The Power of an Authentic Website in Attracting Your Ideal Clients
Can you think of a store that you love going to just because you love spending time there? I can think of a few! Chapters/Indigo (if you’re in Canada I’m sure you feel the same way), Anthropology or any crystal store I stumble upon.
There’s a reason we feel drawn to these stores. A reason why we feel like spending more time there. And that reason is, because we feel connected to their brand. We are in alignment with the energy we feel when we are in these stores.
Your website can work in that exact same way! Your website can attract your ideal clients and keep them browsing. And if your website really resonates with them, and they feel the same way you do when you’re browsing those crystals or books, they will want to keep coming back. And the more they keep coming back, the more they will learn about you and your services and want to work with you. Not to mention, the fact that they are returning is great for SEO!
Now, you might be thinking “that’s great Harj, but how do I build an authentic website?”
It all starts with a vision my friend. A vision for how you want to support your clients and how you want them to feel. And then we take that vision and interpret it into a website designed just for you (and your ideal customers!)
These 4 things will help you stand out with an authentic website
- Images
- Copy
- Branding
- Design Layout
Images
I have said it before and I will say it a million more times: Images will make or break your website! I cannot emphasize this enough. You can take the exact same branding and website layout and plug in great images in one and not so great images in another. And I am telling you, that website will go from looking gorgeous to being a doormat.
That’s how strongly I believe this! I mean, it’s basically a fact..
You are your business and you should have images of you on your website. Meaning a brand shoot is probably necessary. Now you don’t have to hire the most expensive photographer and buy the most expensive clothes. Do this however it works best for you! If you have a friend with a camera then have them take the pictures. The only thing I don’t want you to do is use images off of your phone. Even though smart phones have great quality, the sizing is not correct for your website when viewed on desktop. And we are not into blurry images on this corner of the internet!
If you’re a Schitt’s Creek fan you may remember all of the “incorrect” things David Rose pointed out to Patrick and Stevie in their store. Including his boyfriends shoes! It’s the same thing, using Iphone photos on your website… is incorrect!
Also think about the location and what you are wearing. Your favorite green dress may be pretty but if it doesn’t align with your brand – don’t wear it! Find colors that compliment your brand colors. This small little change in your photoshoot will make a huge difference, I promise you!
Choose a location that goes with your vibe as well. If you are an intuitive coach and you want your ideal clients to feel in alignment and at ease when they visit your website, don’t do a photoshoot in an office. Maybe choose to do an outdoor shoot at a park with beautiful trees and green grass. Or at home where you can stage a nice meditation area.
You should have at least 25 images for a 5 page website. And if you do get a photoshoot make sure you get horizontal images as well to use as background images that are the full width of the screen. And get some images that you are not in yourself. So for example, if you did stage that meditation area then take a picture of that without yourself in it. These pictures are great to use as background images, behind pictures of you or anywhere you want to add some interest but don’t need to be in the picture yourself.
I’d say it’s a bonus if you can get some video content. This is very trendy right now!
Here is an example of images I curated for the Earth Template. When I look at these images I get a feeling of connecting and peace. I feel connected to Earth, the tree’s, the ocean and the sky. Which is why I named it Earth Template. When you gather images or get a photoshoot for your website, ask yourself “how does this make me feel?”. And that answer should align with how you want your ideal clients to feel when they interact with you and your business.
Copy
Copy is the writing/text on your website. You can choose to either write your own copy or hire a copywriter. Both options are great. I personally have copy writing guides I share with my clients if they choose to write their own copy. These walk you through exactly what to write and how long each section needs to be. For example, write 4-5 sentences describing the transformation your client will get from this course!
Copy is really important because this is where you really connect with your ideal clients. You have attracted them to your website and drawn them in with the design layout and images. Now it’s time to actually convert them to paying clients. And this happens through strategic and aligned copy for a truly authentic website.
You want to write your copy using your brand voice and since you are your business this shouldn’t be too hard. If you really don’t love writing then record yourself talking about the things you want to share on your website. And then transcribe that into your website copy!
If you want some guidance in getting all of this content ready to create an authentic website. I have something special just for you! Download my FREE website content roadmap that walks you through gathering everything I talk about in this post!
Branding
You can go as deep into this as you would like! Branding is truly so important for brand recognition (obviously) but it really does build trust with your ideal clients. It’s a way to connect with your people. Branding should attract the right people and repel the wrong people. You might say, well I don’t want to repel anyone. But if I asked you “do you want to work with people who drain your energy?“, what would you say? I’m guessing, a big fat no!
We hear a lot about niching down and I’m not going to focus so much on that because that’s not what we’re talkin’ about today. But your brand should speak directly to your niche so you can work with people you truly enjoy working with. And do the work you love doing.
You can invest in professional branding or take it even further and invest in brand strategy. Either way, you need to have your colors, fonts and logo in place in order to create an authentic website that is aligned with your brand.
Below you can see a mini brand concept I put together for this template. I used those images to pull colors that felt aligned with the feeling I was getting from the images. And then I chose fonts that enhanced that energy.
I recommend using Canva to put together brand concepts!
Design Layout
I know I’ve said this about every point I’ve made, but design layout is so important! You want to use your images, copy and branding in a way that is strategically guiding your ideal clients to take action.
Think about how our eyes move across the book when we read, it’s always left to right (for most languages). It’s the same thing when you are looking at a website. We want to take your ideal clients on a journey that leads them to taking the action you want them to take. And the design layout is so important for this. We want their eyes to follow along from one piece of information to another. Strategically written and placed to connect with your ideal client and then have clear CTA’s (Calls to Action) to convert them into paying clients.
These days, we don’t always sit there and read all of the information provided on websites. Blog posts being an exception but even then people will only read the parts they’re interested in. And there’s nothing wrong with that! We just want to make sure we are using our Titles and Headings strategically when designing our website to capture our visitors’ attention. When they read a title/heading they’re interested in they can stop scrolling and read further.
Also, a lot of copy by itself can be very overwhelming to look at. Which is why it’s important to use images to break up that copy!
Here is the design layout I created with the images I sourced and the brand concept I created for the Earth Template. This is a screenshot of the homepage!
Now you know how to create an authentic website and the power of attracting your ideal clients. And the importance of truly connecting with them through your website. If your ideal client feels aligned with your brand and your website is easy to navigate while providing valuable information. I can bet you anything, your ideal clients will want to come back for more!
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