24:34] Next, consider the amount of content that you actually need to be sharing for people to make their decision. Do not overwhelm them by listing out every condition you treat, every service you offer, and them having to feel like they have to make a decision. Make it easy for them to see your philosophy, your personality, to see if that is going to be a good fit.
[00:24:58] And then once you get them booked into an appointment, you'll be able to work with them to decide on the right service, the right care plan, the right way for to work together and move forward. That's going to be so much more helpful for your clients because you are the expert at what they need. They just know that they need their problem solved.
[00:25:23] The next thing that I want you to consider is making the design very simple. Don't spend too much space on any one's section. We want people to keep moving. We want them to be easily able to scroll down and get the information they need in order to make a decision.
[00:25:43] And then always, always end your page in a final call to action so that if they've gotten that far, if they have read everything that there is, they are not going to bounce off of your site because there wasn't that final reminder to take action.
Evaluate your website's homepage and see where you need to make adjustments
[00:26:00] You can start working on this today by just evaluating the homepage of your site and seeing if there is a headline that addresses what they, your clients are actually looking to solve, if you have very strategic buttons to lead people to the next step, if you are including too much information. Start by evaluating that on your website and then you can move forward in small steps so that you can, over time, see an increased number of conversions from the people that have already landed onto your site knowing that they're a right fit, and then moving towards the goal of becoming a client with you.
My Website Design VIP Day focuses on strategically converting right-fit leads into clients
[00:26:44] This is a huge part of what I do in my VIP Day process. We start by figuring out what it is that you want people to do on their, your website, and then we design strategically to make sure that people are taking that action.
[00:27:03] And while we're doing that, we are also updating the design so that it really does showcase your brand and your personality and make a beautiful site that is customized to you and that is going to help your business to grow without having to spend a ton of time on marketing.
[00:27:26] Many of my clients are referral based and so a transformation for their website helps those referrals, when they come to their site, see right away whether or not this business is a right fit. It looks professional, it's easy to use, and they understand what they need to do to move forward towards being your client.
[00:27:49] If you're interested in learning more about a VIP Day, you can email me. You can send me a DM on Instagram, or you can always fill out my application if you're ready to move forward at lemonthesea.com/VIPday.
