Welcome to our Founders Series, where we aim to give advice, answer questions and provide solutions for people starting their own businesses. If this sounds like you, read on! We've got plenty of content on a wide range of topics, all to help you grow and succeed as a founder.
We don’t have to tell you how important it is to differentiate your brand from competitors – but have you applied this lesson to your website? If the answer is no, you could be missing out on 15-50% revenue growth.
The more unique your website is, the more engaged visitors and customers will be. So how can you separate your site from the crowd to keep visitors from bouncing? Whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to take your current website to the next level, follow these five steps to ensure it’s ready for business.
Choose a customisable layout or template
Content management systems or website builders empower people with no coding skills to efficiently craft their own website. This makes them highly popular with busy founders who want to avoid the costs of hiring a developer. However, with so many businesses using the same tools, the risk of blending into the crowd with your web design is high.
For that reason, we advise against settling for pre-made templates. Instead, choose a system or builder with customisable options or drag-and-drop features. This will give you the best of both worlds, with the freedom to add your own twist to a highly functional website.
Don’t forget your brand guidelines
Do you have brand guidelines for your business? Whether it’s an official playbook or all in your head, you should have a clear idea of what your tone of voice sounds like, what colourways your brand abides by, and of course, the unique selling points of your business. Once you’ve got these crystallised, your website is the online canvas to bring this to life.
Craft copy that reflects your tone and choose imagery that matches your brand design and essence – and above all else, remember that consistency is King.
Use original imagery and video
The temptation to use stock photos is understandable. It’s an effortless and convenient way of attaching on-theme visuals to back up your web copy. But an over-reliance on this could come across impersonal, inauthentic and unoriginal. To make sure your business’ unique personality shines, include original imagery of your work and your people.
In addition, video content is one of the strongest and most engaging forms of content on social media right now. You can use this to speak to your audience directly, or showcase how your product works with a demo.
Showcase your people and culture
Regardless of the services or products you offer, your team is the most unique aspect of your business. So show them off! Because it doesn’t matter how corporate or serious your line of work is – people connect with people.
As previously mentioned, original images and videos can work hard towards this goal. But so can your ‘about us’ section. Including ‘meet the team’ content and writing creative bios can be a powerful way of showcasing the faces behind the brand.
Maintain fresh, high quality content
As well as static copy and imagery, your website should also contain fresh content that’s regularly updated. For starters, it’s great for SEO, but it’s also a powerful way to showcase your own opinions and expertise on topics relevant to your industry. This way, you can present yourself as a credible thought leader that people can trust.
For starters, create a blog or ‘news’ section on your website, allowing you to publish topical content and actionable insights that your audience can really use.
Fasthosts supporting founders
Whether you’re enhancing your website, driving your personal brand or tackling burnout, our Founders Series is dedicated to sharing advice, insights and solutions to help you and your business survive (and thrive).
Plus for expert assistance online, from website building and hosting to marketing, call our friendly team today on 0800 0612 153 or message our live chat.
