How to Create and Run a Successful Website

You might think I’m about to launch into a thinly veiled sales pitch for professional copywriting services well I’m not. In fact this post has nothing to do with copywriting at all.

There’s more to a successful website that it’s content (although that is a very big piece of the puzzle).

In fact, there’s one mistake companies make over and over again.

You see it on a huge scale.

Want to know what it is?

They try too hard to be pretty.

Function over form

Most business websites are designed for beauty rather than achieving the business’s goals.

The business aims always seem to settle at the bottom of the pile of priorities just because it is perceived that a pretty website will win over a functional one.

Really?

When was the last time you chose a company because of its beautiful website?

Think about the big players like Google and Amazon. Are their websites stunningly, jaw-droppingly beautiful?

No. They are functional and give the user exactly what they want.

Oh, look at that, I used the word ‘user’.

Why?

Because that is who your website should be aimed at.

Sure, you want to be proud of your company’s website, but isn’t it better to be proud of a website that offers its customers exactly what they want quickly and easily rather than one that looks nice?

The only reason you should put looks before functionality is if that’s truly what your customers want (somehow I doubt it).

Constant testing

How will you know if your website is working its hardest for you if you’re not testing it?

The content, images, graphics, sign-up and order forms all need testing. Only once your website is up and running will you find out what works for your customers and what doesn’t.

The big boys are constantly testing their site’s calls to action, headings, colours, images and content to hone it to perfection.

Even the smallest details can have a huge impact on your conversion, after all Dell increased their sales by a massive $25 million simply by swapping their ‘Learn more’ call to action for ‘Help me choose.’

Step by step

Through testing you’ll identify what needs changing, but that doesn’t mean taking your website off line while you make major changes.

Small changes can be made while your website is live. Monitoring your analytics will help you see what’s working and what’s not so you can keep tweaking until you get the results you want.

That way, your website will evolve into a strong site that gives your customers exactly what they want without experiencing any downtime.

So how can you create and run a successful website?

Simple:

• Design it to fulfil your primary purpose and not to make it look pretty
• Test everything
• Make small changes to keep your website live at all times

Author: Sally Ormond of Briar Copywriting Ltd – the world’s fastest pedal-powered copywriter (probably).