When a visitor comes to your site, you have 10 seconds (maybe) to make a first impression and answer 3 key questions. If your visitor doesn’t find the answer to these questions within 10 seconds of getting to your site, they will leave and most likely never come back. This means you have a limited window to make sure your customer understands what you do, how it helps them, and what they need to do. Some businesses start off by telling the visitor about themselves and how long they have been around, other times they give some vague headline or fluff.
In order to get your potential client to lean in and continue down the page your website and specifically, the header (the top part of the page), needs to answer 3 questions to make sure your visitor stays and eventually turns into a client.
Key Question 1: What do you do?
The first question you must answer is, “What do you do?” Simple, but often times businesses make this complex. You see, it’s essential to convey a clear message that’s easy for your visitors to understand. A lot of times businesss make the mistake of being too cute or clever with their headlines, but they don’t convey what the business actually does. So they come up with some clever, or vague phrase that doesn’t tell the visitor what they do.
The website header should be clear and concise, providing a short explanation in layman’s terms. For instance instead of “Making you look good online” which can be applied for about 15 different businesses, the digital marketing agency could use ‘We help small businesses improve their online presence’. Your message should be easy to read, even for visitors who may not be familiar with your industry.
Key Question 2: How will it benefit the customer?
The next question you want to answer for your potential client is how your product or service will benefit them. Basically, you are answering the how you solve their problem. Your visitors are not just coming to your website to see how good (hopefully) it looks, they want to know what they will get out of what you offer. It can be tempting to list EVERY benefit your product or service offer, but it is enough to name the main thing they will get from it. When you capture the immediate benefit your visitor will be encouraged to continue exploring your site further. Make sure it is clear, concise and memorable so that they can tell you back what they will receive from you.
Key Question 3: How can they buy your product or service?
At this point if you have followed this you have successfully explained what your business does and the benefits. Now comes the critical question, how do they buy it? This may seem silly because you are thinking, Roger, I want them to buy my product/service. Well ya, YOU know that, but do THEY know that? This is where you show them where the cash register is, so to speak.
The client at this point may be interested in and leaning in to hear more. so now you have to let them know what you want them to do. Remember those CTAs I always harp on? This is where you put them. Make it easy for your customer to know what it is that you are wanting them to do. ‘Buy now’, ‘Schedule a Call’, so that as they continue to scroll down and read the rest of your site they know what you want them to do. Remember the Call to action (CTA) needs to be clear and concise and direct the customer to the next steps they need to take to work with you.
Why answering these 3 key questions are crucial for your website
So as you can see, answering these three key questions in your header will help ensure that visitors stick around on your website. When you have clear and concise website messaging you help set visitors mind at east and help them to raise their hand and say ‘Yes I need this’. By following these steps, not only do you have a website that attracts and retains customers, but you also make them lean it to hear more and turn visitors into clients.
Remember, if you confuse them, you lose them. Be clear and effective in your message and answer the 3 key questions effectively. If you need any help and want to go a little more in-depth don’t forget to download my 5 Website Essentials guide! You can learn more about being clearer in your messaging and making your website more effective.
